Humble beginnings

Nowadays, you only have to turn on the television or radio to hear a rap song. Pop songs often include a rap, usually in the bridge of the song, after the second chorus. Young pop artists, such as Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson, attempt to gain credibility by featuring a well-respected rapper in their songs. It is hard to believe that rap was once the voice of those who were on the fringes of society.

In this blog I examine the origins, ideologies and purposes of rap music, and how it's place in society has changed over the years. I also talk about a prominent figure in the British music scene, Plan B, and how his music reflects the spirit of protest found in early rap.

What exactly is rap?

The terms 'rap' and 'hip hop' are often used interchangeably. According to the website Ebony, hip-hop is a cultural movement which is made up of four main elements. Rap is one of these elements, along with break-dancing, DJing, and graffiti. Rap is generally defined as a musical style in which 'rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted (rapped) to a musical accompaniment' (Merriam-Webster.com). Rap music has a strong, rhythmic beat, and generally uses 4/4 timing. Raps are usually in 16 bar measures, with instrumentals in between the speech. While a strong beat is important, a rapper's skill is shown through the lyrics. Rappers use the beat of the song to put emphasis on certain words and phrases. This is known as a rappers 'flow' and distinguishes a pro from an amateur. According to Krims (2000), the elements which make a good rapper are creativity and placement of rhyme, and the use of striking imagery and unusual juxtapositions.

What influenced rap music?

Rap music is believed to be influenced by West African story-tellers, known as Griots. These story-tellers travelled between villages, sharing knowledge about history, events, births, deaths, and wars. The importance of the spoken word in West African culture, originates with the idea of Nommo. In Malian Dogon cosmology, Nommo's are believed to be the first creations of the supreme deity, Amma. They were associated with the generative power of the spoken word, and 'the ability of words to act upon objects, giving life' (Blanchard, 1999).

Vid 1- A Jamaican toast

Another major influence was the Jamaican tradition of toasting. Blues dances were often held, in community halls or slum yards, where disk jockeys would talk over pre-recorded r 'n b songs. They would do toasts to celebrate different occasions, and would sometimes battle each other, the winner being the one with the loudest system and the most original technique. Just as the Jamaican DJs used heavy beats to support their vocals, American rap often uses hard funk beats. Also, many types of rap songs are similar to toasts, such as boast raps, insult raps, news raps, celebration raps, party raps and nonsense raps (Rhodes, 2014). Kool DJ Herc, one of the pioneers of American rap, emigrated from Jamaica to New York in the 1960's. He bought with him a knowledge of toasting and the Jamaican music style, and was one of the pivotal figures in developing the rap scene in New York. However, rap did not start gaining a large following until the 1970s.

Vid 2- DJ Kool Herc, one of the pioneers of rap

Rap it up!

 The voice of rap

Art tends to imitate life, so obviously if the living conditions are rough and depressing, the music will be too. Rap emerged at a time when the Bronx had undergone a significant socioeconomic change. This began in 1959, when Parks commissioner Robert Moses began to build an expressway through the middle of the Bronx. As a result, most of the middle class families, and businesses, moved away. In the 1960s, Moses built a large apartment complex, thus forcing many working-class residents out of their homes and breaking apart tight-knit communities. As a result, living conditions for many people deteriorated, and the rate of unemployment, drug addiction, and gang violence was increasing.

In the 1970's, when hip- hop culture began gaining popularity, disco music was the mainstream trend. Poor youths living in Harlem and the Bronx couldn't afford to get into clubs and dances, so they created their own scene. Also, the flamboyant, cheerful themes in disco music were hard for somebody living in South Bronx to relate to. Rap music, and hip-hop culture in general, rejected the flashy, extravagant style of disco music, in favour of something more hard-edged.

The purpose of rap music was to express the views of poor African-American urban youths, who were commonly misrepresented in the media. Rap music is often seen as being excessively violent, which may be because of the history of violence and subjugation of black people. There are many references to guns and gangs is because that is what people experienced in their daily lives, living in ghettos and housing projects. As Blanchard (1999) states '(Violence in rap) is an outcry to an already existing problem,from youths whose world views have been shaped by experiencing deep economic inequalities.'In other words, rap music doesn't instigate violence, it is a symptom of the violence which already exists.

One of the early protest raps was 'The message' by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Released in 1982, this song is about the struggles of everyday life in the ghetto. It talks about how people who grow up in these places emulate 'thugs, pimps and pushers' because they see these people succeeding and earning money. 'You admire all the number book takers/Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money makers/Driving big cars, spending twenties and tens/And you wanna grow up to be just like them.'
They also talk about how it is for children in poor neighborhoods to be successful when their schools are unsupportive, and they grow up believing they are inferior. 

Vid 3- Grandmaster Flash- the message

British Rap

Rap wasn't purely the domain of Americans, Britain also has a vibrant hip hop scene. In the late 1980s and early 1990's, the genre of Britcore emerged. English rap was faster than its American counterpart, and littered with British and slang, due to London's large Jamaican population. Unfortunately, Britcore's popularity was short-lived, and it was soon pushed aside in favor of rave and house music.

Vid 4- Always Remains Hardcore' a mix CD of early British rap music

Just like in the Bronx, the living conditions were poor for many English people. In 1985, the Broadwater farm riot broke out in Tottenham. This was instigated by the death of a black women, Cynthia Jarrett, who suffered a heart attack while the police were searching her home. Tottenham locals were enraged at the way Cynthia and her family had been treated by the police, who burst into their home without any warning or justification. That night, people from the Broadwater farm estate, where Cynthia was a resident, threw petrol bombs at the police, broke store windows and set fire to buildings. However, this riot was not solely about Cynthia Jarrett, but was a product of a sense of social unrest and anger about living conditions. Rap music gave youths a chance to voice their displeasure with the police, and other social institutions, which they felt were inherently racist.

A load of c(rap)?

Modern Rap 

Since the 1980s, rap music' popularity has increased significantly. However, many argue that the quality of the music has decreased, in recent years years. Nowadays, rap seems to revolve around fast cars, expensive jewellery and excessive alcohol and drug usage. So, how did rap music go from this...

To this...

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It seems as if the increasing commercialisation of rap music has caused it to lose much of its soul and purpose. Modern rap has often been criticised for promoting negative values, such as sexism, homophobia and violence. While these values were present in some older rap music, they are more prevalent today. While early rap was concerned with rejecting material values, modern rap songs seem to be brags about how rich and successful the rapper is. It is common to see rappers talking about their 'bling' and designer labels, while partying in a huge mansion or private yacht. This kind of commercialism promotes a lifestyle which is uncontainable to most people, particularly young working-class African-Americans, who are the target audience.

There are many harmful and degrading stereotypes in modern rap music. Black male rappers are often portrayed as 'pimps' or 'hustlers' and as being sexually aggressive. This is not so different from the way slave handlers viewed African American men, as lustful beasts whose energy needed to be contained. Rap videos usually show black women as underdressed and oversexed objects of male desire. This is a particularly dangerous portrayal, as African-American women are the social group most likely to be victims of sexual violence.

There are three major corporations who control 95% of music in the world (Bell, in Aggarwal, 2012). Viacom is an American media powerhouse which owns MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Paramount pictures, and various other channels, stations and websites. In 2001, Viacom purchased Black Entertainment Television (BET),  a channel which had previously been owned by African-Americans. As a result, artists have very little control over the music they make anymore, and if their music is too provocative, it simply won't be played. It seems as if rap is cool, as long as it doesn't challenge the existing hierarchy or attempt to break stereotypes.Also, it is okay to be rebellious, if that rebellion does not challenge authority. Blanchard (1999) mentions that modern rappers often talk about hurting other black people, but rarely talk about rebelling against the government or promoting social activism.

Plan B for rap

Who is Plan B?

Of course, not all modern rap is mindless and consumer-driven. In 2012, an English rapper called Plan B released the album 'Ill manors'. This album follows the lives of a group of people, living in a rough area of  East London, similar to where Plan B himself grew up. One particularly sad song, 'playing with fire', tells the story of a thirteen year old boy who joins a gang and ends up shooting a teenage girl. He is then shot and killed by the girl's brother, a member of a rival gang.

                                            Plan B- Playing with fire



The title track 'ill manors' was inspired by the London riots of 2011. These broke out after a young black man, named Mark Duggan, was shot by the police. This is reminiscent of the Broadwater farm riot of the 1980's, which also started in Tottenham, an impoverished area of London.  Plan B believes the riots were the result of the deprivation and poverty many people have been experiencing for decades. He feels the issue of poverty in England was never fully addressed until when the riots occurred. During the riots, many people engaged in 'looting', stealing items from shops. The most popular stolen items were designer sports shoes and blackberry mobile phones, because these are the items society views as symbols of status.

                                          Plan B- Ill manors


Plan B wants to abolish the word 'chav'( a derogatory term directed at lower-class people) and doesn't like the way it is used openly in the media. He compares it to other offensive words related to race, gender or sexuality, and believes it reinforces the place of poor people in society, by saying they somehow deserve to be there because they are inferior. This label also alienates people from unfortunate backgrounds and makes them feel as if they are unwanted by society, which causes people to commit crimes because they feel like that is their only option to succeed.

Plan B chose the medium of rap for this album because he wanted to connect with young people from troubled backgrounds. These people often have little respect for authority figures, due to feeling alienated by society, but they do respect rap artists. In 'ill manors' Plan B aims to attract disadvantaged young people with rap music, but also promote positive values to them. He mentions that a lot of rap music glamorizes gang culture and teenagers need to learn the truth. 'If you get shot, you're gonna die. 50 cent's lucky to be alive (rapper 50 cent was shot nine times, leaving him with a hole in his tongue). In reality, if you get shot once you're gonna die' Plan B, 2012).

In a world of flashy bling and scantily clad dancers, Plan B and other artists like him are a shining beacon of hope. The album captures the same spirit of protest and social activism as the songs of the early rap days, proving that rap music isn't a dying art. Like any other genre, there is intelligent, insightful rap music being made, but it probably won't be found on MTV.

It's a w(rap)!

MC Earley would like to make a shout out to these cats...

References
Aggarwal, S. [MusicMan1470]. (2012, December 15).
    Whatever Happened to Hip Hop [Video file].
    Retrieved from http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2CH6af90Ig0.
Blanchard, B. (1999). The Social Significance of Rap and Hip Hop Culture.
    Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace.
Chester, N. (2014). The UK's Forgotten Rap Scene Deserves Your Attention. Retrieved from
    http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/remembering-britcore-the-uks-forgotten-music-scene.
Krims, A. (2000). Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity. UK: Cambridge University Press.
    Retrieved from http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam032/99036013.pdf.
planbuk. (2012, March 12). Plan B: 'ill manors' Interview [Video file].
    Retrieved from http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t9B0y9oV7Mk.
Plan B. [TEDx Talks]. (2012, March 17).
    Youth, Music and London: Plan B at TEDxobserver [Video file]. Retrieved from
     http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xhtAfIw4qJY-hip.
Rakshit, D. (2011). The Poetics of Protest. Retrieved from
    https://www.academia.edu/1184177/The_Poetics_of_Protest.
Rhodes, H. (2014). The Evolution of Rap Music in the United States.
    Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1993/4/93.04.04.x.html.