Rap/hip hop listening guide

Fight the Power was used in the films

"Do the Right Thing" (Film)

Russell Simmons co-founded...

(Def Jam Records)

The Message

-Original composition (no overt sampling of other songs)Sporadic (open) rhythmic pattern leaving space for the lyrics -Strong repeated bass line -Synthesizer chord punctuations Simple rhyme scheme -The 'chorus' lyric is delivered in a staggered/stuttered way to emphasize the commentary"Don't Push Me cuz' Im close to the edge, I'm trying not to lose my head"Powerful use of simile to portray the plight of living in the ghetto

It's Like That

-Run-D.M.C. -1983 -"Run-D.M.C." -NewSchool/Second Wave

Rappers'Delight

-Sugarhill Gang - 1979 -"Sugarhill Gang" -Old School Rap/Disco

Brass Monkey

Beastie Boys 1986 "Licensed to Ill" New School/Second Wave

1st Of Tha Month

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony 1998 "E. 1999 Eternal" The first rap group to essentially harmonize the rap lyrics The defined the midwestern style Their flow was also the first to be based exclusively on complex rhythmic patterns

Brass Monkey was created using a sample of the funk song ...

Bring It Here by Wild Sugar

Fight the Power was lead rapped by

Chuck D

Insane in the Brain

Cypress Hill 1993 West Coast Rap "Black Sunday"

My Name Is has a Cameo by ___________who produced Eminem

Dr Dre

Nuthin' But A G Thang

Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Dogg 1992" The Chronic"G-Funk Death Row Records

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony was"Discovered"/Produced by

Eazy E

My Name Is

Eminem (Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers) 1999 "The Slim Shady LP" Hardcore Rap/Pop The song that changed rap and popular music and introduced us to Mr Mathers

The Message

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five 1983 "Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five" Old School Rap Protest/social commentary

F _ _ _ tha Police bulk of rapping by

Ice Cube and Eazy E

F _ _ _ tha Police

Intense bassPolitical/social commentaryThey lyrics garnered a warning from the FBISong inthree sections (based on the story of three members -Ice Cube, MC Ren, Eazy E -testifying in front of a judge -Dr Dre) Not the first instance of extreme vulgarity but the angry, violent sentiments had huge repercussions Refers to the constant ignored police brutality of black youths by the LAPD

Hard knock life (The ghetto anthem)

Jay-Z1998"Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life"East Coast Rap/Pop

Sound Of Da Police

KRS-One 1993 New School/Second Wave "Return of the Boom Bap" Protest

Keep Ya Head Up

Keep Ya Head Up Tupac Shakur (2Pac) 1993 "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..."West Coast/G-Funk

___________ is performing the rap

Melle Mel

The Ghetto

More melodic style delivery (akin to West Coast Hip Hop) This is the extended version which contains an excerpt from the famous 'Last Poets' speeches

F _ _ _ tha Police

N.W.A1988"Straight Outta Compton"Gangsta Rap/West Coast

Hot In Herre

Nelly 2002 "Nellyville" Pop Rap The elongation of syllables indicative of Nelly's style Melodic/sing rap Samples Chuck Brown's Bustin Loose

Big Poppa

Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls, Big Poppa, Christopher Wallace) 1994"Ready To Die" East Coast Rap

Rosa Parks

Outkast 1998 "Aquemini"Crunk/Southern Hip HopSamples 6 songs Alternation between Big Boi and Andre 300 (which have totally different styles of flow)Big Boi -more indicative of Gangsta rapbut faster and more percussive Andre 3000 -has a more lyrical/rhythmic flow instrumental 'hambone' style is a 'shout out' to the South

What It Is

Pharoahe Monch 2007 "Desire" Hip Hop, Indie/Underground Rap

Fight the Power

Political/social commentary'Color' interjections by Flava Flav Use of scratchin

Fight the Power

Public Enemy 1988 New School/Second Wave Fear of a Black Planet"

Walk This Way is considered to be a form of

Rap Rock

This album(Licensed to Ill) was produced by

Rick Rubin

Walk This Way produced by

Rick Rubin

Walk This Way

Run-D.M.C. 1986 "Raising Hell" (I would not even call it a cover as Aerosmith still performs on the track. It is simply a new edition of the song with rapping during the verses and the original chorus by Aerosmith. Essentially the song is the same as from the original 1975 (technically you could claim that the way Steven Tyler delivered the verse lyrics in the original was a kind of rappin)

Run D.M.C. is "Discovered"/Produced by ...

Russell Simmons

Beastie Boys were "Discovered" by

Russell Simmons (Def Jam Records)

Big Poppa

Sample 3 songs most notably Between the Sheets by the Isley Brothers Although uncredited, Busta Rhymes raps on the track Notice the change in flow and lyrical delivery

Rappers'Delight was created using a sample of the disco song called

Sample of the disco song Good Times by Chic The main bass riff and the rhythm from the bridge The full version contains several verses of rap from all four members

Fight the Power

Samples 19 songs most notably: Different Strokes by Syl Johnson (main riff) Funky Drummer by James Brown (drum pattern) Hot Pants Road by The J.B.'s (bass line)

Keep Ya Head Up

Samples 3 songs Be Alright by Zapp (various)O-o-h Child by Five Stairsteps (chorus) Theme From Shaft by Isaac Hayes (various) Ostinato bass line drives the song The two-bar rhyming phrase is characterized by a strong bass drum hit on the downbeat (beat 1) of the first bar then the down beat is offset in the second bar (technically on the 'and' of 1) Tupac's lyrical flow illustrated wonderfully (fluid and almost melodic)

Nuthin' But A G Thang

Samples 5 songsAlternation between Snoop Dogg and Dr DreIconic bass drum pattern This song introduced G-Funk and SD to the world A much more 'funky' style from a musical point of view Very laid back

F _ _ _ tha Police

Samples 8 songs most notably Funky Drummer and Funk President by James Brown (drum pattern) The Boogie Back by Roy Ayers Ubiquity (main riff) Get Me Back on Time, Engine 9 by Wilson Pickett (main riff)

Insane in the Brain

Samples 9 songs most notably Life by Sly &the family Stone (main riff)Get Out of My Life, Woman by George Semper (drums)Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud(vocals)NOTE: If you are noticing a huge similarity to House of Pain's Jump Around it is because DJ Muggs of CH produced it (although he did use completely different samples

F _ _ _ tha Police

Samples8 songs most notablyFunky Drummerand Funk President by James Brown (drum pattern)The Boogie Back by Roy Ayers Ubiquity (main riff)Get Me Back on Time, Engine 9by Wilson Pickett (main riff

It's Like That

Simple drum pattern (drum machine -practically every available sound used) The 808 "tinny" handclap sound Synth chordal punctuations Interjection of other synthesized melodic lines Alternation of verse from Rev Run and D.M.C. Flow is typical of the dance style (more hippity hoppity as opposed to a natural flow

Rappers'Delight Produced by

Sylvia Robinson

The Ghetto is a sample/quasi cover of

The Ghetto by Donny Hathaway

Sound Of Da Police

The lyrics refer to the police in places like Bronx, New York, which have a history of institutionalized racism, oppression and violence against the black community The reoccurring "whoop" simulating police sirens opens the song as part of the chorus Notice the way he manipulates and transforms words like "overseer" into "officer" as an inventive use of flow Samples 3 songs Sing a Simple Song by Sly &the Family Stone (drums)Inside Looking Out by Grand Funk Railroad (various)Necessary by BDP (vocals)Rhythmically there is the added bass hit on beat 1 and the back beat on the snare one 2 & 4

The Ghetto

Too Short 1990 West Coast" Short Dog's In The House"Social Commentary

Brass Monkey

Use of scratching Much deeper bass than previous examples There flow is heavily influenced by Run DMC Heavy in the sense that it is faster and more frenetic Heavy use of call and response and unison rapping

Protect Ya Neck

Wu-Tang Clan 1993 "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" Hip Hop The song that introduced WTC to the world and was recorded with 4 of the original members plus 4 others Recorded before they had a record deal Samples 4 songs The bass line/drum pattern interweave This was the second version of the song that RZA completely rearranged and re dubbed with new drum tracks

Protect Ya Neck

Wu-Tang Clan1993"Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)"Hip Hop

Protect Ya Neck

ntro(sounds of fighting)The karate chop sounds started this infatuation with Kung Fu films which would be adopted by groups like A Tribe Called Quest and The FugeesWu-Intro: RZA and Method ManFirst verse: Inspectah DeckSecond verse: RaekwonThird verse: Method ManBridge: U-GodInterlude: Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard and RZA Fourth verse: Ol' Dirty BastardFifth verse: Ghostface KillahSixth verse: RZASeventh verse: GZA(sounds of fighting)Outro: RZA, Method Man