Midterm 1 Study Guide

Black Power/Black Nationalism Movement

"...The movement, which can be traced back to Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association of the 1920s, sought to acquire economic power and to infuse among blacks a sense of community and group feeling. Many adherents to black nationalism assumed the eventual creation of a separate black nation by African Americans. As an alternative to being assimilated by the American nation, which is predominantly white, black nationalists sought to maintain and promote their separate identity as a people of black ancestry. With such slogans as 'black power' and 'black is beautiful,' they also sought to inculcate a sense of pride among blacks." --Encyclopedia Britannica

The Blues

"As a musical style, the blues is characterized by expressive "microtonal" pitch inflections (blue notes), a three-line textual stanza of the form AAB, and a 12-measure form. Typically the first two and a half measures of each line are devoted to singing, the last measure and a half consisting of an instrumental "break" that repeats, answers, or complements the vocal line." Encyclopedia Britannica

Hip Hop Element #3: Breakdancer

"Break dancing, energetic form of dance, popularized by African Americans and U.S. Latinos, that includes stylized footwork and athletic moves such as spinning on the knees, hands, or head." --Encyclopedia Brittanica

Zulu Nation

"The Zulu Nation is 'a huge young adult and youth organization which incorporates people that are into breakdancing, DJing, and graffiti. I [Afrika Bambaataa] had them battle against each other in nonviolent way, like rapper against rapper rather than knife against knife" (Bambaataa interview)." (Keyes 48).

The Streets

"a subculture of the urban milieu that operates by its own rules, economics, lifestyle, language, and aesthetics" (Keyes 6); mind consciousness that is central to rap music and the identity performance associated with hip hop culture; where rap is something that one does, hip hop is something one experiences or lives; primary context for rap in the same way that the Black Church functions for gospel, and juke joints for r&b and blues

Erik B and Rakim

"end of 1980s, several trends occurred in rap that expanded the parameters of music productions. Transformation from the breaks and scratching to electronic mixing and digital sampling" Example: Jody Watley's "Friends" (1989) featuring Rakim and Eric B.

Crossroads

"juncture of the spiritual realm and the phenomenal world...points of literal intersection where one might go to offer sacrifice or prayer to ancestors"

Rap Music

"musical form that makes use of rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular, which is recited or loosely chanted over a musical soundtrack" -(Keyes 1) A musical form based on the combined performance of the DJ (disc jockey) and the rapper or rhymin MC; the rapper delivers highly rhythmic, rhyming, and slang-inflected speech over a musical soundtrack provided by the DJ, who manipulates vinyl records to create a new performance (lecture slide)

Hip Hop Element #1: Rapper/Rhymin' MC

"the MC talked intermittently, using phrases like 'get up' and 'jam to the beat'... the MC rapped to excite the crowd and engage them... could compensate for any musical beat lapse or gaps..."

Hip Hop

"youth arts mass movement that evolved in the Bronx" and comprised of 4 elements; "encompasses what its adherents describe as an attitude rendered in the form of stylized dress, language, and gestures associated with urban street culture" (Keyes 1); "grew out of the cross-fertilization of African American vernacular cultures with their Caribbean equivalents" (Keyes 17)

First and Second Great Migrations

1920s and 1950s in attempts to flee racial terror and in response to industrial jobs as a result of war industry; brought Southern oral traditions, uniquely African American forms of expressions, dress, communication, etc; found similar discrimination and racial terror

Los Angeles Uprising (AKA LA Riots, AKA Rodney King Riots)

1992, response to the acquittal of three White LAPD officers for the brutal beating of a black man, Rodney King. "F*ck tha Police" is seen as a verbal prelude to the riots

Cross-Bronx Expressway

???

Dancehall culture

???

Enjoy Records

???

Philadelphia International Records

???

Post-Industrialization/Post-Industrial City

???

Winley Records

???

Drum Machine

A drum synthesizer, foundational for the sounds of hip hop, especially New School Rap

Gangsta Rap

Accredited to the West Coast for its creation, gangsta rap has heavy bass sounds and laid-back tempos and lyrics that convey the gritty, dangerous aspects of hustling (drug dealing), gangbanging, drive-by shootings and police repression. (also known as reality rap)

Personality Jocks

African American radio disc jockeys introduced the art of jiving to music over radio airwaves in the 1940s

Hip Hop Element #4: Graffiti

Also known as aerosol art

Crack Epidemic

a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States between the early 1980s and the early 1990s. the Black inner-city communities, where drug dealers are members of local gangs, was devastated by the crack epidemic. Crack cocaine was a growing part of the gangs' subsistence and leads to brutal turf wars.

Signifyin'

a very broad use of lyrical devices (including but not limited to semantic inversion) that are coded phrases that only convey meaning to the in-group and attempts to exclude those not "in the know"

African Diaspora

all peoples of African descent subject to involuntary migration through transatlantic slave trade

Disco

developed out of adaptations of Funk, uses strings and a more upbeat and faster tempo than Funk, and makes use of more romantic/party themes in terms of lyrics and meaning of songs. Introduced the concept of Disco Divas (Donna Summers, Gloria Gaynor, etc). Disco bankrolled many early rap records

Reversioning

foregrounding of african centered concepts, for example, taking the judeo-christian story of Israel's exodus from Egypt, and casting african americans as the oppressed israelites, and Euro-Americans as the slaving Egyptians.

South Bronx 1960s-'70s

forming grounds of early rap music

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5

hip-hop group from the South Bronx. Made up of Grandmaster Flash(the DJ), and rappers Melle Mel, The Kidd Creole, Keef Cowboy, Mr. Ness/Scorpio and Rahiem. Made use of turntables, breakbeat DJing and rap. Started out performing at parties and after various labels, eventually signed to Sugar Hill Records and achieved mainstream success with the release of "The Message"

Run DMC

instrumental in inaugurating a distinct Queens sound. Russell "Run" Simmons began his career in 1977 under Old School rapper Kurtis Blow, "Son of Kurtis Blow." Darryl McDaniels (D.M.C) First two singles "It's Like That" and "Sucker MCs" became hits in 1983. The first rap-rock fusion sound introduced by Run DMC is characterized by a piercing guitar, extensive sampling and funk-style drum rhythms with a heavy bass drum.

Scratching

mixing technique invented by Grand wizard theodore from the bronx ; moving a record back and forth in a rhythmic manner while the tone arms needle remains in the groove record producing a scratching sound

Work Song/Field Holler

mostly historical type of vocal music sung by African and later African American slaves to accompany their work, to communicate usefully, or to vent feelings

Kool Herc

moved from Jamaica to the Bronx at age 12. Was a DJ during the 1970s. Know for only playing "breaks", his Merry-Go-Round Technique, and his massive sound system.

Funk

originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s combining soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. Emphasizes a strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an electric bassist and drums.

B-Boy

originating in the Bronx, boys(b-boys) and girls(b-girls) who would dance during DJ Kool Herc's breaks. B-boying itself started when people would copy the way James Brown would dance on stage.

Hip Hop Element #2: DJ

people "who mix pre-recorded hits alternately on two turntables while reciting into the microphone party phrase to the crows."

BEATMAKER/PRODUCER

person who creates soundtrack over which the rhyming mc delivers a vocal performance

Rap Radio Shows

radio shows that focused on playing old school rap or classic hip-hop

Sugarhill Gang

rap group signed on with Sugarhill Records, popular old school songs ex. Rapper's Delight

Groove

repetitive musical styles/structures comprised of rhythmically interlocking parts

Sampling

reproducing portions of a song via digital means. seen as giving props to respected artists and favorite songs.

Backspinning

requires having a copy of the same record on two turn tales, is executed by rotating one record counterclockwise to the desired eat then rotating the second record counterclockwise to the same musical phrase creating a loop like effect.

Riddim

rhythmic reggae grooves consisting of a distinct reggae-style bass line

Baadman or Badman

someone who survives the streets by living outside of the law, who refuses to recognize the system as legitimate

Reaganomics

spin off of Ronald Reagan; "a form of politics and economics that supports the return to old-fashioned Republicans,-- large tax cuts for the rich, less government help for the poor, weaker enforcement of civil rights, fewer controls on industry, less protection for the environment and emotional rhetoric on the virtues of hard work, family, religion, individualism and patriotism" (Keyes, p.3-4)

Boastin'

stylistic features of the toast that involves metaphorical or exaggeratory bragging

SAMPLE

taking a portion of another sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or sound recording for another song. Hip hop was based on sampling from the DJs who manipulate vinyl records on their turntables.

BASS MUSIC

term for most of the club music that emerged in the UK during the mid 2000s, includes: dubstep, R&B, house, grime, etc. Artists blend sounds of defined genres while maintaining an emphasis on percussive, bass-led rhythm

Phasing/Punchphasing

the DJ accents a short phrase of a recording during the playing of a second record y manipulating the turntable crossfader

Rastifarianism

the change in political power and the maturation and globalization of jamaica's popular musical culture (through reggae music of o Marley and Wailers). These musical and sociopolitical tides were most evident with Jamaica's youth culture. It also revisioned Christianity with the blacks as exiled in the Americas (Babylon) and a king in Ethiopia as their messiah.

Timbre

the character or distinctive sound quality of a voice or instrument; "timbre" is what makes a saxophone sound different from a guitar, for example, even when they are playing the same note

Talking through

the disk jockey lowers the volume of the music and continues to talk as it plays

Ska

the jamaican popular music scene turned toward its own musical resources in the invention of "ska" - a forerunner of rocksteady, reggae, and dancehall. Unlike rhythm and blues in which the rhythmic accents occurred on beats 2 and 4 the rhythmic accents in ska fall on the "and" of beats 1,2,3 and 4. Ska makes use of the saxophone and trombone as well.

The Dozens

the oldest term for the game of exchanging insults

Underground Economy

the part of a country's economic activity that is unrecorded and untaxed by the government (i.e. the sale of illegal items)

Dub

the technique of fading certain parts in and out or altering them in creating several varied cuts from the original resulted in dub versions popularized by King Tubby in the dancehalls of Jamaica in the 1950s

Bard/Griot/Jeli

traditionally part of the artisan caste; "a storyteller-singer and above all a historian who chronicled the nation's history and transmits cultural tradition and more through performance" (Keyes 19); keeper of oral history; "purveyors of the past, recorders and guardians of history, and scholars of African culture" (Keyes 18). "Most storytellers are accompanied by a harp-lute (e.g. kora) or percussion instrument... A bard may also be accompanied by an apprentice, the naamu-sayer, who responds by singing "naamu" in affirmation of the bard's words..." (Keyes 20).

Black Vernacular

variation of English originating from urban working-class and middle-class Black people* *see additional details on original doc

Jive Talk

variation on "jibe" meaning to taunt, scoff, or sneer; an expression of sarcastic comment; highly effective way of talking about someone's ancestors and hereditary traits through colorful and metaphoric terms; is in particular a northern urban cultural creation; uses same strategies as those in Southern AAVE such as semantic inversion, signifyin, metaphor, and indirect speech; is critical in establishing reputation, particularly because it is ever evolving and changing with words and phrases moving in and out of use as they become decoded by outsiders; serves to establish rapport with audience

"Broken Windows" Policing

when a building window is broken and left unrepaired, the rest of the windows will soon be broken too. An unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares and so breaking more windows costs nothing. More profoundly, they found that in environments where disorderly behaviour goes unchecked more serious street crime flourishes. This led to the overpolicing and rise in arrestings of Black people in low-income communities in efforts to "reduce crime."

Riding Gain

when the disk jockey boosts or lowers the volume on the audio board in order to accent certain parts of a record

Black Arts Movement

Cultural Wing of Black Power movement emphasizing uniquely African American expression

Roland TR-808

Drum machine developed in 1980 that sounds almost nothing like a live drum kit; went out of production due to sound which resulted in low retail price; hi-hat emerged from the Roland TR-808; kick drum could be tweaked creating the basis for bass music.

Sound Clash

Emphasizes the beats between 2 and 4, Straightforward, Lyrically, reflects the philosophy of Rastafarianism.

Hypermasculinity

Exaggeration of stereotypical male behavior/characteristics, especially present in hip hop culture and rap music

Harlem Renaissance

Explosion of music, art, literature, and intellectual thought in the Black Community, centered in Harlem, NY.

Selector

Jamaican DJ

U-Roy

Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.

Nommo

Ki-Swahili translated to the magical power of the word; words create and manifest power

Boogie Down Productions

Lawrence Parker and Scott La Rock make up BDP. Their first album Criminal Minded. KRS is one of BDP's artist MC Shan and KRS advance answer-back raps such as the verbal battle between the two played on radio outlets in the 'battle of the bridge'.

Toast

Long narrative poem composed in rhymed couplets and recited in humorous manner. Its texts centers around the feats of foes of a trickster, for example, the Signifying Monkey and the character Shrine, or a badman hero type, such as Mr. Lion or Stackolee

New School Rap

Music switches from live instrumentation to drum machines, turntable scratching and samples. Change in lyrical style and vocal delivery with greater diversity of approaches and styles. More minimalist/"street" visual image

Grandmaster Flash

One of the 3 most influential DJs in the 70s. Started to set himself apart from Bambaataa and Herc, by focusing more on technique. As Kats puts it, "Kool Herc and Bambaataa more or less invented hip-hop, Flash and Theodore transformed the turntable into a musical instrument." Flash developed a method of DJing that emphasized cohesion over fragmentation, something Herc and Bambaataa didn't have. ("They didn't make the switch from one song to the next in a clean cut that matched the beats, bars, of the two jams, killing the crowd for a few seconds." Grandmaster Flash "pioneered two turntable techniques known as backspinning and phasing."

Amiri Baraka

One of the song poets influential in the '60s

Crunk

Originating in 1990s Memphis, form of southern hip hop, R&B and gangsta rap. More uptempo, dance and club oriented

Bounce

Originating in New Orleans in the early 1990s, characterized by call-and-response-style party and Mardi Gras Indian chants and dance call-outs that are frequently hypersexual. Makes use of turntables, drum machines(Roland TR-808), sampler, mixer and vocals.

King Tubby

Popularized the dub in dancehalls of Jamaica in the 1950s

Important New School Artists

Run DMC, Juice Crew, Eric B and Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy

Reggae

Similar to Ska but with a greater influence on Rastafarianism and a slower tempo

Deejay/Toaster

Someone who talks over records to an MC

Afrika Bambaataa

Started Zulu Nation (youth arts organization) in the housing projects he used to live in order to stop the violence in the community and channel young people's energy into artistic pursuits. Inspired by Nation of Islam and embraced militant pro black philosophy of black nationalists like Malcolm X. Was one of the three most influential DJ's in the '70s south bronx along with Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kool Herc.

Dissin'

Synonym for the Dozens, stylistic feature of the Toast involving the playful exchange of insults often revolving around family members

ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATIONS

TV show where the actor goes to Gambiay and talks to a Griot

Trading Phrases

The concept of rappers/MCs alternating lines and occasionally saying lines in unison that was popularized by the Grandmaster Flash and the Three MCs

"Planet Rock"

Track by Afrika Bambaataa that ensured the survival of the 808 drum machine, and represented the transition from Old School Rap to New School Rap.

Break

Typically where the song is reduced to the beat of the drum and then every other element comes back again. Invented by DJ Kool Herc, he bought two copies of the same record to mix them between the same break.

What are the salient features of the Toast?

Use of: exaggerated language o metaphor o expletives o boasting o repetition o formulaic expressions o mimicry -The Dozens -Signifyin

War on Drugs

War on drugs is a series of actions tending toward a prohibition of illegal drug trade. It is a campaign adopted by the U.S. government along with the foreign military aid and with the assistance of participating countries, to both define and to end the import, manufacture, sale, and use of illegal drugs. This usually affected the Black community the most because of the large amounts of drug dealers and drug addicts in low-income communities. Also racialized and criminalized crack (a highly accessible, cheap drug in the Black community) as worse than cocaine ( a high-end, expensive "White" drug)

Rude Boys/Rudies

In Jamaica, a lawless urban youth that likes ska or reggae, often in politically polarized gangs.

Sound System

A group of DJ's playing ska, rocksteady, or reggae

Sugarhill Records

First mainstream to drop a radio hit with pop and disco influence. "First rap song" because it was the first to be popularized.

"IT'S LIKE THAT"/"SUCKER M.C.'S"

First singles by Run DMC, became hits in 1983

Soul

Focusing on Rhythmic interplay as opposed to melodic or harmonic changes was central to traditional African music, and thus was also a central tenet of soul

Def Jam

Founded by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, signed popular New School artists like LL Cool J, and Beastie Boys

Trickster

comic figure with verbal wit to gain the upper hand to outsmart his foes

Call-and-Response

create a sense of cohesion between performer and auditor

Old School Rap

describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music. It typically refers to music created around 1979. Old-school hip hop is said to have ended around 1984. Old-school hip hop is noted for its relatively simple rapping techniques, compared to later hip hop music. Artists such as Melle Mel would use few syllables per bar of music, with simple rhythms and a moderate tempo.