We couldn’t imagine a world without it. It’s the sound, the movement, and the way of life for millions of people around the world. Its sampling culture has inspired many other musical genres, and its flawless combination of rhythm, soul and rapping, can be poetry in motion. In this article, we’ll explore the origins of Hip Hop; one of our most popular and beloved genres. Don’t forget to check out Producer Loops range of Hip Hop samples influenced by the different eras throughout the history of the genre.
Once upon a time, in the South Bronx
It won’t be long before we’re celebrating half a century of Hip Hop. In the late 1970’s, rapping, scratching and breaking, the success of Hip Hop was in the making. The DJ culture had begun to grow, with disco’s and clubs popping up all around the US. One place of particular note in the history of Hip Hop is South-Bronx, New York. With high levels of unemployment, drug use and crime, it was one of the most notorious areas in the Big Apple during the 1970’s. It was in the infamous block parties, held in the poorest district of New York City, where Hip Hop came to life. These block parties became the go-to place, mainly for African-American and Latino youth, attracted by a new sound and movement.
A sound to identify with:
Back in the 1970’s, life in the Bronx was tough, yet contrastingly, black music in the 1970’s had softened a lot. Feel-good disco music was not a sound that everyone could identify with. Hip Hop became the reaction to the flashy, glamorous disco sound that reigned supreme during those years. And so, they left the discos behind and started their own parties: the block parties.
Gang life disappears, music takes over:
Zulu Nation’s parties started out in the old center on 174th Street, moving on to the Bronx River Center, which had a large gym that could fit a thousand people. These parties became more and more popular, and the following grew bigger than ever. Kids that might have previously joined gangs, now channelled their energy into DJ’ing, turntablism / scratching, breakdancing or MC’ing – the streets filled with speakers and turntables. A known anthem at that time, and still today, was a reworked version of ‘The Shadows – Apache’. Today, it’s considered by many to be the “National Anthem” of Hip Hop. It has been sampled on many different tracks over the years. With Hip Hop emerging in the 80’s, producers put this legendary break into their tracks, including ‘The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels of Steel’, ‘Way Way Back’ by Kool Moe Dee and ‘You Can’t Dance’ by LL Cool J. The Sugarhill Gang did a cover of the song in 1981.
One mixtape changed it all:
So, how did Hip Hop eventually leave the Bronx and become the biggest US musical genre of all time? How did a culture, based on DJ’ing and parties and enjoying music in the moment, become the best-selling genre, outselling R&B, electronic dance music, pop and rock? Well, it all started with mixtapes – travelling across the city, adding fuel to the fire of curious youngsters, who were attracted to these Hip Hop parties and soon travelled outside of their own areas to see what the hype was about. An entire culture had emerged, but no record label had released a Hip Hop record yet. Until 1979, when one mixtape found it’s way into the hands of the owner of an independent, New Jersey record label; Sylvia Robinson. Impressed by what she heard, she decided to produce a Hip Hop record. When looking for an MC to feature on the record, her search ended in a local pizza shop, where she overheard one of the employees rapping. That guy, was Big Bank Hank, and Sylvia invited him to do a rap on the backseat of her car, to tape it to cassette. And the legendary rap of “I said a hip hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip, hip hop, and you don’t stop, a rock it, to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.” was born. One week later, The Sugarhill Gang’s 1979 ‘Rapper’s Delight’ was released, a dance floor hit that’s beyond legendary – the first Hip Hop record to gain commercial success. Today, Sylvia Robinson is still known as the mother of Hip Hop.
More and more records were released, travelling all across the United States, to eventually become a worldwide movement. Its sounds may have diversified, with sub-genres and new waves rising, artists reinventing and blending, and millions of records have been released by legendary names and rising talents, but no matter how big it’s grown, it’ll always find its roots in the South-Bronx, where its foundations were laid. Long live Hip Hop, the result of war with creativity.
The evolution and different styles of Hip Hop beats are evident in Producer Loops’ most downloaded Hip Hop sample packs, moving from symphonic sounds through piano melodies and booming 808s.
