I’m not entirely sure why so many rock fans appear to hate
rap or hip hop. From what I’ve observed it
would appear this is based on an assumption that somehow the music is not capable
of being played live because there are no instruments involved or as Beck put
it on Where It’s At, “I’ve got two turntables and a microphone”. In
other words, because the music is mostly voice and found sounds, it is somehow
not authentic.
Such a view, if I’ve interpreted it correctly, doesn’t make
much sense to me. Certainly the early
rappers such As Afrika Bambaattaa, the Sugarhill Gand or RUN-DMC didn’t use
much in the way of instruments at all.
But how does this differ all that much from barbershop quartets, doo-woppers,
60’s social protest acts such as the
Last Poets or in 70’s Britain and beyond, the inspired work of John Cooper
Clarke. There were also the 70’s Jamaican “toasters”
such as I-Roy, Sound System DJs who released tracks of them doing their routine
over popular reggae numbers released by other acts. And yet these acts seem to be celebrated rather
than dismissed.
If anything the early rappers were arguably smarter than
these other form of mostly acapella music in that their lyrical constructs were
made up live on the spot in response to those around them. One of the most educational and, it must be
said memorable, musical experiences I’ve had was when I caught about 30 minutes
of an Afrika Bambaattaa set at a Big Day Out.
On stage, was Afrika and about another 25 or so would be rappers, two
turntables and a single microphone. The
DJ sampled away as the mic was passed from rapper to rapper who built on the
number. Indeed go to any number of
European countries and you will find many of these will have a “folk music”
tradition which basically involves older members of the community telling sad
or funny stories which, if performed over music at all, will probably be some
form of established traditional number.
And then there is “The Blues” as expressed by African American slaves
and later sharecroppers who were essentially giving voice to their situation
with minimal, if any, musical backing. But all of this is irrelevant when considering
present day rap/hip hop which has expanded beyond its origins with many acts
today, The Roots being the best example, utilising instruments on record and in
live performance.
The other thing that appears to routinely ignored by critics
of rap who bemoan the use of instrumentation, is how a great many rock acts
through history have constructed classic tracks by simply placing voice over
found sounds. The Beatles with their use
of tape loops, such as on Tormorrow Never Knows, or on Being For The Benefit Of
Mister Kite did this. Massive
soundscapes or effects used as the backdrop to many prog rock pieces also fall
under the same category. And if all that
isn’t enough, where do tracks like The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony fit, with a
backing consisting solely of a sample of previously recorded music repeated for
its duration.
Once you accept that the creation of music from found sources
or sampling is a valid way of creating music, there is much to explore and
enjoy in the world of rap and hip hop.
Due to today’s limited opportunities, I’ve ended up playing a rap/hip
hop album with rock influences as well as a rock album that incorporates hip
hop techniques.
(# 568) The Beastie
Boys – Hello Nasty (1998)
I was a massive fan of this album when it was originally
released, although I now know it was then premature to rank this as the equal
of Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head or Ill Communication. The opening few tracks are fairly
unremarkable by their lofty standards but the quality of the album starts to increase
with the hits Body Movin’ and the hugely underrated Intergalactic. This
leads to a number of old school style rap tracks that anticipate the direction
they were to take on their next full length album before ending in a brace of
slower numbers including the reggae influenced Dr. Lee Ph.D and the lullaby instrumental Death.
(# 569) Beck – Odelay
(1996)
Beck Hansen first started to attract mainstream notice with
his previous album Mellow Gold and hit Loser but it was this that really put
him on the map. It has also defined his
career in a sense as subsequent albums have seen him deliberately seeking to step
back from this level of general acclaim.
This album incorporates a brilliant melange of styles ranging from the neo
soul of Devil’s Haircut, the hip hop masterpiece Where It’s At, the country styling
of Sissyneck , the Beastie Boyesque thrash of Minus and the beat heavy The New
Pollution.
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