The unique sounds of rap music challenged the American listening public by shifting away from rock song structures and instrumentation. Sampling songs and scratch became some of the signature effect of DJs, who provided the music over which rappers would speak their poetry. The fact that rapping is generally unmelodic and set over percussive-forward music ensured that hip-hop remained an underground music. Break beats offered a novel approach to musical expression. The lecture notes discuss the supremacy of the DJ within hip-hop, which is why one DJ could pair up with multiple rappers.
The lecture notes outline the pivotal moments that pushed hip-hop into the mainstream. The "internal growing pains" referred to in the lecture also lends insight into how hip-hop has never been monolithic. Artistic diversity has ensured that the genre thrives and grows. The lecture also addresses the different styles and sounds that hip-hop assumed when...
California hip-hop has made an especially strong stamp on the industry.
The "Golden Era" of rap incorporated powerful social and political commentary. Much of that commentary derived from the Civil Rights movement and its iconic leaders. Some hip-hop reflects Black Nationalism and the struggle of the oppressed over institutionalized racism. Other commentary was more squarely directed at violence, drugs, gangs, and other realities of street life. Although men dominated the rap scene, prominent female rappers introduced gender consciousness and feminist issues. Hip-hop offered a legitimate and powerful means for oppressed groups to subvert traditional means of acquiring financial and cultural capital. For example, the quote from H. Rap Brown is about how hip-hop legitimized African-American street culture. Hip-hop cannot be studied out of its social and political contexts.
