Hip Hop - music, culture or clothing style?
Well we suppose the most prominent area of Hip Hop that most heads will encounter is music, it's everywhere, on the radio whilst we're driving or working but also in the background of movies and adverts but did the chicken come first or the egg? That's what we're asking and we aint sure we can answer or even want to for that matter but what is for sure there's a lot happening within hip hop right now but first a little history.
Hip Hop Music
Kool Herc seems to have kicked off the music side of things playing sold, funk and R&B. He would play the "break" the part where percussion or break beat kicked in, but due to these breaks being short Herc expanded them by using two turntables and mixing the beats. Herc went on to influence Grandmaster Flash and no mention of Hip Hop would be complete or even start without the main man Africa Bambaataa called by many the godfather of hip hop culture, father of electro funk, definitely founder of the Zulu Nation.
The Caribbean DJ practice of "toasting" rhyming over records started to be used by US Hip Hop DJ's. Toasting had it's first on many name changes and start being know has "Emceeing" with DJ's like Herc shouting" Cool Herc is in the house and he'll turn it out without a doubt".
During the late 70's the phrase "rapping" started to be used by the music industry and a number of labels started releasing tracks including "Sugarhill Gang" "Fatback Band", "Kurtis Blow", Grandmaster Flash" and "Spoonie Gee". The early 80's sees the many major releases and the first coming of hip hop and it's mixing with other influences such as a track being released between Futura 2000 (graffiti artist and The Clash ((punk rock band)), Blondie releases a rap track and the Beastie Boys are forme
Hip Hop Art - Graffiti
Graffiti bombing (practise of painting on walls) began in the mid to late 60's by writers like Cornbread and Cool Earl in Philadelphia but was made famous in the early 70's by Taki183 from Washington. Tagging has been traced back to one man Vic, a mail courier who rode the local subways and buses to deliver his packages. He set a goal for himself to visit every subway and ride every bus in NY. (aka "All City") He began to write his name (Vic) and his courier ID number (156) on every subway and bus he rode on. Around the same time Bubble Styles started to appear along with various other graffiti styles from writers like Case2, Lee163d, Joe136 etc. During the mid to late 70's bubble letter throw-ups appeared all over the New York transit system.
