Hip hop is a popular music genre which originated back in the 70’s in The Bronx, New York. Hip hop came to life at a party in the Bronx on 11th August, 1973. The Jamaican founder of hip-hop i.e. DJ Koorl Herc mixed a few of his reggae samples on the turntables and created a new sound while talking (emceeing) as the music played in the background. Hip-hop is also known as rap music due to the chanting style of performance incorporated by the artists. It is also characterized by graffiti and break dancing.
After the initiation of hip hop into the music world, the styles used in the early 70’s were improved by those drawn to it. Their rapping became more complex and their rhyming scheme got better and developed a natural flow. The first live performance hit the stage in 1979 i.e. Rapper’s Delight by The Sugarhill Gang. Other duos performance thereafter thrived with the likes of Afrika Bambataataa’s Planet Rock reaching greater heights of popularity. Over the years, hip hop has improved rhythmically, melodically and its taste just gets better by the years. The sweetness of hip hop music is that it has a touch of other music genres such as jazz, R&B, Disco and an old funk potion as well. This is probably why most people get hooked to this music genre despite the use of some sensitive words by the performing artists.
Hip hop music has always been about the issues people face in their daily living. The lyrical content is of substance and always carries a lot of meaning. However with evolution over the past years, it seems to be losing its value and importance. This is because most of the rappers are blinded by the wealth they’ve acquired from the industry, drugs violence and crimes. Hip hop artists of the century include; Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Jay-z, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent, Drake, Kanye West to mention but a few. The industry is not gender specific and has seen uprising female artists such as Missy Elliot, Dej Loaf, Lil Kim as well as Nicki Minaj and many more.
In the latest news about the hip hop industry, it seems there’s always an uproar on a particular agenda or over a specific artist. The latest trending stories ranging from honoring of Phife Dawg by the New York Mayor over the street Naming Ceremony, to Lil Durk expressing his disappoint as French Montana refuses to promote his album. In other stories, the beef between famous 50 Cent and The Game is finally over while it seems we’ll soon be listening to a hit song from Drake and Kanye West. Finally Joe Budden has been selling while chasing after Drake fans. The hip-hop music industry is well a hot bed of stories both juicy and bitter and at the end of the day, what matters most is that we still get to listen to great hit songs from the artists we all love and adore.
Like all other genres of music, hip hop too has its own tale of success from its initiation in the early 70’s to its improved version in the 21st century. The good thing that never disappoints is that it is growing wider by the day with lots of music being produced by various artists from time to time. Some of the highly praised works from the industry are Young Thugs and Bloody Jay’s mixtape, Kendrick Lamar’s Album; To Pimp a Butterfly, Run the Jewels and much more. Not everyone has the heart to love hip hop but if you do, shows what a great ear you have for great sounds and taste for good music.