|
| The history of rap |
| adapted from
www.rapmusic.com
by Joaquin Montes |
Rap music as a musical
form began among the youth of South Bronx,
New York in the mid 1970's. Individuals such as Kool Herc
and Grandmaster Flash were some of the early pioneers
of this art form.
Through their performances at clubs and promotion
of the music, rap consistently gained in popularity throughout
the rest of the 1970's. The first commercial success of the
rap song "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang
in 1979 helped bring rap music into the national spotlight.
The 1980's saw the continued success of rap music with many
artists such as Run DMC (who had the first rap album to go
gold in 1984), L.L. Cool J, Fat Boys, and west coast rappers
Ice-T and N.W.A becoming popular. Today, in the late 1990's
rap music continues to be a prominent and important aspect
of African- American culture. Rap music was a way for youths
in black inner city neighborhoods to express what they were
feeling, seeing, and living and it became a form of entertainment.
Hanging out with friends and rapping or listening
to others rap kept black youths out of trouble in the dangerous
neighborhoods in which they lived. The dominant culture did
not have a type of music that filled the needs of these youths,
so they created their own.
So, rap music originally emerged as a way for black inner
city youth to express their everyday life and struggles.
Top |
| Glossary |
youth:
los jóvenes.
pioneers: pioneros.
performances: actuaciones, presentaciones.
spotlight: escena.
hanging out: dando vueltas sin hacer nada.
struggles: luchas.
Top |
|
|
