Origins of Rap and Hip Hop
By. Blue Azul Corral
(Meditations of a Felon)
Music has always been a form of communication, motivation, and self expression. Every culture, race, and generation at one time or another has embraced and enjoyed music. Music triggers emotions, brings back memories, or just plain makes you feel good, bad, or sad.
When rap and hip hop was introduced back in the game, it was an original, raw, innovative way for the young and old to express their trails and tribulations to the world. Not everyone understood it, but it was a creative way to lyrically form words into raw rhymes, over sampled beats or bass drums, and rap what was in their heart to make music.
Many thought Rap/Hip Hop was only a phase that would not last. It’s been 20 plus years now and rap/hip hop is steady going strong.
With no end in sight, consumers spend millions of dollars on Rap/ Hip Hop CD's, Videos and concerts and Record labels are always looking for the next big hip hop act, the next big thing. Rap/Hip Hop can proudly claim to have conquered the world.
Many People think Rap/ Hip Hop is just a black thing. Rap/ hip hop touches base on every aspect of life, not just the music, but through music we should communicate the life of rap/hip hop on every level, every race, every hood, every ghetto, every slum, and every barrio.
Through rap /hip hop we should learn to accept our differences yet understand how much alike we all are in our own unique way. Through hip hop we should be able to communicate and learn about other races, cultures, lifestyles, and ways of life.
Rap / Hip Hop should be a voice and outlet for all people. That was the main principle of hip hop, that it not just be for one race of people, but for all. After all if the micro phone or guitar would have been created specifically for the race of person who invented it, then we’d all be shit out of luck.
Unfortunately even though there are many rappers of many races and various walks of life, the sad truth is the majority continue to be shunned and ignored. Take for example Mexican/Chicano rap and hip hop. Frost, Franky V from Proper Dos, The Mexikanz, The Funky Aztecs, Funky Dubious, Lil Rob, Knight Owl, Capone-E, Brown side, Psycho realm, and many more have been in the game for years , yet have rarely, if ever, been featured in main stream white/black music publications Lets be honest here, when have you seen the Source, XXL, King, Ozone, Blender, or any of these magazines or website publications give these talented artists any true recognition?
I’m talking about a whole issue or a whole section that touches up, speaks up on Mexican/Chicano rappers. When have you ever seen it happen? Why is this touchy subject? And before anyone yells “foul”, no I do not hate nor am I blasting on anybody, I’m only speaking up on an issue that no one has the balls to address. So I decided to be the first one to do it, because to the best of my understanding, up until now no one has brought up the issue. (I do stand to be corrected if I’m wrong.)
They say rap/Hip Hop is a black thing, and although I can’t argue nor will I deny the fact that black people have played a very strong and significant role in exposing rap/Hip-Hop to the masses and the world, I must say I agree yet I disagree. I agree black people are creative and I also agree they pioneered the style we know today as Hip Hop.
Black people have had a strong impact in the music industry, but let’s be realistic people, what is rap really? What is a song really? All it is a form of poetry in its own unique way. A poetic way of self expression, on another level. But it’s still poetry nevertheless. How long has poetry been around?
All of us know poetry has been around for centuries, so see technically speaking, rap/hip hop has been around for hundreds of years, maybe not in its present day modern form, but Rap/Hip Hop has been around before the words rap/hip-hop came into existence.
Before the term or label was put out. For hundreds of years every race, culture, on the face of the earth has used poetry and poetic metaphors to express them, using different beats, rhythms, poetry which has turned into music, has evolved into many styles, which today are referred to as “genres”.
But all songs are a form of poetry, in their own special way, regardless of whatever the style of music or song is. Rap-Hip Hop is a creation black people elevated to another level using poetry in another form and fashion, yet we must admit, rap/hip hop has been successful because people from all walks of life have embraced it. Rap/Hip Hop was created for the people. It’s always been about the people; unfortunately the people continue to be forgotten.
Take for example low riding the White-Tee and the khakis, the hood/Barrio pride are things that have been part of the Mexican community for the longest, we are doing these things before anyone else has, from an era of the pachucos and back, we’ve been doing this, it’s not only a new thing to us. Especially in the western region area, starting in El Paso, all the way through New Mexico, Arizona, all the way to California.
Low riding was a Mexican creation, no doubt about it, yet low riding is a thing Mexicans have shared with the world, people from all walks of life have embraced low riding, yet not everyone low rides the same. Different forms and styles have been blended and created into the low-rider scene as it has evolved over the years. People from all walks of life have put their twist to it, their own creative artistic style, which is a beautiful thing. Art should be exposed and shared with the world, not just one form of art, but each and every day unique style, all art is beautiful in it’s own special way, one must just take the time to look closely and one will learn, art is a deep thing, rap/hip hop is a form of art, and should be exposed on all levels as well, not just on one level. It should not be held back or limited.
I dedicate my time in reading all publications in print or on the internet and can’t help but think about what many writers say. Some writers claim rap and hip hop is dead due to a lot of the same styles and material being exposed to the world. People also say it’s played out and not versatile.
Then there are those such as myself, who love music and who refuse to accept that. Because we know and understand that there’s a very big and versatile world of hip hop out there. It’s the people running the industry that is messing things up.
There are many people from all walks of life with many different styles. Hip Hop could be much stronger and potent if the major players in the music industry, if all of these hip hop publications and all these people with positions of power were open minded, versatile, and just took a deeper look and give all people, black, white, Asian, middle eastern, and Mexican an equal opportunity. After all rap/hip hop was created by the people and for the people.
One thing that trips me out is how much more the music industry could do for the people. There are people who have been musicians for a long time or who have the talent, ambition, the drive to do something powerful, people who only need someone to give them an opportunity. People who deserve proper credit and who should be recognized for their talent. Yet they can’t get a break. Sometimes due to circumstances they find themselves in, or due to a lack of financial means, and yes sometimes due to who they are as a person.
I will not say rappers, music moguls, magazine owners, and all these people who are involved in the music business don’t help the people. In certain aspects they might do certain stuff, yet not enough is being done.
Some of them come from nothing and are now multi-millionaires. I respect that very much, yet more can be done. Do not wait for the people to come to you; you must not forget who you are and where you come from. One moment you may have it all, the next nothing at all. Do unto others; what you would like others to do for you.
