NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Political rap

Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music. Though mainstream and crossover acceptance has been generally limited to gangsta rap and pop rap, some artists with a socially aware and positive or optimistic tone or a more avantgarde approach have achieved some success. They are often referred to in mainstream musical circles as conscious hip hop due to their focus on political issues surrounding the black community, which differentiates them from gangsta rappers. Fans of such rappers tend to view this genre as more authentic hip hop, claiming that they harken back to hip hop's early days where several artists rapped about "socially conscious" issues and gangsta rap had not yet gained mainstream acceptance. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Cover of the A Tribe Called Quest album The Low End Theory. ... Cover of the A Tribe Called Quest album The Low End Theory. ... A Tribe Called Quest is an influential rap group of the 1990s. ... The Low End Theory is the critically acclaimed alternative hip hop second album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991 (see 1991 in music) on Jive Records. ... Hip hop music, also referred to as rap or rap music, is a style of popular music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city or da hood gang members and other criminals. ... Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music (usually hardcore hip hop or underground hip hop) that focuses on social issues. ...

History

The first rapper to explore political issues was Ice-T. The single "Killers" from 1984 seems to have been the first political rap record, and this was followed by his "Squeeze the Trigger" in 1986. His views were generally left-wing, although maintained a sense of machismo; this mixture has remained the standard for political rappers ever since. The hook to "Killers" read, "It's time for all to work together for peace/ 'Cause everybody's doomed if the killings don't cease/ Street homicide, war - it's all the same/ Because murder is murder by any name." In 1994, Ice-T released a book entitled The Ice Opinion, which contained thorough explanation of his political views. However, his more recent work seems to have mostly abstained from political comment. Tracy Ice-T Marrow (born February 16, 1958)[1] is an American rapper, rock musician, author, and actor. ...

KRS-One began the political trend on the East Coast. "Advance", released in 1986, dealt with the threat of nuclear war. Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions avoided politics, but By All Means Necessary set KRS off on a long career of politically-motivated raps. KRS-One (born Lawrence Krisna Parker on August 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. ... Boogie Down Productions Criminal Minded was a highly influential hip hop album. ... Boogie Down Productions (1989) Boogie Down Productions was originally composed of KRS One, D Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. ... By All Means Necessary is the sophomore album from Hip Hop group Boogie Down Productions. ...

In 1988 and 1989, albums from the Native Tongues collective like De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising, A Tribe Called Quest's People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and the Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle are usually considered the first conscious rap albums, with jazz-based samples and quirky, insightful lyrics covering a diverse range of topics (see jazz rap) and strongly influenced by the Afrocentric messages of Bambaataa's Zulu Nation. This period, between 1988 and 1992, when the Native Tongues (together with other crews such as Pete Rock and CL Smooth) were at their creative peak, is considered the golden age of hip hop. The Native Tongues Posse is a group of late 1980s and early 1990s black nationalist hip hop artists known for their positive Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats. ... De La Soul is a massively influential hip hop group, hailing from Long Island, New York. ... 3 Feet High and Rising is the debut album from American hip hop trio De La Soul. ... Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is the debut alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 17, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... The Jungle Brothers are an American alternative hip hop group who pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip hop. ... Straight Out The Jungle is the highly praised and acclaimed debut album from Hip Hop group Jungle Brothers. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Afrocentrism holds that Eurocentrism has led to the neglect or denial of the contributions of Africas original peoples and focused instead on a generally European-centered model of world civilization and history. ... The Universal Zulu Nation, originally known simply as The Organization, is an international hip hop awareness group, which arose among reformed street gang members in New York City in the 1970s, formed and headed by Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. ... The Native Tongues Posse is a group of late 1980s and early 1990s black nationalist hip hop artists known for their positive Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats. ... Pete Rock & CL Smooth is a rap group from the 1990s. ... The golden age of hip hop, derivative of old school hip hop, began with Run-DMCs album Raising Hell in 1986 and ended with the popularity of Dr. Dres album The Chronic in late 1992. ...

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is one of the definitive voices of "conscious hip hop," verbally confronting institutional racism, police corruption, and the legacy of slavery in the United States. They attracted youth because of their ability to boldly criticize and reveal serious contradictions in American democracy. Since then, other rappers have promoted positive messages. For example, with songs like "Stop the Violence" and "Self-Destruction," KRS-One has dedicated his talent to opening the ears of a world that often seems cruel and drenched in hate. Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Schoolly D, Slick Rick, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Ice Cube all helped to build this movement. Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group from Long Island, New York known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... KRS-One (born Lawrence Krisna Parker on August 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. ... Eric B. & Rakim was an East Coast rap group that popularized the James Brown-sampled funky hip hop of the late 1980s. ... EPMD was an American hip hop music group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. ... // Background Schoolly D is the moniker of Jesse B. Weaver, Jr. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Poor Righteous Teachers are a trio of African American hip hop musicians from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989 (see 1989 in music). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Lyrical content

With conscious hip hop lyrics become more poignant as the rhythm continued to capture the attention of young audiences. The following excerpt from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" demonstrates how the lyrics and rhythm come together: "Got a bum education, double-digit inflation/ Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station/ Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge/ I'm tryin' not to lose my head/ It's like a jungle sometime it makes me wonder/ How I keep from going under." Because of the beat and the rhythm of the music this particular song appealed to a large audience and the message against the oppression of African Americans spread with it. DJ Grandmaster Flash was one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. ...

Revolutionary Hip-Hop

In recent years, political hip-hop has increasingly represented a revolutionary message, including themes such as communist class conflict and revolutionary feminism. Such artists include: This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... This article is about the organisation and newspaper Class War. ...

Categories: Articles lacking sources | NPOV disputes | Hip hop genres Bigg Jus (also known as Bigg Justoleum or Lune TNS) is a rapper from New York City, formerly a member of Company Flow along with Mr. ... Felipe Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known as Immortal Technique, is a hip hop MC and political activist. ... Dead Prez Dead Prez is the pair of underground alternative rappers, Sticman and M-1. ... Looptroop is a Swedish rap group. ... Nimrod may refer to: People: Nimrod (king), a Mesopotamian king mentioned several times in the Bible Pseudonym of Charles James Apperley (1777-1843), English sportsman and author Nimrod Kamer, an Israeli filmmaker and journalist. ... Sun Ra (May 22, 1914? â€“ May 30, 1993) was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, who came to be known as much for his cosmic philosophy as for his musical compositions and performances. ... Sabac Šabac (Шабац) is a city located in Serbia and Montenegro at 44. ... Party Musics controversial album cover The Coup is the name of a Marxist hip-hop group fronted by Boots Riley. ... Zearle is a pioneering and visible representative of politicised hip hop music. ... Paris (real name Oscar Jackson, Jr. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a seminal hip hop group from Long Island, New York known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hip hop music, also referred to as rap or rap music, is a style of popular music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... See also: List of rappers This is a list of DJs, producers, and groups that create, record, and/or perform hip hop music. ... Jay Sean Beatmaster G BeardyMan BBSHYY Biz Markie C. R. Avery DJ Snuggles (Scribble Jam Beatbox Battle Champ 2006 & Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop Beatbox Battle Champ 2004, 2005, & 2006) Dokaka Doug E. Fresh Eachbox The Fat Boys Killa Kela Faith SFX Michael Jackson Monkey Moo of Aspects, Bristol... // 2 Live Crew 3rd Bass 40 Cal 50 Cent 504 Boyz 7th Floor Crew 2Pac Agallah Akon Alkaholiks aka Tha Liks Apathy (rapper) AZ (rapper) Arabian Prince Akinyele Alchemist AND ONE Angelous Angie Martinez Aesop Rock Abdominal (rapper) G.Pinez Obie Trice Ol Dirty Bastard Olivia Omega Onyx Oo-go... ?uestlove 45 King 5th Ward Weebie 7 Aurelius 88 Keys 9th Wonder Adam F Afrika Bambaataa Afrika Islam Aim Akira the don Akon Amos Larkins AndrÃ© 3000 Ant Banks Bass Brothers Beatnuts Big Boi Black Jeruz Blankito Blockhead Blueprint Bobbito Garcia Bobby Robinson BR Gunna BronHoward Buckwild Carnival Beats Cee... // 1 112 1200 Techniques 2 213 2 In A Room 2 Live Crew 2nd II None 2 Skinnee Js 2XL 3 3582 (J. Rawls and Fat Jon) 3Live Kru 3rd Bass 4 4ORCE 5 504 Boyz 6 69 Boyz 7 7L and Esoteric 7 Notas 7 Colores 9 99... Beatboxing (also known as human orchestration) is the vocal percussion of hip hop culture and music. ... A breakdancer performing an one-handed freeze (also known as a freeze) . Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among African American youths in the South Bronx of New York... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Breakdancer in Ljubljana, Slovenia. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Turntablism is the art of manipulating sound and creating music using phonograph turntables and an audio mixer. ... Hip hop fashion is, according to KRS-One, one of the nine extended elements of hip hop culture. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Graffiti is the application of media on publicly viewable surfaces. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Old school hip hop is the very first hip hop music to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Popular West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg performing for the US Navy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Hip hop music has been popular in Africa since the early 1980s due to widespread American influence. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... West Coast hip hop, also known as West Coast rap or California hip hop, is a style of hip hop music that originated in California in the 1980s. ... Southern rap (or Dirty South hip-hop) is a type of hip hop music that emerged in the late-1990s as a popular force from cities such as New Orleans, Miami, Atlanta, Memphis, Houston, and Dallas. ... Midwest hip-hop is a style of hip hop that refers specifically to hip hop music originated within the Midwestern United States. ... Abstract hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop that differs from other hip hop music largely in the content of the lyrics. ... Alternative hip hop or Underground hip hop is defined as a culture rather than just a musical genre. ... Bounce music is an energetic style of New Orleans hip hop music, taking off in the early 1990s, but dating back to 1980s. ... Chopped and screwed (also known as screwed and chopped, slowed and throwed, Houston music, H-Town music, and screw) all refer to a technique of remixing hip hop music by slowing the tempo and applying various DJ techniques such as skipping beats, record scratching, stop-time, and sending portions of... Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as holy hip hop) is a form of hip hop music which uses Christian lyrical themes to express the songwriters faith. ... Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music (usually hardcore hip hop or underground hip hop) that focuses on social issues. ... Country-rap is the fusion of country music with hip hop music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Electro, short for electro funk (also known as robot hip hop and Electro hop) is an electronic style of hip hop directly influenced by Kraftwerk and funk records (unlike earlier rap records which were closer to disco). ... Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, also called Latin Hip Hop in its early years, is a form of electronic music that is heavily influenced by Hispanic (mostly Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican) and African-American culture. ... Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop music which involves a lyrical focus on the lifestyles of inner-city or da hood gang members and other criminals. ... G-funk, an abbreviation of Gangsta-funk, is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. ... Ghettotech is a form of electronic dance music based in Detroit that combines Chicagos ghetto house, electro, hip-hop, techno, and grafts the perceived raunch of Miami Bass. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... NaSs seminal debut, Illmatic, had a profound impact on East Coast hip hop during the mid-1990s. ... Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B. The term generally describes a style of music that blends soulful R&B singing and raw hip hop production. ... Hip house, also known as house rap, is a mixture of house music and hip-hop which arose during the 1980s in New York. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Hyphy (pronounced HI-fee; IPA: ) is a style of music and dance primarily associated with the Bay Area hip hop culture. ... Instrumental hip hop is hip hop music without vocals. ... Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Latin rap is not a homogeneous musical style but rather a term that covers all Hip-Hop music recorded by artists of Latin origin. ... Mafioso rap is a hip hop sub-genre which flourished in the mid-1990s. ... Miami bass (also known as booty music, a term that may also include other genres, such as dirty rap) is a type of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s, known for applying the Roland TR-808 sustained kick drum, slightly higher dance tempos, and occasionally... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Neo soul (also known as nu soul) is a musical genre that fuses contemporary R&B, 1970s style soul, and hip hop, and jazz. ... Nerdcore hip hop, or geeksta rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music that is performed by nerds or geeks, and is characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds. ... New jack swing is a hybrid style of rhythm and blues (R&B) combined with hip hop, popular from the late 1980s to early/mid-1990s. ... Old school hip hop is the very first hip hop music to come out of the block parties of New York City in the 1970s and early 1980s. ... Pop rap is simply hip hop (rap) music with a very strong pop music influence. ... Rapcore is a musical genre that fuses the instrumental and vocal techniques of hip hop, punk, heavy metal, and sometimes funk. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Dancehall. ... Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as ReggaetÃ³n, and sometimes as ReguetÃ³n in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences during the first few years... Snap, or as it is known in its area of origin doin it (as it is never referred to as Snap in the Atlanta area and much less in its area of origin, the westside), is a new subgenre of Rap music that has emerged from Atlanta, Georgia. ... Urban Pasifika is a sub-genre of hip-hop which combines American style hip-hop or R&B rhyming and beats with Pacific Island or Maori instrumentation (such as ukelele samples) and Pacific Island or Maori language singing/rapping. ...

Contents

Public Enemy

Lyrical content

Revolutionary Hip-Hop