Preview

Modern Music Industry

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
466 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Modern Music Industry
MEDIA 103 ASSIGNMENT 3
RESEARCH ESSAY
Band: Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time. With its unique production style, intense and vivid lyrics and mainstream consumer appeal, Wu-Tang was one of the artists that revolutionalised soul and transformed it into the modern rap that we hear today. Without their influence a significant part of both African American culture, and American music would simply not exist. The Wu-Tang are pioneers in their own right, and in this essay I intend to discuss the emergence of hip hop into modern mainstream culture using the Wu-Tang as a case study.
Hip hop is a cultural way of life divided into four main parts; rapping, deejaying, breakdancing and graffiti. It usually features two elements, the producer’s backtrack which encompasses all instrumentation within the piece, and the rapper’s lyrics. The backtrack usually consists of a simple rhythmic pattern and melody, composed to accentuate the rapper. While the production is very important in a track, the rapper is without a doubt the more important of the two, providing a unique form of vocals fitting into multisyllabic rhyme patterns within varying bar-length verses. It originated in Southern Bronx, New York City in the mid 1970’s, taking its influences from funk, groove and African soul music to create essentially a fusion of genres. It is believed that Kool Herc, a Jamaican DJ living in the Bronx at the time, was the original creator of the concept, employing break beat into his shows. Breakbeating involves mixing between two songs instrumentals to extend them for as long as possible, while performing over the top of the track; a primitive form of modern rap. Other DJ’s expanded on this and developed “scratching”, a technique still commonly used today. Hip hop continued to develop into a relatively simple genre: usually a 4/4 beat with many samples rhymed over by a lyricist. It can be said, however that hip hop did not reach its

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Hip Hop was started in the 1970’s. There was an underground movement known as “Hip Hop”. it was developed in South Bronx in New York City. At the time, it was mostly focused on emceeing, break beats and house parties. Hip Hop was a subcultural movement at the time.…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Hip Hop music genre, on the rise since the 1970 's, includes many variations of beats and melodies which unlike other music genres, do not follow a certain pattern or outline. Especially during this day and age, melodic tracks are free to sound however the artist wants them to, without needing to adhere to a certain pattern. This ability makes it very easy for Disc Jockeys and Rappers to create endless possibilities and make their tracks sound however they wish. In the…

    • 2040 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the music industry a music publisher or company is an entity that develops, protects and values music. Music publishers are responsible for the development of new music as well as taking care of the business side allowing songwriters and composers to concentrate on their creative work.…

    • 4608 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kool DJ Herc is credited with the birth of hip-hop when he played two drum breaks consecutively. The drum breaks created a new sense and feel in music and African Americans liked the beat and flow of the music. Though hip-hop originated from other forms of music, it quickly took its own route. Soon young African American men were taking their own approach to hip-hop and speaking their minds through music. Hip-hop artist speaking their minds soon evolved into what hip-hop is today.…

    • 421 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Michael Render, a rapper better known by Killer Mike, gave a short history lesson on a talk show about hip-hop. He goes on to state that it was created approximately in the late 1960’s in the less fortunate communities of America. Specifically, in the areas of the Bronx or New York, children surrounded by the street gangs, decided to create a Hip Hop movement that included rap music, breakdance, “djaying,” and graffiti in order to make an alternative to the violence of the street gangs. Later in the years though, the art of rap started to stray away from the original road became a more materialistic community. However, rap music in America has the power to bring masses of people together. Rap music is used as a medium to address social conflicts…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    There once was a boy named Tyrone. Tyrone was having problems at home. So every day he would go meet his uncle at the studio, that he happened to own, and that is where he wrote down all of his emotions and recorded them to music. This is how he successfully gets through his day. Rap music or better known as Hip Hop was originated in the Bronx. Artist like: Biggie and Tupac has effected artist like Jay Z and Andre 3000. Tupac and Biggie have a similarity with Jay Z and Andre 3000, they all speak their reality and relate to a lot their fans. Breakdancing and Graffiti are two of the four elements of Hip Hop. Although some people believe Hip Hop influences African American teens in a violent way; it actually gives the power to find your own voice and free their minds; therefore, hip hop inspires and enables young people to connect to their culture.…

    • 748 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Rap Music Influence

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Rap and Hip-Hop has grown to be one of the most trendy type of music of the new generation. Influenced by the sounds of jazz and old soul came about a new type of music. Rap and Hip-Hop usually starts off with a musical beat followed by vocal rhymes and rhythm. Loud bass and different drums are involved too. In the beginning of Rap and Hip-Hop they were performed by DJ’s, who used turn tables and voice over to make the beats. Rappers, which are…

    • 778 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It has been a quarter of a century since hip-hop first made its mark on the American music scene. Hip-hop has become a popular trend that is echoing around the world. By definition, hip-hop refers to a culture that embraces a particular music, language, attitude, and dress fashioned after disadvantaged urban youth. Born out of the ghettos of the South Bronx, New York, and created by black and Latino youth in the late 1970's and early 1980's, this music genre closely identified with the spoken rhymes of rap. When it first emerged, it was considered "ghetto music", a music variety which had no cultural worth or value. Yet its popularity grew with the Internet and MTV reaching millions of homes around the world. Hip-hop music has successfully been exported from the United States to the entire globe; however exporting the hip-hop culture itself remains a challenge.…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    American Music Final

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hip-hop is a musical art form, created by African-Americans and Latino-Americans in the mid seventies. Its conception came from a young generation of African-Americans in the Bronx, who created a beautiful, prideful expression of music, art and dance from a backdrop of poverty. Since that ignition in a New York City borough, it has inspired people from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds all across the world. When hip-hop is discussed as an art form and not just as rap, it usually is meant to include the four elements: the DJ, the emcee, graffiti writing, and break dancing. Some of these were around before the words "hip-hop" were uttered, but they reestablished their identities within hip-hop.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since its expansion throughout the South Bronx, hip hop culture has begun spreading to both urban and suburban communities throughout the entire world. Hip hop music was first appear with Kool Herc and modish disc jockeys and creating rhythmic beats by looping breaks on two turntables. It later became partners with the rap music genre, which is a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry often presented in 16-bar…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the late 1970’s a new, popular form of urban youth culture emerged in the Bronx, New York that changed the face of popular music and American culture. Throughout its development, hip-hop has become a vastly commercialized component of popular American culture; however, it took the efforts of many pioneers and innovators to shape modern hip-hop culture and music. By exploring hip-hop’s origins, one can better understand its evolution and its influence on different social groups throughout the United States.…

    • 1763 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “More than simply entertainment, hip hop is a major part of contemporary identity circuits –networks of philosophies and aesthetics based on blackness, poverty, violence, power, resistance, and capitalist accumulation” (Pardue 674). Music has been a potent technique for engendering convivial vigilance throughout American history. Music simultaneously reflects trends, ideals, conditions in society, and inspires attitudinal progression and convivial change.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hip Hop Culture Essay

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hip-hop music is to be considered to have been pioneered in South Bronx in New York in the late ‘70s by many different artistes. A young teen in Bronx has started to develop a brand of new music. He would soon to become known as Grandmaster Flash, a DJ that mastered and invented techniques like the back-spinning. Soon after a hip hop group has arisen with the name of Run-D.M.C. Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniel and Jason Mizell were on the move to being the most influential hip-hop…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Over the past 30 years hip hop has grown and influences many ages, genders and races. Often hip hop reflects on the outlook on their life. The hardships, violence, struggles, economic and political problems. African american music was heard at every corner in all time periods. The genre of hip hop profoundly the voice of america and influencing the nation.It all started around the same man known as DJ kool herc. Jamaican Born and raised in the bronx new york created the blueprint for hip hop music and culture. Based on the jamaican tradition of toasting, kool herc witnessed impromptu, boastful poetry and speech over music provided the base for MCing.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    History Of Hip Hop

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hip-hop was first seen on the streets of New York. “I liked the breakdowns, so I decided I would extend it by getting another record… I went right to it.”(The Break Master) No one dance to his music because it was different. His feelings got hurt and he went home and cried for days. Hip-hop was created as modern hip-hop, but now it is not modern, it is just hip-hop! People kept showing people how to do the dance, but no one did it because they didn’t know that they are doing. He put different turntables together to…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays