Sound Off: Rap Across the U.S.
Rap…… Across the U.S.
November 20, 2009
Written by Michelle Brockman
The genre of hip hop has taken quite a journey over the last almost 40 years. What started off as a few guys from the Bronx performing in the streets for small block parties has transformed into a movement that has swept the nation and become a defining lifestyle for many Americans. It has gone from being entirely unknown outside of the Unites States to impacting and influencing people all over the world.
New York City gets credit for being the birthplace of hip hop. Some of the first pioneers were artists such as DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grand Master Flash who were all based in the Bronx. Other big name hip-hoppers from New York City include LL Kool J, KRS-One, Public Enemy, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys. Though not yet in the mainstream, by the early 1980’s hip hop’s popularity started to take off and could be found in cities as diverse as Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, San Antonio, TX, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, New Orleans, Houston, and Toronto.
In the mid 80’s a new style of hip hop emerged from the West Coast and was being called Gangsta Rap. This music very effectively represented the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths and struck a chord with young fans throughout the country that could relate. In 1992 the release of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic sealed Gangsta Rap’s place in history and proved to be more commercially successful than East Coast rap. This style was further popularized by Snoop Dogg’s 1993 release of Doggystyle which hit mainstream gold. Around this same time East Coast acts like Wu Tang Clan and Notorious B.I.G. started to take off and the end result was the so called East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry which some argue ultimately ended the lives of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.
The 2000’s have brought about their own hip hop stars in Crunk which originated from the southern states style of hip hop. Many of the artists from the Crunk genre originate from Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia and have managed to create a musical lifestyle unique unto itself. There’s the Crunk dancing style, Crunk clothing and even a Crunk energy drink if you can believe it. Aside from the new crunk craze however, many fans and critics are wondering what the next direction of hip hop will be. What used to be an outlet for creativity and energy with its clever rhymes and beats seemed to have turned into a vehicle for advocating personal, social and criminal corruption. You never know though, with as far as hip hop has come in such a short time it wouldn’t be hard to believe that a new subgenre could pop up in the mid-west and be centered around farming and living green. Even then, it probably wouldn’t be the last stop on the map….
References:
Wikipedia
(Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images) © Lench Mob Records
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