Unit 5 (Ch. 9: Alt and Underground Hip Hop)

Listening Example: "Lil Pimp" by David Banner

"Like a Pimp" 2003, Universal Records Composed by Lavell "David Banner" Crump, Chad Lamar "Pimp C" Butler, and W. Weston Performed by David Banner and Lil' Flip

Spirituality and Christian Rap

1. Lauryn Hill's black feminist spirituality is exposed in her debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), which reflects socially conscious lyrics to move hip hop to higher ground and present a new image of womanhood being sultry and sophisticated rather than sexual and promiscuous. Her lyrics expressed in Miseducation embodies the essence of Hill's Christian humanity and incredible flow and rap delivery. I n her big hit from the album, "Doo Wop (That Thing)," Hill raps warning women to not be taken advantage of by men who just want "that thing," and encodes Biblical messages in the song referring to women being Christian and professing their spiritual values and principles but entering in situations that are in direct violation of those doctrines. Lauryn Hill's lyrics warn ladies about their own downfalls and preaches a message of self-confidence and self-respect for women. 2. Kirk Franklin: 1990s, Christian rap and rappers strove to challenge the gangsta rap scene and the G-funk oriented groove to a more Christian spiritual music to tap into a market that had yet been fully integrated. Kirk Franklin's 1997 megahit song, "Stomp (Remix)" was a blending of Christian messages with secular hip hop sounds. Franklin as the songwriter and producer debuted on Billboard top 200 at number three and also topped the R&B/Hip Hop charts, first feats for a gospel album

Ending of an Era: 1990s

1990s saw an emergence of new territories and rap styles. take over by the West Coast and South with gangsta rap brought a larger following than ever to hip hop. East Coast: group that followed the West Coast gangsta style was Wu Tang Clan, who with their New York, Staten Island, gangster sensibilities brought attention back to the East Coast. Wu Tang Clan, with their hardcore street personas, were not afraid to take risks and rapped about opposing the drug trade, and the importance of hard work, diligence, and creativity in obtaining money, rather than how to spend it. They also did a compilation record to promote HIV and AIDS. Enter the Wu Tang (1993) and America Is Dying Slowly (1996), outlined a blueprint for other rappers to follow that represented the streets of the East Coast and laid the gangsta rap foundation for artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Nas, and Jay-Z to rise and flourish in bringing back the throne to New York City. two key pioneers of the NY Empire sound P-Diddy and Biggie Smalls, and their influence on using R&B/soul covers in hardcore hip hop.

The New Century—2000's (Eminem)

2000, Dr. Dre produced the iconic, The Marshall Mathers LB, by Eminem that debuted at number one on US Billboard. Eminem has become the first accepted white rapper, who proved he could deliver cleaver rhymes and battle with anyone. Most African American audiences did not respect most white rappers after Vanilla Ice proved to be a fake and did not live up to the gangsta lifestyle he rapped about. Dr. Dre decided to market Eminem as a rural, trailer park, "white trash," stereotype image but he really was—a denizen of impoverished Detroit, an urbanite living between a poor Black neighborhood and a poor white neighborhood. Eminem's hardcore delivery mixed violent and angry lyrics, with sick humor and trenchant wit, similar to the Beastie Boys but with more vulgarity to offend everyone and anyone. The nasal vocal delivery of Eminem was a trademark along with his vile, misogynistic, and violent lyrics but never seemed gangsta. His look was not like the gangsta rappers either, it was more of a skater-punk dress Eminem appealed to the outsider kids and gave voice to the misfits who even felt like aliens themselves in the home environments. Video: Eminem, Dr. Dre: Forgot about Dre

Jazz-rap fusion

A fusion of jazz and hip hop, which the rhythms are from hip hop beats, and the samples and sonic textures are drawn mostly from cool jazz, soul-jazz, and hard bop, using live musicians, percussionists and horn players, over pre-recorded music to produce a new form of a danceable jazz

Hip Hop Futurism

Advances in technology: MP3, Napster, Apple Music, Spotify Mashups—A kind of beat-juggling in which a DJ creates a piece a music by digitally overlaying instrumental segments with vocal segments from two or more recordings to create a new music collage.

Biggie/Notorious B.I.G.

Biggie, Christopher Wallace, was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Jamaican parents, and raised by his mother a pre-schooled teacher, in a middle-to-working class Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Biggie was a very intelligent and gifted student who became bored with school and was more interested in street life and dropped out of high school to sell drugs. His ghetto-life credibility and "Big" voice attracted Combs (P-Diddy), who made him the sound and face of Bad Boy Entertainment and revitalized the East Coast rap movement into a new delivery style of ghetto perspective authentic rags-to-riches wealth obtained through the underground economy market. Biggie and Tupac rose to fame during the same time period and grew from being close friends to arched enemies (at least in Tupac's head) that triggered an East Coast-West Coast rivalry and left two of the biggest names in hip hop dead, and their murders still not resolved. Wallace received the Billboard's Rapper of the Year Award, in 1995, when the West Coast was dominating the rap market, which added fuel to the fire for the West Coast, and in 1997 while visiting Los Angeles was murdered in a drive-by. Alive for 24 years. only completing two classic-memoir albums, yet still considered as one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Hip Hop: Into the New Millennium (1995-Today)

By the year 2010, hip hop reaped benefits of its 14-year crossover successes, it also influenced almost all facets of the Billboard Chart-Toppers. Among the many collaborators with Hip Hop[ artists were the following: Country collaborations: Nelly "Over and Over" with Tim McGraw in 2005 Country fusionist DF Dub "Country Girl" (2003) Classical—hip hop fusion artist Miri Ben-Ari Hip Hop Violinist (2005) and Nuttin' But Stringz Struggle from the Subway to the Charts (2006)

Kanye West (Backpacker)

Chicago-based Kanye West, who started as a producer and then turned rapper, has dominated commercial hip hop pop since 2003, in the release of his debut album College Dropout. West, the son of a Chicago State University English professor and a professional photographer, grew up middle-class, from the mid-west, and had a college-preppy look. Kanye dropped out of college and started producing beats for P-Diddy's Bad Boy Records and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z at first was reluctant but eventually released West's non-gangsta rap album on his record label. West due to an unfortunate car accident, performed the hit single, "Through the Fire," a Chaka Khan cover, through a contained oral device that kept his mouth in a fixed position, which he delivered the slurring rap flow typical of the chopped and screwed style. West has become an outspoken and polarized artist who occasionally taps into socially conscious themes but is committed to an underground and alternative hip hop spirit

Southern Rap Scene

Crunk continued to gain popularity in the 2000s, as a derivation of the Dirty South and southern hip hop. Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins, and Usher, crunk B, that combined crunk and R&B. Ludacris, an Atlanta rapper, in the early 2000s becomes the first successful mainstream artist from the Dirty South and has also won an MTV Video Music Award and three Grammy awards. Ludacris is another prominent hip hop artist that continues to have a successful career in film as a movie actor.

Crunk (Memphis and Atlanta)/Crunk & B

Crunk is high-energy club music that emerged in the late '90s. It is distinguished by gritty, hoarse chants and antiphonic, repetitive refrains. The term combines the words—"crazy" and "Drunk" or "Chronic" and "Drunk" to refer to the state of being both drunk from alcohol and high on marijuana. The pioneers of this style are primarily Atlanta-based rappers, Lil Jon, Ying Yang Twins, and Bone Crusher. Lil Jon's -"Get Crunk" (1997)

Middle Class Hip Hop: Drake and Nicki Minaj

Drake—a biracial, Canadian-born former child actor—successfully transformed himself into a platinum-selling, legitimate hip hop superstar. Nicki Minaj—Trinidadian by the way of Queens, NY, earned her strong reputation with her underground mixtapes and her colorful alter egos including—Harajuku Barbie, Nicki, and Roman (a gay youth)

50 Cent (Curtis James Jackson III)

Eminem, who heard 50 Cent's mixtape and introduced him to Dr. Dre, who then produced New York's own 50 Cent, and his Get Rich or Die Tryin' album, in 2003 that also debuted number one. The gangsta pop single "In Da Club," from 50 Cent gave evidence that gangsta rap was still around. This party song about a night of relaxation and revelry for the gangsta life is still a club favorite. Curtis James Jackson III, known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Known for his impact in the hip hop industry, he has been described as a "master of the nuanced art of lyrical brevity"

Lil Wayne Phenomenon

From New Orleans Dwayne Michael Carter—first gained attention in the late 1990s as the youngest member of Cash Money Millionaires' Hot Boys, which also included Juvenile, Turk, and B.G. Lil Wayne became a solo act in 1999, with his smash hit—"Tha Block Is Hot" The tattooed, syrup-swigging, stoner superstar Mentored up-a-coming artists: Drake and Nicki Minaj

The South

In 2006, iconic rapper Nas from Queens, New York released his single "Hip Hop Is Dead." Ludacris proclaimed on a T-shirt he wore to the BET 2007 Hip Hop Awards show, "Hip Hop Ain't Dead...It Lives in the South Dirty South—the term used to describe the new style of music, which was centered in Atlanta by artists—Ludacris, Goodie Mob, Outkast; and New Orleans (Master P, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker) Arrested Development—African-centeredness; Outkast—more expanded musical arrangements, playing with melody, offering more positive, elaborate lyrics---"Rosa Parks" Southern Gangsta—Master P Bounce Music—New Orleans—Cash Money: Bounce is famous for its drumline progressions, fluttering hi-hats, snare trills, and "Triggerman" sample

Underground hip hop

Is not a rap genre but typically refers to music that pushes musical boundaries and has lyrics that are more inventive than gangsta clichés', or represents new soundscapes and themes not evident in commercial rap music

What is Hip Hop? Next Generation

Musical Communities: Rethinking the Collective in Music Hip Hop is: social media of the 21st century; voice of Black protest; #1 Global music genre; represents the Pulitzer Prize; transforming the minds of future leaders! 2017, rapper A.D. Carson completed a 34-song album he called Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics Of Rhymes & Revolutions. album also served as Carson's doctoral dissertation. Carson received his Ph.D. in rhetorics, communication and information design from Clemson University in May. His unconventional project made headlines around the world, University of Virginia's music department took notice. The fall of 2017, Carson begin teaching at U-Va. as Assistant Professor of Hip-Hop and the Global South.

Underground Rap as Independent or Alternative Rap Music

Rhymesayers Entertainment—Independent Record labels in the 1990s—among the first was Too $hort from East Oakland, an artist that would provide an infrastructure for independent, non-gangsta rap The Underground Scene in Los Angeles—in the early 90s another counter-pop cultural scene was developing in Los Angeles based in a small, Black-owned, independent health food store on Crenshaw Blvd in the Leimert Park neighborhood—The Good Life Café begin in 1989, Café;s co-founder B. Hall reserved Thurs night for the youth to perform hip hop

Chopped and Screwed: Houston

Screwed music—later named Chopped and Screwed—took its name from the late DJ Screw (Robert Earl Davis Jr) who pioneered this hazy, sleepy groove in the early 1990s. "Screwed" referred to the slow tempo, "Chopped" described the cuts, scratches, pauses, and rewinds that accompany the slow-down mixes. Screwed fans likened the hypnotic pace of the music with dulling effect of their choice drug codeine syrup—sometimes mixed with liquor, soda, or dissolved Jolly Rancher candy. Three 6 Mafia and UGK released the national hit—"Sippin on Some Syrup" Sippin on Syrup" 2000—Loud Records Composed by Bun B, DJ Paul, Juicy J, and Pimp C

Other Southern Styles of Rap

Snap Music (Atlanta)—adding a mellowness to the crunk sound aesthetic by slowing down the tempo and replacing the snare beat with finger snaps-- Cocaine Rap—is a drug-trade revival style that brings a new focus on the underworld perils of the cocaine trade. Virginia—born brothers the Clipse (Malice and Pusha T) with the record—"Grindin"; by 2005, this style was revitalized by Rick Ross South as Pop—Virginia artists--Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and the Neptunes

Trap Music (Another Southern derived Genre)

T.I., an Atlanta-based rapper, who claims to be the innovator of "Trap" music, because of his early release of Trap Musik, 2003, when he coined the term "trap." Trap music gets its name from the Atlanta slang word "trap" referring to a dope house where drugs are sold illegally, used and abused by addicts and runaways. The trap music genre and sound use synthesized drums with syncopated and off-sync hi-hat patterns, with a long decay (originally from the Roland TR-808 drum machine), atmospheric synth sounds, and lyrics that often focus on drug use and violence. Trap becomes the dominating sound of the 2000s.

New Rap Stars: The Millennials (or the Millennial Generation)

The Backpackers—new attitude from rap entrepreneurs -because of their living-with-less philosophy, committed to independent labels Pharrell Williams—Nerdcore Kanye West—son of an English Professor and professional photographer, growing up middle-class in Chicago and dropping out of Chicago State Univ to produce beats for Bad Boys and Jay-Z

Hip Hop Artist Receives First Pulitzer

The Pulitzer Prizes startled a lot of people in 2018 with an award that's usually greeted as an afterthought: the music prize, which went to Kendrick Lamar's album "DAMN." It was not only the first time a music Pulitzer was given to a hip-hop album, but also to any work outside the more rarefied precincts of classical and, occasionally, jazz composition — indeed, to an album that reached No. 1 on the pop chart. And while it has been reported that "DAMN." was the unanimous choice of the Pulitzer music jury, the award was met in other quarters with disgruntlement and even outrage" (New York Times, 4/17/18).

What is Underground Hip Hop?

Underground hip hop is an umbrella term that refers to independently produced, alternative styles that intentionally shift away from the dominant tastes and directions of commercial rap. Artists such as: Dead Prez; Aceyalone; Eminem; Dr. Octagon; Common; and Lauryn Hill Hip Hop began as an underground youth music scene in the 1970s and remained until Run-D.M.C. and second generation superstars crossed their brand of rap music into pop markets. Alternative rap artists of the post-2000s---Lupe Fiasco, Drake, Kid Cudi, and Wale.

Pharrell Williams (Backpacker, Nerdcore)

Williams from the production duo The Neptunes and the hip hop group N.E.R.D., was influential in this new sound and attitude that transcended the thug stereotype and embraced the pop trends of skateboarding, wearing neon colors and skinny jeans, watching Japanese anime, and embracing a geek lore culture. The nerdcore term was first connected to "backpackers" and eventually became a musical scene for white rappers on the Internet, and their love for sci-fi

NAS

a native of Queens, NY, released in 1994, Illmatic, which became a classic release for fans and critics, and on his single, "NY State of Mind," reminded listeners of New York's contributions and significance to the rap game. Nas was raised and grew up in the Queensbridge Projects, the largest public-housing projects in the country, where Roxanne Shante' and Marley Marl lived, and wrote often about the conditions and growing up there. Nas too, dropped out of school in the eighth grade to pursue a music career. Nas was influenced by Biggie and with a distinctive flow like Rakim, becomes the new schoolmaster storyteller and lyricist of the New York Empire

Sean "P-Diddy" (or Puffy) Combs,

founded Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993, after leaving his position as the vice president from Uptown Records and his successful work with Mary J Blige. Combs becomes the key figure in the East Coast sound and production of gangsta party rap. He, along with Biggie Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.), branded their Bad Boy persona in promoting the consumption of the luxurious way of life in their lyrics, art sampling, public appearances, and videos Video: Been Around the World "P Diddy" featuring Notorious B.I.G. & Mase Combs ability to combine funky soulful R&B hit covers from the 1980s and 1990s artists made his music more attractive to sophisticated audiences, who did not mind the hardcore laced lyrics

International Take-Over of Hip Hop

into the 2000s, are both from outside the United States—Nicki Minaj and Drake, who actually got their start in American hip hop under the tutelage of Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records, and signed to their label in 2009. 1. Niki Minaj: After releasing a series of mixtapes, Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj, a native of Trinidad and Tobago living in Queens, NY, modeled her rap lyrical delivery style after the likes of Missy Elliott, by shifting voice sounds to appropriate various characters she takes on in rapping her rhymes. Minaj uses her colorful alter egos like her Harajuku Barbie doll persona of pink colored hair while rapping in a high-pitched voice or her altered-ego of Vampire Nicki, who raps in a deep guttural Jamaican-accented voice (Nicki Minaj, Biography updated on Oct 1, 2020). 2. Canadian-born, Aubrey Drake Graham, is best known in Canada for his seven-year TV role of the wheel-chair bound (former basketball star) Jimmy Brooks on 'Degrassi: The Next Generation, and for producing hit songs. After signing a record deal with Lil Wayne's label, Young Money Entertainment, Graham has become one of the biggest names in hip hop. Growing up in Toronto, with father Dennis Graham, who played drums with the legendary rock-n-roll icon Jerry Lee Lewis, and his uncle Larry Graham, who played with the rock iconic group, Sly and the Family Stone, and is the innovator of the slap bass sound. Drake has a unique ethnic and religious background. His mother is White and Jewish, and his father is Black and Catholic. Never-the-less, Drake still sees himself as a Black man immersed in an African American culture, and Jewish. Drake dropped out of school to pursue his acting career but did complete his college degree in 2012, and through dropping a series of mixtapes, he got the attention of Lil Wayne. Drake has a dominating, catchy, R&B fused hip hop sound, where he sings and raps sometimes through auto-tunes to create a popular sound that is a constant rotation on hip hop/R&B radio stations

Jay-Z

release of Reasonable Doubt in 1996, by Jay-Z was compared to Nas' Illmatic and sparked a rivalry between the two heavy-weight contenders. Jay-Z followed Biggie's path and often calls himself a mentee of B.I.G., and patterns himself as a smooth-operating, well-groomed and sophisticated gangsta-like, using sharped ended staccato cadences in his lyric flow. Jay-Z represented NYC cultural re-triumph of Hip Hop, he climbed the ladder from a rap performing artist to label president, head of his own clothing line, club owner, and market consultant. Jay-Z has also broken Elvis Presley's record for the most number-one albums on Billboard by a solo artist.

Alternatives to Underground Hip Hop

take-over of alternative hip hop with the success of two of the top artists: 1. Mos Def, out of New York, who achieved significant recognition as MC/rapper and went on to act in movies and TV. He became the host of Def Poetry Jam, in 2002, a very popular and successful spoken-word competition. 2. The Roots, from Philadelphia, who are the house band for Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show, a full band comprised of instruments, such as the tuba, to lay the accompaniment for their talented and skilled rapper/MC Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, and led by the drummer and bandleader, Amir "Questlove" Thompson. many collaborations with other music genres not common to rap. Some of these emerging new fusion styles are with country, jazz, and Christian music themes. In Country music, Nelly's debut album, from St Louis, Missouri, Country Grammar, sold over nine million copies, introducing a rapper from the Midwest, combining a Southern country rap accent, with hip hop beats, and tinges of country music. In 2005, Nelly collaborated with country star Tim McGraw on the track "Over and Over," which became a crossover hit in the country and hip hop fan base.

Backpacker

A term used to identify young hip hop enthusiasts who looked for an alternative expression from gangsta, not materialistic, and devoted to raising consciousness in the community

Legato

Direction in sheet music to play smoothly and connected, so the melody flows together

Backpackers: Pharrell Williams and Kanye West

Hip Hop continued to crossover, a new character emerged—Black, middle-class, and educated. This new attitude is from a group of rap entrepreneurs known as backpackers, due to their DIY (do-it-yourself) approach in making music, and their fashion style based on skinny jeans, hoodies, and retro sneakers. The term "Backpacker" is used to identify the young hip hop artists looking for an alternative aspect to gangsta rap that was not materialistic and was devoted to building the consciousness of the Black community. The image of the backpack itself symbolized being a student or living life like a hobo, which embraced audiences with this non-hustler model.

Staccato

Is a form of musical articulation that signifies a note of shortened duration separated from the note that may follow in silence

Nerdcore

The term was used before backpacker and was the popular term, which now refers to a musical scene of white rappers, who exploit their privileges, expensive clothing, and love for sci-fi

Young Innovators

Wale—is a witty lyricist and first generation Nigerian American who offers universalizing diagnosis of contemporary youth Kid Cudi—a Cleveland rapper of Mexican American and African American parentage, released two Afro-futuristic, nerdy-chic, stoner albums. Odd Future—(short for Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All) combines the sardonic, sick humor of a young Eminem with the visually descriptive, vitric]olic slasher films en vogue in the new millennium.

Queen B/Lil Kim

artist springing from the Notorious B.I.G. camp was the "Queen B," Lil Kim. Kim used her explicit lyrics and sexy persona for her shot at fame in the latter half of the 1990s. She projected an image of "gangsta porno rap," coming from a troubled broken home and a violent relationship with her father, Kim turned to a life on the streets around pimps and drug dealers until she was discovered by Christopher Wallace (B.I.G.) who helped her forge a successful career. Kim is one of a few female artists (among Missy Elliott and Nicki Minaj) who has three platinum albums and is considered to be innovator of the sexy hardcore, "gangsta porno rap" style!

Bounce Music (Southern, New Orleans)

bounce, hip hop's southern sub-genre of body-shaking upbeat dance music Big Freedia a drag-queen from New Orleans East. Freedia is one of the biggest artists in Bounce, who feels this music that intrigues women to bend over and wildly shake their buttocks in twerking dance motion in a safe space, helps them to express themselves in a form of self-empowerment. Freedia's life-sized endorsement break was from Beyonce, who used her vocals in the song "Formation," at the beginning of each show on her world concert tour

Jazz - Rap Fusion

first collaboration between hip hop and jazz was Herbie Hancock's 1983 album Future Shock, and the single, "Rockit." This song introduced the art of turntablism and scratch art to a larger audience outside of hip hop; although the song never received much radio play, the video received more attention and was a close second video played on MTV behind Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean," in the 1980s. 1990s, before hip hop artists really began to pursue creating this new jazz-rap fusion sound, which the rhythms are from hip hop beats, and the samples and sonic textures are drawn mostly from cool jazz, soul-jazz, and hard bop, using live musicians, percussionists and horn players, over pre-recorded music, to produce a new form of danceable jazz. Chicago underground rap scene, Common, or originally Common Sense, moved toward more socially conscious lyrics from his hardcore beginnings and demonstrated a sophisticated lyrical technique. Common's use of flowing syncopations of jazz-rap fusion, helps to link the shared African American cultural tradition of jazz as the classical music of African Americans well-known hip hop artists (Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, and Digable Planets) begin to fuse jazz and rap by sampling jazz melodies and rhythms from recordings of jazz masters like Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, and Roy Ayers. The rap group Gang Starr was one of the first groups to work with jazz musicians directly in the studio recording of "Jazz Muse" with Bradford Marsalis in the movie score for Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues, in 1990 rap group, A Tribe Called Quest, also favored infusing their tracks with jazz, rather than the soul music samples employed by the other conscious and message rappers. Tribe combined sophisticated lyrics, danceable beats, with party anthems, and jazz-fusion sounds, like in their successful song, "Excursions," in 1991, which encouraged listeners to a sense of positivity and not negativity Digable Planets epitomized a laid-back charm of jazz hipsters, in their debut album, Reachin, that packed samples from jazz greats, Art Blakey and Sonny Rollins, and the soul-legend Curtis Mayfield, in the top 20 hit, "Cool Like That"

Trap music

trap music uses synthesized drums with a syncopated and off-sync hi-hat patterns, with a long decay (originally from the Roland TR-808 drum machine), atmospheric synth sounds, and lyrics that often focus on drug use and violence