Research Why Was Hip Hop Important In The 1970s? (Essay Sample)

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Why was Hip Hop important in the 1970s?
In the recent years, the popularity and global influence of the hip hop culture continues to shape and influence the pop culture. However, much of the media attention has focused on the negative impact of the Hip-Hop music in perpetuating gang violence, juvenile delinquency, indecency, misogyny, homophobia, glorifying drugs, and rape. Critics have been quick to point fingers at the Hip-Hop music in the wake of the East Coast-West Coast rivalry that led to the untimely demise of two rappers (Tupac Amaru Shakur and Christopher Wallace), the school shootings in Littleton Colorado, and the violent trend of the youthful behavior in the inner cities. However, critics miss the point, Hip-Hop just like any other music genre, cannot be understood unless it is studied in its socio-political context of its early beginnings. The 1970s era was a definitive era for Hip-Hop because it featured various experimentations by the pioneering artforms and explains the original role of the genre and its eventual downfall.
Scholars argue that Hip-Hop emerged as a direct response to the shockwave from the economic paralysis of the New York City, particularly among the neglected African Americans and Latino neighborhoods in the Bronx. As Codrington (1) observes, though Hip-Hop was born in the Bronx, it embodies the cultural tenets of the history of the African Americans, the oral, and rhythmic elements of the continental African tradition. The importance of the 1970s era can be described as a gradual evolution of Hip-Hop through a series of steps that fused pop music and dance-focused phenomenon created by and for the youthful communities in the marginalized inner cities to a mainstream global culture (Codrington 2). In the year 1973, hip hop was born in the South Bronx pioneered by the Jamaican-born Kool DJ Herc in a Halloween party organized by his young sister (Blanchard 1). DJ Herc using innovative turntable skills, stretched and a pop song’s drum loop by playing the chords of two similar songs concurrently in what gave rise to the “breakdance” giving the genre its charismatic cultural appeal (Blanchard 1). Herc’s influence would later dominate the larger New York City parties as many DJs picked up the skills by extending the chords and loops at various dance parties. Therefore, the hip hop genre emerged in the 1970s through the fusion of different music elements and genres popularized by DJs creative seminal turntable skills at dance parties with examples of established DJs such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Hence, the 1970s era was important in cementing the breakdance characteristic of hip hop.
In the 70s decade, the genre continued to evolve with the inclusion of live vocal elements over the playing music. The vocalist was known as an “MC” who served as a voice or a commentary with rhyming lyrics laced over the DJs’ turntable loops amidst the breakdancing and cheering audience at local parties. Blanchard (2) notes that a void emerged between the DJs and the dancers which necessitated the need for an MC who would serve as the opening act at these events. As a result, the MC emerged in the hip hop scene forming an inseparable link between the DJ and the dancers at the parties. Initially, the MC would make humorous references to songs, comments about popular events at the time, and make witty and entertaining rhymes on various but relevant themes. Therefore, MCs introduced DJs and their songs at events and would occasionally recognize their friends and promoters of such events at the parties before commencing with the much-anticipated oral rhyme delivery. Through the mid 70s, MCs would later evolve into standalone figures different from the conventional commentary master of ceremony individuals to embody the standards of modern day rappers. The DJs would introduce songs and the MC-cum-rappers were expected to cleverly make witty rhymes on the spot amid the cheering spectators whether on the streets or parties. Therefore, the rapper, arose as a sociopolitical consciousness commentary voice whose skills were based on vocal delivery and the witty choice of rhymes. Blanchard (2) notes that this was a marked departure from the DJ and breakdancing and the rapper become the focus and the voice of the Hip-Hop culture fusing the artistry of spoken word with sampling of different musical elements and genres. The innovations of rappers caught the attention of the spectators as their rhymes lapped and transitioned over from the introduction and end of the songs looped by the DJs on over the turntables. Eventually, the shifted away from the deejaying skills and regular commentaries to the artiste’s story-telling rhymes and personal experiences. Codrington (2) notes that there is an inherent connection between the West African griot traditions of skillful story-telling ability with superior vocal wordplay and rap lyrics in Hip-Hop. Therefore, the 70s era was significant in the evolution of the rapper who continues to be the voice behind the hip hop culture to-date.
Hip-Hop music was important in the 1970s because it incorporated and was influenced of other musical elements such as reggae, rock, pop, and orchestra which was important for reaching out to a larger audience. In the 70s, hip hop evolved around the fusion and incorporation of party-based dance pop music subsystem that was common in Jamaica and brought to South Bronx by Kool DJ Herc who spend most of his childhood in Kingston (Codrington 2). Hip-Hop producers cleverly ...