MCing, DJing, breaking or turntablism – do these words ring a bell? Whether the answer is yes or no, you may have heard of the cultural phenomenon in which they play a key role: hip hop. Rhythmic music, rapping, graffiti, breakdancing – that’s what most people associate with the term. But there is much more to discover about this interesting genre and its fascinating and quite recent history! If you have ever thought about learning how to rap or beatbox, read on to find out how this musical genre developed, how a whole hip-hop culture grew out of it, and what styles of singing are involved.
Actually, you can name a specific place where it all started: Hip-hop originated in the Bronx, New York City, USA. In the 1970s, it was performed by African-Americans, Jamaicans and Latinos who combined rapping and DJing – among them DJ Kool Herc, now considered one of the pioneers of hip-hop. Although the genre was performed in local communities and became more and more popular, it was not considered to have a chance in the music industry before it finally reached the mainstream with the song “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979. Along the way, the genre has changed, been modified and influenced by other genres. From the original Old School Hip Hop emerged New School Hip Hop and MTV. In the 1990s, it became the best-selling genre of popular music in the US, and in the 2000s, it achieved global success. Today there are an endless number of sub-genres such as trap, grime, gangsta rap or bounce.
Meanwhile, a whole hip-hop subculture has evolved from the genre, consisting of five different elements. Let’s start with DJing. A DJ spins records, modifies them, takes samples from existing music and creates his own version of it. Originally DJs only played music and entertained at parties and shows, but since hip-hop they have become creators of a unique style of music. Turntablism, or scratching with turntables, describes one technique of DJing – there are endless ways to experiment. Sometimes DJs use drum machines or synthesizers to create an upbeat song. Second is MC’ing. You may have heard of rappers calling themselves MCs, but what does it actually mean? MC is short for Master of Ceremonies. In the early days of hip hop, it was the MCs who accompanied the DJs during performances, making announcements, communicating and interacting with the audience, and later rapping. Today, rappers are independent of DJs and are among the most popular artists. An example of how huge the hype and success of a rapper can be is Jay-Z – this rapper is a label president and has his own clothing line. The next element is Breaking – you may know it as Break Dance. It describes an artistic style of dancing with influences from Charleston, gymnastic floor routines, martial arts dancing and much more, and includes moves such as spinning with your legs in the air, jumping, kicking or isolated movements. Writing is the art of graffiti – beautiful and often colourful street art. Typical of graffiti are block and bubble lettering surrounded by illustrations in a very unique style. The last of these five elements, knowledge of self, refers to the moral, social and spiritual principles of hip hop, taking a philosophical approach. It has also been used to make peace between rival gangs by showing the uniting power of music.
Now that we have looked at the cultural context of hip hop, it’s time to move on to the part about singing! Rapping – as mentioned above – is the main vocal style we associate with hip hop. Its origins go back to West African folk traditions, blues, gospel and jazz. The spoken word performance on the 1950 blues recording Gotta Let You Go by Joe Hill Louis is considered one of the earliest examples of rap. This style of singing basically consists of rhymed, chanted, rhythmic speech accompanied by a backing beat and some other musical background. Content, flow and delivery are the three main elements that are essential in this music. Content summarises what is being rapped about in the song, the topic, for example a recent event or a personal story. Flow describes the interaction of speed, rhythm and rhyme, and delivery is about the way the rap is performed and the underlying emotion – for example, whether it sounds angry and aggressive or more like a whisper. An example of excellent rap is Eminem, who is a world famous rapper. He is often called “the best rapper of all time” and his song “Lose Yourself” even won the Oscar for the best song!
If you want to start rapping, the best thing to do is listen to a lot of rap to get some inspiration. As well as practising (especially high-speed rapping!), you should also get familiar with rhyming schemes such as AAAA or AABB. These will help you not only with songwriting but also with your free-styling. Consider trying different types of rapping, such as freestyle, punchline, battle or catchy rap – then find your rhythm and just go for it. It may take some time to find a rap voice and pronunciation that you feel comfortable with, that sounds natural but also confident. Hip hop rapping and singing voices often sound edgy, nasal and strong, sometimes even involving shouting, but there are also different styles such as mumble rap. Maybe you want to create a beat yourself, in which case beatboxing would be the vocal style of choice. The idea behind this style is to imitate an entire drum kit. To imitate a kick drum, for example, you close your lips and then blow air through them as if you were saying the letter ‘B’ very clearly and firmly. The snare drum sound is created by using the “ch” sound as in the word “change”, the hi-hat sound by using a “t” with a strong hiss, and so on… This can actually sound pretty close to the real instruments!
Whether it is beatboxing, rapping or scratching the turntables, hip hop is a whole universe of ways to tell your story through music. There is something for singing professionals and beginners, confident and not-so-confident aspiring poets and anyone who just loves to improvise. Hopefully this article has made you curious to experiment with your voice!
References:
- https://www.masterclass.com/articles/singing-styles# – MasterClass, 15/03/2022
- https://www.masterclass.com/articles/hip-hop-guide – MasterClass, 16/06/2021
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapping – Wikipedia, 14/06/2023
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music – Wikipedia, 21/06/2023
- https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/what-is-hip-hop-music/ – Mark James, Music Industry How To, 26/04/2023
- https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/hip-hop/hip-hop-a-culture-of-vision-and-voice/ – Kennedy Center, accessed 04/07/2023
- https://www.britannica.com/art/hip-hop – Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed 04/07/2023
- https://www.becomesingers.com/techniques/singing-styles-genres-types – Home Music Maker, accessed 04/07/2023
- https://www.becomesingers.com/techniques/beatbox-sounds-list
- https://www.homemusicmaker.com/how-to-rap – Matt, Home Music Maker, 11/06/2023
- https://www.zeitjung.de/genre-guide-was-ist-eigentlich-rap/ – Niklas Nowak, ZEITjUNG, 02/10/2019
