Chapter 12- Up From Underground (The Rise of Heavy Metal, Rap, and Alternative Rock)

Chapter Preview

-Heavy metal developed out of a return to heavy rock movement in the late 1970's in northern England and Los Angeles, remaining largely out of the mainstream except for Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, and Van Halen -Heavy metal came into mainstream in mid 1980's with Bon Jovi, Guns N' Roses, and more ambitiously with Metallica -Rap developed out of NY hip hop and Jamaica party traditions. DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa developed techniques for extending songs and scratching -Def Jam, led by Russel Simmons and Rick Rubin, helped rap cross over to a rock audience by employing electric guitar hooks and enlisting Aerosmith to record with Run-DMC -Mainstream rap groups such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, and N.W.A became more political and challenged urban issues and status quo toward the end of the 1980's -End of 1980's, heavy metal and rap emerged into mainstream, MTV shows included Yo! MTV Raps and Headbangers Ball -Extending the late 1970's punk scene, hardcore music developed in underground regional scenes around the country, including LA, Minneapolis, and D.C. -College radio helped national indie rock scene to develop, providing an alternative to FM and MTV and paving the way for alternative rock in the 1990s.

Heavy Metal and Hippie Tradition

-Influenced by Black Sabbath (driving riffs, dark themes, gothic), Deep Purple (blending gothic features with classical), and Van Halen (LA underground, virtuous drumming and screaming, sing along vocals) -LA metal included VH, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot -New Wave Heavy British Metal included Judas Priest, Iron Maiden -Hair Band artists were mainstream stars that relied on powerful songs and topped charts, including Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses -Yngwie continued hippie aesthetic, blending pop with song hooks and spandex -Metal Ambition, speed metal, musical virtuosity from, "One," were contributions from Metallica

Punk Underground Movement

-Punk became loud, fast, aggressive, DIY (independent of record labels) aesthetic, and associated with major cities: -LA: Short songs, screaming, rapid tempos, distorted guitars. Included Fear (SNL whacky performance) and Black Flag (extended play record nervous breakdown), Minutemen (we jam econo) -D.C.: unique attitudes, intellectual politics, racial tolerance. Included Bad Brains (All black hardcore group), Teen Idles, Minor Threat (both bands of that important performer, writer, label owner Ian Mackaye that emphasized anti-drug attitudes in "straight edge') -Twin Cities in Minnesota: melodic and accessible, less aggressive. Included Replacements and Husker Du

Rise of Indie Rock

-Return to simplicity, DIY aesthetic that was anti-major labels and corporate rock. Airplay on college radio and college venues. indie artists would eventually go major and contribute to alternative rock development -Began in Athens, GA with REM (driving simplistic hit, "The One I Love") led by vocalist Michael Stipe and Guitarist Peter Buck -Massachucetts: Dinosaur Jr. (You're Living All Over Me) -New York: Sonic Youth contributed to no-wave movement (aint-new wave, noise rock) Daydream Nation -UK: The Smiths ("what difference does it make")

Rap and the Mainstream

-Roots in NY (break dance and graffiti) and Jamaica (djs, boombox, MCs) hip hop culture -Important labels: -Sugar Hill released "rappers hill," first hip hop single in '79. Joe and Sylvia Robinson produced the hit from young men rapping over "good times" track in Harlem. -Def Jam was important indie label formed by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin that released popular music from LL Cool J (I can't live without my radio), Run-DMC (Members Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and DJ Jason Mizell), Public Enemy (Don't Believe the Hype) -Stirred up controversy among rockers similar to how disco did "its not real music" -Motown crossover practices (incorporating heavy metal using ACDC and Run DMC in Walk this Way, white rappers like Beastie Boy) -Challenged political and urban issues, included Public Enemy and Nig with Attitude (NWA)

Parallel Paths between Heavy Metal and Rap

-both rooted in 70's (rap with NY grafitti artists and break dance, innovative hip hop dj's such as Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc that empolyed MCs, scratching) (heavy metal with more aggressive rock styles from 60's and 70's (garage band from Kingsmen, punk from MC5) -both rose from underground scenes in early 80's -both didn't become dominate in mainstream until the end of the decade) -both contributed to underground development of alternative -both on MTV with own shows (Yo! MTV Raps (1987) and Headbangers Ball (1988)) -both appealed as lower class, outsider genres