If you don’t live under a rock, then you’ve probably seen one of the six “History of Rap” videos by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. This dynamic duo combines rap music from different eras into one long and equally hilarious montage. Recently there’s been much hype about rap music with the release of Straight Outta Compton in August. This got me wondering where rap really began.
With its birthplace in New York City, rap was meant to be the life of the party. Released in 1979 the 15-minute long song “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang was the first rap song.
“Rapper’s Delight”
While “Rapper’s Delight” is indeed rap, it is nothing like the rap people listen to nowadays. The song doesn’t include any harsh language. In fact it sounds more like funk rather than hip-hop or rap and is guaranteed to make you tap your foot to its cheery beat.
After the Sugarhill’s Gang song, late 1980s began the new age of radical rap when artists used their lyrics to send social messages. Public Enemy, a hip-hop group from Long Island, NY, was the first group to be known for the political messages embedded in their rhymes. Public Enemy paved the way for future groups to use common issues and struggles in lyrics. One of Public Enemy’s most popular songs was “Fight the Power.”
“Fight the Power”
The music video for “Fight the Power” includes the band rapping its song while people riot in the background, which captures the essence of rap’s original aspect. Today, I couldn’t imagine anyone listening to this song for entertainment, but it does serve its purpose of making a political point.
Public Enemy inspired groups across the country, particularly N.W.A. Shifting rap music from New York City all the way to Los Angeles, California saw the “gangsta” rap age.
N.W.A emerged out of Compton, CA. Today when many people hear the word Compton they usually think of violence, gangs and rappers because N.W.A’s debut album Straight Outta Compton revolved around the crime and corruption that would become synonymous with Compton. This was Compton’s first step into the limelight.
“Straight Outta Compton”
This 1988 song is much more similar to rap songs you would hear today. With its fair share of cursing, Ice Cube throws some serious rhymes. The beat of the song is still somewhat more upbeat than those of The Weeknd and Eminem, and the lyrics stay true to the trend of its time period by discussing political messages.
When the 1990s started, the California style of rap became more prominent. The king of California rap was Snoop Doggy Dogg, now Snoop Dogg. From Long Beach, CA, he quickly rose to the top of the charts with his singles “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?” and “Gin and Juice.” As is the case for many other artists, the inspiration of the lyrics came from Snoop Dogg’s early defiance of the law.
“Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”
Snoop Dogg’s first single was one of his best making number one on the charts. Portraying his laid back California style, the song could be categorized as more R&B than rap. The song includes lots of cursing and Snoop Dogg repeating his name numerous times.
“Gin and Juice”
With the iconic chorus, Snoop Dogg is defining the life of a California party in his lyrics. Although it is not one of my favorite Snoop Dogg songs, it’s still a good song to relax and lay back to.
I would describe modern rap as a combination of N.W.A and Snoop Dogg, evolving from its New York inner city entertainment and mashing the generations together to create what we listen to today. Even though rap music is not my favorite genre, Jimmy Fallon will never fail to make me laugh.
