Eminem
Characteristics
Characteristics
Hip hop is a cultural movement, of which music is a part (as are graffiti and
breakdancing). The music is itself composed of two parts, rapping, the delivery
of swift, highly rhythmic and lyrical vocals, and DJing, the production of
instrumentation either through sampling, instrumentation, turntablism or
beatboxing.
Another important factor of hip hop music is the fashion that originated along
with the music. The fashion was a representation of the music.
Rhythmic structure
Beats (though not necessarily raps) in hip hop are almost always in
4/4 time. At its rhythmic core, hip hop swings: instead of a straight 4/4 count
(pop music; rock 'n' roll; etc.), hip hop is based on an anticipated feel
somewhat similar to the "swing" emphasis found in jazz percussion.
Like the triplet emphasis in swing, hip hop's rhythm is subtle, rarely written
as it sounds (4/4 basic; the drummer adds the hip hop interpretation) and is
often played in an almost "late" or laid back way.
This style was innovated predominantly in
soul and funk music, where beats and thematic music were repeated for the
duration of tracks. In the 1960s and 1970s, James Brown (known as The Godfather of Soul) talked, sang, and screamed much
as MCs do today. This musical style provides the perfect platform for MCs to
rhyme. Hip hop music generally caters to the MC for this reason, amplifying the
importance of lyrical and delivering prowess.
Instrumental hip hop is perhaps the lone exception to this rule. In this hip
hop subgenre, DJs and producers are free to experiment with creating
instrumental tracks. While they may mix in sampled rap vocals, they are not
bound by the traditional hip hop format.
Instrumentation & production
DJ Premier,
a popular and influential hip hop producer and DJ from New York.
The instrumentation of hip hop derives from
disco, funk, and R&B, both in the sound systems and records sampled and session
musicians and their instrumentation used. Disco and club DJs' use of mixing
originated from the need to have continuous music and thus smooth transitions
between tracks, while in hip hop Kool DJ Herc originated the practice of
isolating and extending only the break, basically short percussion solo
interludes, by mixing between two copies of the same record, as this was,
according to Afrika Bambaataa, the "certain part of the record that everybody
waits for -- they just let their inner self go and get wild." (Toop, 1991) James
Brown, Bob James, and Parliament -- among many others -- have long been popular
sources for breaks. Over this one could and did add instrumental parts from
other records, frequently as horn punches (ibid). Thus the instrumentation of
early sampled or sound system-based hip hop is the same as funk, disco, or rock:
vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion.
Although original hip hop music consisted solely of the DJ's breakbeats and
other vinyl record pieces, the advent of the drum machine allowed hip hop
musicians to develop partially original scores. Drum set sounds could be played
either over the music from vinyl records or by themselves. The importance of
quality drum sequences became the most important focus of hip hop musicians
because these rhythms (beats) were the most danceable part. Consequently, drum
machines were equipped to produce strong kick sounds. This helped emulate the
very well-engineered drum solos on old funk, soul and rock albums from the late
1960s and early to mid 1970s. Drum machines had a limited array of predetermined
sounds, including hi-hats, snares, toms, and kick drums.
The introduction of the
sampler changed the way hip hop was produced. A sampler can reproduce small
sound clips from any input device, such as a turntable. Producers were able to
sample familiar drum patterns. More importantly, they could sample a variety of
instruments to play along with their drums. Hip hop had finally gathered its
complete band.
Many producers and listeners pride certain records for being hip hop lore,
the source of samples and breaks. To this day, producers use arcane equipment to
replicate the same rough sound used in older records. This lends credibility to
the records and serves as a historical reminder to the listeners of hip hop's
origins.
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