History of Rock & Roll Quiz 4

What transformational process did the album "Vol. 2 , Hard Knock Life" complete for the New York Rap Renaissance?

Transformed it into pop

In "The Marshall Mathers LP" (2000), what was not among the boundaries that Eminem had blurred? In other words, he had not blurred the boundaries between...

...politeness and obsequiousness

Which group took the Grunge sound and added a pop melodic focused/conventional song structured format? Their style became accessible to a limited, college radio-based audience (but not mainstream)

???

Downtown artists, with their more cerebral approach, blended highly amplified rock instrumentation with a specific avant-garde influence. What was that influence?

?????

What was the significance of The Notorious B.I.G.?

?????

In addition to Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, who was the other important pillar of the early Hip Hop period? He was the innovator of a style he dubbed, "Electro-Funk".

Afrika Bambaataa

Who was not among Sonic Youth's musical influences?

Alice Cooper

What was not an element of "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)" that became standard in the NYC Renaissance?

Avoidance of choruses/refrains

What was not an element of Parliament/Funkadelic's "Hard Funk" sound?

Background orchestral strings

Which was not an element of Run DMC's hip hop technique?

Background vocals

In addition to The Sex Pistols, what were not among the other punk and proto-punk influences that would transform Kurt Cobain into a devoted punk artist?

Big Black

Which group was the first to tour and nationalize the hardcore punk sound? They opened the networking door for other such bands to follow

Black Flag

Who were not among the artists that collaborated wit Jay-Z on his 1996 debut album, "Reasonable Doubt"?

Blackstreet ("The City Is Mine"

What was not an influential contribution that Arıf Mardın had on transforming The Bee Gee's into blue-eyed soulsters?

Blues-derived, electric guitar solos

What was not among the important elements that the album What's Goin' On standardized into black music of the 70's and beyond?

Blues/metal-influenced rock guitar solos

Which James Brown bass player - formerly with The Pacemakers - further revolutionized and brought the art of the funk bass to the logical artistic limit for this era? He introduced the James Brown funk structure to George Clinton after joining Parliament/Funkadelic.

Bootsy Collins

Which MC was considered to be the first true American rapper?

Coke LaRock

Who became the first original Jamaican DJ/Toaster?

Count Machuki

What was the first rap concept album chronicling the effects of crack-fueled violence in the inner city? It was released in 1987 by a New York duo and was also, the first harbinger of what would be known as Gangsta Rap

Criminal Minded

Who was the first to elevate the art of DJ'ing to a highly skilled level thereby becoming Hip Hop's first virtuoso DJ?

DJ Grandmaster Flash

Who was not among Jay-Z's various rap influences?

De La Soul (Alternative Rap Influence)

Who was the first band to introduce political statement into hardcore punk? They were also the first hardcore punk band to gain notorious recognition form them mainstream audience. They also the first hardcore punk band to score a top forty hit on a significant pop chart (UK).

Dead Kennedys

What was not among the reasons as to why "The Message" (1982) set the tone for black rap music of the 1980's and beyond?

Disco-oriented flavor in the style of "The Breaks"

What was Kurt Cobain's strength that helped him (through improvisation) stumble upon new tunes and melodic hooks?

Eclecticism

Who was not among the most important artists of the New York City Renaissance of the mid 90's?

Eric B. & Rakim

What was not a part Nas' formulaic elements that were consistent with the NYC Renaissance aesthetic?

Focus on pop hooks

With the single Cold Sweat (1967), what new metric policy did James Brown introduce that would become a part of the Funk structure?

Funk beat??? This is a guess....

Who was not an early No Wave band?

Gang Of Fou

The message of gang warfare and misogyny are found in a hip hop genre known as:

Gangsta Rap

Who was the artist(s) that kept the true tradition of funk alive as a serious art form during the mainstream disco era?

George Clinton

Who was the first harbinger of the Seattle "Grunge" sound?

Green River

American hardcore punk combined with heavy metal riffing (al a Black Sabbath) and hardcore rock type tunsmithism was known as:

Grunge

Which was not among George Clinton's influences for his group, Funkadelic?

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes

What was not a subject of Message Rap that began in the mid 1980's?

Hip Hop Soul

Which hardcore punk band added pop-styled melodic focus and conventional song structure to their [hardcore punk] sound? In doing so, they contributed to the development of the 80's Alternative/Indie sound

Hüsker Dü

Which important new artist became inspired enough [by the Bad Brains] to start his own band?

Ian MacKaye

Who were not among the individuals that founded the Death Row Record label in 1991?

Ice Cube

Who was known as the father of west coast gangsta rap?

Ice T

Name Nas' landmark debut album of 1994.

Illmatic

In which studio did The Teen Idles make their first EP Minor Disturbance? It was owned and operated by MacKaye's recording mentor, Don Zientara.

Inner Ear Studio

What was Public Enemy's breakthrough album, which established the primacy of political and social commentary back into rap music? Some of their lyrics [from this album] made allusions to the Black Panther party (among others).

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

What was the significance of the album "Nevermind"?

It unleashed the Alternative/Punk crossover explosion of 1991

What was not a significant impact of The Notoriuos B.I.G.'s debut album?

It was an album that kept NYC Renaissance rap into perpetual obscurity

Who is recognized as the undisputed innovator of Funk?

James Brown

Norman Whitfield synthesized both __________ and __________ versions of funk together.

James Brown's & Sly Stone's

Which artist became the greatest success story of the New York Rap Renaissance?

Jay-Z

Who founded Sugar Hill Records in 1979?

Joe & Sylvia Robinson

Which was not among the three most important albums of Hüsker Dü recorded on the SST label?

Land Speed Record

Sly & The Family Stone had one of the most influential bass players of all time. He is credited for being known as the father of the funk bass. He brought the sound of the electric bass out front.

Larry Graham

What was not among the elements that made up the "G/Funk" production style in "The Chronic"?

Light, laid-back beat

Which was not an element of NWA's style that made their approach to gangsta rap unique and original?

Light, laid-back drum beat

What was not among the elements that Donny Hathaway into funk (that would become standard later on)?

Lyrics of optimism

What new dance genre did the Gamble & Huff sound of orchestral strings "out front" (conveying the main instrumental theme) anticipate?

Mainstream Disco

In Jay-Z's debut album "Reasonable Doubt", what were not among the elements of his approach to album-length variety?

Massive computerized samplings of other 70's/80's artists (with child-like melodies)

What was not an element of the New York City Hip Hop Renaissance style of the mid 90's?

Massive use of pop hooks and tunesmithism

What was not a NYC Renaissance element of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready To Die" album?

Massive, bottom-heavy, P/Funk influenced grooves

Which was not an element in the style of De La Soul?

Massive, heavy rock elements

What was not a characteristic of DNA's overall sound?

Melodic focus

Name the first group that brought the concept of gangsta rap to the absolute extreme beginning with an album called "Straight Outta Compton".

NWA

Of the artists listed, which among them were not of those known as the Five Percenters

NWA

Which was not among the three most important albums of Sonic Youth?

Nevermind

Which writer/producer ushered Motown into the Funk domain beginning in 1970?

Norman Whitfield

What was Eric B. & Rakim's debut album of 1987 that would set the tone for NYC's rap renaissance?

Paid In Full

What was James Brown's 1965 breakthrough single? It introduced musical elements of what would become Funk thereby, becoming the first true funk single.

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

Which late 1980's band used "stop & start" sudden contrast as their unique signature style that had an influence on the development of the Alternative sound? Their albums included Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa.

Pixies

What did George Clinton not inject into funk that kept the concept of funk as a serious art-form alive during the mainstream disco era?

Polished, radio-friendly pop sound

What type of statement did Dead Kennedys introduce (in an offensive, extreme, and sometimes silly manner) into hardcore punk?

Political

Which element was not a part of the DC underground hardcore punk sound?

Pop melodic focus

What was not part of James Brown's new funk structure in "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag"?

Pop melodic song structure

Name the rap group of the late 80's/early 90's that added a new complexity to rap music (i.e. of soundbite and sample overlays). They brought political statement and social commentary back into rap music.

Public Enemy

Which single introduced the art of Rap to the masses by becoming the first rap hit? It was recorded on the Sugar Hill records label in 1979.

Rapper's Delight

What was The Notorious B.I.G.'s landmark album of 1995 that became a national hit?

Ready To Die

ay-Z became the culmination of his predecessors combined into one. What was not among the elements that he brought together?

Recording on the Def Jam Label (Simmons/Rubin entrepreneurial influence)

What resulted from Glenn Branca's approach to his amplified "guitar orchestra" using alternate tunings?

Ringing, dissonant overtones

Who was the first Emo (Emocore) band?

Rites Of Spring

Def Jam Records, beginning with Run DMC, infused a unique element into rap that would attract white listeners. What was that element?

Rock

What company and it's owner signed B.I.G. to a recording contract?

Sean Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment

Which was not an element of Emo?

Shouting, barking, or screaming statements

What was not a musical property of the Bad Brains?

Slow, pop melodic

With Black Flag's debut album Damaged, what was the difference in Greg Ginn's writing approach in regard to musical speed?

Slower, but no less abrasive

Which single (and it's landmark video) became the catalyst for "Nevermind's" crossover success?

Smells Like Teen Spirit

What was not among the three musical properties that marked a turning point in Hüsker Dü's new direction?

Stop/start sudden dynamic contrasts

Which was not among the three important elements that made the beginning of rap music in America possible?

The 808 Drum Machine

Which 1992 album - recorded on Death Row Records - not only popularized the G/Funk aesthetic but would also set the tone for rap music in the 90's.

The Chronic

What Aberdeen, WA band became the founding fathers of a style called grunge?

The Melvins

The 1982 single that not only became the first example of Rap as a vehicle of protest but also, became the template that set the tone for black rap music for the remainder of the 80's and beyond.

The Message

Which of the DJ'ing techniques did Grandmaster Flash not pioneer?

The Remix

Which technique - discovered by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore - did Grandmaster Flash standardized into Hip Hop?

The Scratch Sound

What became DJ Kool Herc's unique DJ'ing angle (insofar as choosing his records)?

To discover records that no one else had owned or knew about

What was the mission of a movement known as No Wave?

To eradicate rock convention

Name the first "concept album" in black music that standardized the harbinger elements (of Donny Hathaway) into 70's funk

What's Goin' On

Who was the first important rap group since NWA?

Wu-Tang Clan

Who was the founder of The Five Percent Nation (i.e. The Five Percenters)?

Clarence 13X

Which was not one of the instrumental break samples that Kool Herc pioneered into hip hop tradition?

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones

What was not among the two most important influences of Sly Stone?

Traditional folk/country music of the Appalachians

What was not an element of Sly Stone's music?

Lyrics of negativity and derision

Which producer(s) had the greatest early influence on Eric B.?

Marley Marl

Name the legendary label founded by Black Flag member Greg Ginn? It would have a powerful influence in developing the Alternative sound of the 80's. It was based in Los Angeles.

SST

What was not an element of the Gamble & Huff [Philly International] sound?

Screaming rock guitar samples

What was the first breakthrough rap video that MTV aggressively promoted in 1986? This resulted in rap videos becoming standard on MTV.

Walk This Way