Show and Prove 2012

In my "Pass the Peas" course at Lehigh U, we wrap up the semester with an American Idol-like contest of songs and videos presented by the students of the class. This year's top 3:

 #1 Kendrick Lamar - "HiiiPOWER"  

#2 A$AP Rocky - "Goldie"  

#3 Moufy - "Miss Newtown"

Ghostwriters in the Machine

Say it ain't so, Nas

Off the books

Actually, the accusation that Jay Elect's Act I is stolen is more troubling because both scenarios don't seem implausible.  Either a Stan like fan has imagined an elaborate scenario in which Jay Electronica swiped his life story to record Jay's epic "Sunshine" breakthrough or a beloved rhyming hero's mythical legacy is a lie. 

Street Ministry

"There's a new thing happening today" Minister Louis Farrakhan once preached. Brand Nubian sampled that line in 1992 and took up the call in their music. 

 

A new thing is happening in Bethlehem.  Taking up the initiative of the graffiti movement to reclaim public space, regional street artists have begun their own movement here in the Lehigh Valley.

 

For those of us who have lived here for years (decades really), it is fairly dra-mastic to see New Vox Gallery make its imprint on the Five Points community.

 

Mainstay Homebase has been doing this now for 10 years have been making an impact with youth skate culture, art and fashion. It's not hard to support new heads adding on.

 

I had the privilege of providing the soundtrack this July at Streetfluence, an exhibition of street art on display at New Vox, the on the side of buildings at Five Points and in city parking garage.

The set list is a journey into sound, a journey which along the way will bring to you new color, new dimension, new values.

 

Props to Reinaldo Ray Valentin, Matthew Nixon and so many others who made this happen.

 

When You Call His Name

I've listened to this on loop off of Youtube, shared it on Facebook but really, those gestures don't compare to the experience of listening to DJ Marcelino Rivera effortlessly slip it into a live set while spinning at Double Decker.  Here I am flipping through stacks of dusty treasures and I hear this, drop everything and become an instant convert: "AND WHAT'S THIS JOINT?!? WHERE CAN I FIND THIS!?!"

An audio silver and goldrush...

ARM 18 Minutes of Funk - The Nat X Mixtape

Track Listing:

1 - Nat X / JB Intro
2 - I'm Black and I'm Proud - Brand Nubian
3 - Ain't Saying Nothing (Dub) - Divine Styler
4 - Funkin' Lesson - X Clan
5 - Swing Blue, Sweat Black - Laquan
6 - Heartbeat Props - Digital Underground
7 - For Women - Reflection Eternal

Brand Nu's '98 update of the JB '68 classic is worthy homage.  Tracks 3 through 6 are a nod to that brief period between '88 and '90 where "Pro Black" hip hop was as common as Common at an NBA All Star Game. Laquan vid below for a bonus.

DU speaks the truth: if you know of someone right here, right now that is making a difference in the world, give them their props.  Better yet, be ready to rock for the cause.  And Talib's storytelling ("For Women") is as vivid as a Toni Morison novel.  Word to the Mother.

No Place Like Home

Taking his show on the road, Magnetic, Godilla, GQ will tour the country with Cappadonna and Block Mcloud.  Next up this spring in Europe with the GZA.

Check out one the better covereages of regional Hip Hop out of the Easton, PA Express Times publication: Local rappers King Magnetic, Godilla and GQ weigh in on hip-hop in the Valley

Triple Play

Dope Hip Hop videos this decade are like remix 12"s from the 90s loaded with exclusive B sides. With the technology today, making a weak video is inexcusable.

De La's "First Serve" is eye candy and the other two vids embody that working man lunch pail rap aesthetic that was born with (incidentally) De La's "Stakes Is High."

Musically, these cats flip a BoogieMan real live 45 effectively:

Sounding like Jim Cramer's Mad Money show with a broke flow, Phonte about sums up the current career climate in the American job market: "So if you thinkin 'bout quittin you should probably wait / Cuz everybody gotta do a fuckin job that they hate"

ARM 18 Minutes of Funk - Infinity 'til

"The hip-hop legacy will always last / To know your future is to know your past" - Diamond D. Another ARM 18 Special Edition, very much dedicated to PS Chase the captain of our Ninety-Now Tewks 208 Crew.

ARM 18 Minutes of Funk - Infinity 'til

Jesus vs Christ

Wanted to share a Q & A from a student of mine who has particular interest in the "sociology of religion." My discussions with Oliver in class and online have always lead to more questions, a hallmark of a good student. What's your take?

Oliver J.P.: Also, I got one question that I want to ask from our religion chapter. Do you think Jesus was more on the spiritual side or religious side?

ARM 18: My understanding of the life, times and legacy of Jesus Christ is based on little formal research but I have had great experiences and discussions with some knowledgeable priests, practicing scholars of the Bible, fellow Episcopalians and my own faith ultimately.

Your question is interesting, spirituality vs religion; it could also be discussed as Jesus vs Christ...

Young Hov

This is the way I see it: the life of "Jesus" was that of Spirituality to the fullest; his spiritual principles were not a "when-it-suits-me" relative spirituality that, in general, Americans are most comfortable with. The "historical / factual" Jesus held an unwavering sense of justice and compassion in the face of tyranny and oppressive, exclusionary religious law. (Those times sound familiar, yes?) Jesus invited everyone to the table- outcasts, criminals, prostitutes, beseeching those in power to reconsider and repent as he declared that life on this plane has been created to be an equitable and loving Kingdom of God.

Salvation prevails from a
hanging cross with nails

"Christ" is the Religion of Jesus' life. Here the belief and faith in the account of Christ's resurrection after his death provides a profound understanding into the brutality of humankind, our utter inability to heed the word of God "made flesh" in Jesus; and, yet, within this tragedy is also our redemption and forgiveness in accordance to God despite our failings. Christ's resurrection forever atones for our sins.

From this "allegory" of Christ's crucifixion, the Christian faith is based. What unfolds over the next 2000 years is the practice of Jesus' Spiritual life as a Religion. And since fallible humans are involved, the Christian institution in various forms has had its share of profound atrocity (any act of violence in the "name of God") and triumphant success (any time two people or more are gathered in Jesus' name and perform a societal good- charity, shelter, inspiration, etc)

His holiness reigns supreme
over nearly everyone

In sum, I find the life of Jesus to be truly uplifting, a code of ethics we must strive to meet in order to best provide a sustainable life for all. While I am not nearly as familiar with their specifics, I believe the lives of Mohammad, Buddha, Dali Lama and others also reflect these values. As an institution, Christianity is prone to failure.

That doesn't mean I am abandoning organized religion but we must call out those who truly misuse the Lord's name in vain.  You see the "word of God" currently being abused by Republican presidential candidates; churches reluctant to open the doors to the homeless, hungry, angry and disenfranchised.  As I argue in class, spirituality has been reduced to what we "like" on Facebook; a "don't ask, don't tell" concept of religion that may render organized religion impotent in the face of calamitous social problems that must be confronted  this decade.

To quote KRS ONE: "I stand with God whether I'm paid or whether I'm cryin' broke / I like to ask these politicians would Jesus vote?"

 To sum up, I won't front, "Higher Level" had as much to influence my understanding of religion as Marx did. Peace to former Bard College professor Joel Kovel who encouraged me to present this song as topic for debate in his "History and Spirit" class circa 1995.  It is from work in that class, I have always kept my third eye open to the "spiritual nature" of institutions and history rather than reducing our understanding of the world only to quantifiable matter.

KRS ONE : Teacha, Historian, Autobiographer

This is cool but I thought Nas was gonna write this?

Obama 2012: Future Without a Past?

I often spin an email or an FB update into a post like this or that.  Recently I have had the privledge to correspond with Travis Gosa, professor of Social Science at Cornell and he threw down this idea about the upcoming elections:

"I see that it is almost 2012... My account is that most rappers are still name dropping Obama, but have little positive to say about his track record on race, poverty, etc. Assuming the Occupy Wall-Street raps die down, it might be worth revisiting these issues for 2012."

In late 2008, I wrote a lengthy piece for Philly's Foundation mag on Hip Hop power and its relationship with the rising star power of presidential hopeful Barrack Obama.  The piece was constantly being rewritten that fall as new Obama mixtapes dropped every week and election poll results came in. I had attempted to be objective but there is admittedly a "Hope"-ful and perhaps naive tone to the article.

Looking back on that moment, my response below to Travis recounts what discourse in Hip Hop I may have intentionally overlooked in 2008.  And as we look ahead to 2012, maybe it's time to acknowledge these uncomfortable grumblings were more accurate than not. 

I recently revisited Dead Prez's 2008's "PolitriKKKs" M-1's lyrics took a thinly veiled swipe at 2008 presidential winner: "billion dollar campaigns / trillion dollar bailout / anybody know the definition of a sell-out?"

I will be honest, I thought Dead Prez was sour grapes at the time but they took the same stance as KRS ONE did that seems far more prescient that I probably cared to believe in those halcyon days of the fall of 2008.  Here KRS' 2008 comments about the lack of significance of an elected black American president: 

"If you really want to see what black governance is like, take a look at the mayors of major cities. When the cities were in power, we couldn't be the mayors, it was when the cities lost power, they put in black mayors. When the states had power, we couldn't be governors. When the states lost power, we have African American senators and governors.  Now the nation has lost power, the dollar has lost power. The world is global. Now you can get a black president because it doesn't matter. It's global now" (from around 4:45 mark of interview)

Revolutionary, "conscious" rappers are not the only voices critical of Obama or suspicious of how this election is any tangible measurement of social progress.  Peep Cornel West, a highly prolific initial supporter of Obama, throw down damning criticism of O's administration:

For a certain segment of our population here in the US in the fall of 2011, there now seems to be popular acknowledgement that the executive branch has been rendered powerless by Wall St and military oligarchs.  2008's "Hope" now looks like a smoke screen for business as usual.

So as we enter the 2012 elections, it is clear there is again a definitive need for (young black) youth to demand "Change" via Hip Hop culture.  I don't know the numbers but I believe Hip Hop practitioners and its audiences had a direct contribution of creating popular interest and support for Obama in 2008; the suport was crucial in both essence and in actual votes.

It is all the more necessary in 2012.  I suppose I am holding out hope against hope that O and his peoples are waiting for the blank check of a second term to truly enact structural political and economic change.  Don't know why they didn't sense that the popular support that Obama received in 2008 was enough to start swinging in '09 but I will chalk it up to inexperience.

But, no doubt, a need for fiery calls of accountability flowing over a boom and a bap could help create the necessary discourse where popular culture and politics meet.  Consider Black Starr's "Fix Up" a first volley:

Rollin' with Rush

yes, OWS is largely rhetoric, what's wrong with that? Russell Simmons: "Those people who created OccupyWallSt are young, they have high aspirations for this country and they're inspired. They are not people who will accept the norm." The same praise was lavished at yuppies on Wall St in the 80s. Look where that got us.

I do find it ironic though that this clip is sometimes preceded by a credit card commercial.

Who Stole The Soul? Maybe Nobody

This post is brought to you by Paxil...

I’ve gotten to know Godilla over the last several years as a hungry, earnest MC who’s insight into Hip Hop culture is as sharp as his battle rhymes. His Jaguar Paw LP was a precise and efficient display of East Coast lyricism and rugged boom bap. Guest spots from eastern PA bosses King Magnetic and Adlib were woven seamlessly into appearances by underground luminaries such as Ed OG, UG of Cella Dwellas, Mr Voodoo and Gab Gacha. “Paxill” is an emotive track in the vein of ‘90s classics like “Tearz” or “Suicidal Thoughts.”

Now for today's presentation...

“nothin wrong w/tryin new directions musically but damn the east coast lost its identity...when was the exact time?” - Godilla Jaguar Paw, 9/8/11

Mostly I keep up with ‘Illa online as he posts his music, classic and contemporary rap bangers and his musings like above found on FB. In response to the question he posted, there were a lot of pop shots at Puff and jiggy rap; myself and others took swipes when NYC rappers and DJs began breaking bread with Dirty South rappers. But I have to be honest, it’s paradoxical to live and die for Hip Hop- a culture and music that has always broken “the rules”- and in the same breath dis another part of the country for its own take on the music.

Which got me thinking of the following Jay Electronica verse from “I Feel Good”:

They said Down South was wack when it came to rap

That our thoughts was too slow and we couldn’t adapt

When in fact we taught y’all how to build a label from scratch

While you was whining ‘bout the points in your contract, black

We slip when we talk, and we dip when we walk

When we came to the game, niggas stole our slang

Uh huh, we hit the game with a brand new funk

And plus we taught ya how to sling a record out of your trunk

New Orleans’s native Jay Elect has spent his time in New York, Philly and Detroit to know of what he speaks; the “they” in his verse is no doubt the “East Coast” or “New York.” To respond to Godilla’s request to identify what point did the game change for East Coast Hip Hop, it may not be answering when but how.

If You're Really Dope, Why Ain't Ya Signed Yet?”

Here's the deal, the “pioneers” and “G.O.A.T’s” of Hip Hop from New York City that succeeded financially and artistically beyond the five boroughs in the 1980s and 90s were more often than not, beholden to major record label deals. The “Golden Era” greats, Public Enemy, De La Soul, KRS ONE, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Biggie and others were all trailblazing artists, yes. But were their careers independently managed and distributed? No. (Run DMC on Profile Records was the exception to this trend).

From New York straight talk

While there were independent boutique labels that undoubtedly recorded classic material in the 1980s and early 90s, rarely did they find any sort of national or long term success:

• Sleeping Bag/Fresh
• Wild Pitch
• B-Boy
• Next Plateau
• Select
• Tuff City
• First Priority
• Idlers
• Uni

"Def Jam may tell you who I am" but read the fine print

What’s more, the most widely recognized rap labels of that era, the “independent” subsidiary labels all were overseen by larger corporations:

• Jive / RCA
• Tommy Boy / Warner Bros
• Cold Chillin’ / Warner Bros
• Ruff House / Columbia
• Electra / Warner
• Relativity / Sony
• Big Beat / Atlantic
• 4th and Broadway / Island
• Loud / RCA
• Def Jam / Columbia

It makes you ask, when you think East Coast Hip Hop, who's runnin' this rap shit?

The Exception to Rule #4080

Hip Hop from NYC has always had a dubious relationships with records labels and the odyssey of being signed, having your music recorded and distributed nationally; see namely “Rapper's Delight” and Sugar Hill and Enjoy Records.

Like the kid from the Bridge
named the rapper Nas

It should be noted, that the Golden Era of East Coast Hip Hop music did succeed artistically and financially. Primarily this can be attributed to a “hand's off” approach to Hip Hop music parent record labels adopted from a period roughly between 1986 to 1994. Major label executives trusted artists more implicitly and they let those who knew the culture guide its prolific growth. For instance, DJs like the Awesome 2 and Red Alert supported Ed OG and Tribe Called Quest respectively. Instinctive A&Rs like Dante Ross from Electra helped bring to the world artists such as Busta Rhymes, MF Doom (Zev Luv X of KMD), Pete Rock, Sadat X, to name a few. Working at Sony, MC Serch was certain a kid named Nasty Nas from the Bridge was the Second Coming.

And I will be taking your wife as well

Ultimately, truth be told, most of what is considered the most successful New York Hip Hop has never been an independent venture.  Furthermore, the biggest multi-platinum labels that defined 1990s Hip Hop that appeared “Black Owned and Operated” were under the ownership of the “Big Four” music companies: Bad Boy by Warner, Def Jam and Death Row by Universal. 

(Wu Tang gets props for presenting each MC of the Clan as a “free agent.” It was a lucrative tactic for the individual performers but it increased the difficulty of sustaining the group, the very reason listeners were drawn to their music. Independent Rawkus Records also made an indelible mark in the late '90s but lost its potency when- surprise- it signed a deal with MCA in 2002.)

"And Then You Say, Goddamn, They Ruthless!"

But if you look at the artists to emerge from other parts of the country in the 1980s and 90s and virtually all of them independently launched their own careers: Too Short's tapes on his 75 Girls label; Ice T “6 N Mornin” on Techno Hop; Eazy-E's “Boyz In Da Hood” on Ruthless; 2 Live Crew on Luke Skyywalker Records; Ghetto Boys on Rap-A-Lot Records; Schooly D Records' “P.S.K.” These artists and their managers worked independent distribution networks throughout the country, getting their records into mom and pop shops and DJ record pools. These artists made a name for themselves by locking up a regional following that served as built in grass roots support when they went national, lending authenticity and excitement to their music. If that ain't Hip Hop, then I don't know what is...

No Limit, Cash Money and others began making noise in the late 90s following a similar independently produced formula. If you think about it, the Dirty South wasn't knocking on the door to try to get in, they were giving NYC a chance to get on board!

Southern rap (and the Bay Area should be mentioned too) also was aided by changing technology in media by the turn of the century. The ability to make a fairly professional recording, burn your own CDs or even start sharing them online became widely available to the aspiring local artist by the late '90s. These new avenues of distribution gave Southern artists market leverage, creative autonomy and, simply, swag.

So my answer to Godilla's question when you break it down is that East Coast Hip Hop may not only have lost its identity, it may have never owned it to begin with. “Tommy Boy wants another 'Say No'- huh”

You Love To Hear The Story Again and Again

In "Pass the Peas" we look at how the competitive elements of the 70s South Bronx break beat DJ parties were transformed and amplified by new mediums in the 1980s. Playing these records back to back, you get a sense of how the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Production feud is set off. Whether Queensbridge or the South Bronx won matters not. What became clear was that as Hip Hop's profile grew on records and radio in the later half of the 80s and the excitement and tension of back-in-the-day park jam throw-downs could be capitalized on artistically and financially in this new era.

Post script: The above video has been rendered silent because I am on double secret Youtube probation because of the Tortoro mash ups.  Caught, can I get a witness? Word to Helen Keller.

We Can Get Down

I'm taking this show on the road.  B Boys Keith Alford, John Chen, Dan Cao rock styles at Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA, July 2011. That's me in the background, flipping "Peter Piper," a Kraftwerk medley and some Arthur Baker madness. It is a B Boy showcase for "Pass the Peas," my sociology class on Hip Hop culture that I have taught at Lehigh for the last 9 years.

Bonus Beats

This B Boy performance was like- boom!- let's do this.  During a holiday department party at Lehigh I was DJing, these guys came in during their breaks from their jobs and threw down.  I love all the elements that make up this vid: The eagle-eye view, the checkered floor, the back n' forth "Apache" being bumped through my man Fearless Jones' borrowed home stereo and, most of all, the wild styles of Keith and Iz.

Let Me Start From the Beginning At the Top of the List...

This summer the somewhat respectable XXL published a special issue documenting the "250 Greatest Hip Hop Songs: 1990-1999" The magazine took a decided editorial slant on the cover declaring "Rap's Greatest Decade Ever!" an interesting claim depending on your perspective or age or both.

I am not writing to debate the injustice of M.O.P's "How About Some Hardcore?' drawing 181st place.  Nor am I "mad" at the staff putting together this special edition unlike when The Source in 2003 self-servingly declared Hip Hop was in a "State of Emergency." I give XXL props for having the best intentions.

My criticism here is leveled at the magazine industry in general and Hip Hop "journalism" specifically.  First, "Top 10" lists are tired, shallow and arbitrary.  Lists reduce the amount of information relayed about a given subject, instead assigning importance numerically, sorry Listverse.  As means to convey ideas and opinions, this is like "teaching to the test" in public schools.   By aligning itself with Seventeen's marketing strategy, XXL undercuts its stated purpose in highlighting the staggering growth and transformation of Hip Hop music throughout the 1990s. 

Despite my compliments to XXL above, my second argument essentially dismisses this special XXL 90s issue but not for the usual reasons.  I really don't want to debate how could Biggie have 5 songs in the Top 25 and Tupac only 3.  Or why "The Choice is Yours" is number 4 but "Come Clean" is 57.  What I want to know is the WHY of any of this.  What in the world is the difference between the dopeness of a song at 213 spot as compared to 196? Sales? Video requests? "Influence"?

XXL doesn't have a bad idea.  Quantifying data systemically in itself is an excellent way to make some general statements with firmer footing rather than immediately being dismissed as subjective.  (Hello, Emile Durkheim) I am not asking XXL to be sociologists but the editorial Introduction really outlines little to no methodology.  In support of its subject, the Introduction's vague reasons for why these songs are being chosen range from 90s rap embraced both art and sales "in balance" (didn't Run DMC do that already?) and "an MC had to have a classic skill set to deserve platinum selling power" (is that why Da Brat's "Funkdafied" was a humbling 157?)

Here's what I am proposing and it is no different than what Sacha Jenkins, Elliot Wilson et al. have previously accomplished.  Let's simplify the numbering and increase the complexity of the organization.  No one cares what is beyond the Top 40 of anything and even forty might be stretching it.  But Top 40 is an industry standard and the Ego Trip staff did an effective job of chronicling Hip Hop's first 20 years of music using this method.  

Then let's choose categories to organize the acclaim and accolades.  For instance, by all means include what are the Top 40 Best Selling Songs of the 1990s.  It will interesting to see where there is crossover when you develop other means to organize what we believe are the signature works of the decade.  It is our intention that many of the categories are quantifiable measurements such as the following:

• Most Requested/Played Videos (MTV, The Box, Video Music Box)
• Most Requested/Spins on Radio Charts
• Longest Appearances on Billboard Charts
• Most Appearances on Billboard Charts (as primary artist and featured artist)
• Most Number of Releases In the Decade
• Average Critical Rating of Artist's Album (like Rotten Tomatoes is for movies)

Are these the best measurements of Hip Hop artist's worth? Of course not! But with this data then you can start making interpretations that are worth more than just IMO.  Consider the following categories if they are casually correlated with some of the above data.

• Most Prolific Guest or Freelance Producers
• Most Successful Breakout/"Featuring" Artists
• Most Stylistic Lyrical Impact
• Most Stylistic Production Impact

When you take the above measurements and begin to connect them with qualitative evaluations, we can make judgements about 1990s Hip Hop that is less water cooler fodder and actual generalized theory.  For example, if we identify Pete Rock's early 90s signature horn samples as a key ingredient to not only his own profile but to the success of other imitative rap records of the era, then a claim that Pete Rock is one of the top producers of the era has a certain weight.

With this type of approach, now we can start taking into account the effect on the industry Cash Money and Pen & Pixel had on rap music marketing.  Or how the game really did change when Puffy started rhyming.  Or why Large Pro's first filtered bassline in "Looking At The Front Door" may have a more substantial influence than Dre's high pitched siren.

This really isn't rocket science and it is dubious social science as well because God knows Billboard measurements and radio programmer's data is skewed.  But it's all we got! And we must try something other than reducing the history of a culture into a 250 iTunes playlist.

For the record, XXL's choice of "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" as number 1 is fine in my book.  It is the moment Dre stepped into his own and Snoop emerged as a pop star.  More significantly, "G Thang" effectively ended the "Golden Era" of Hip Hop and ushered in what William Jelani Cobb called the "Industrial Era" of rap.  I will end this tirade with 250 which was "Take It Personal" for whatever reason.  Still missing, Guru! R.I.P.

"It Was All A Dream" : Hip Hop Consciousness

People's Instinctive Travels Upon the Crossroads of Lack and Desire:

"Industrialized" Hip Hop in the Post Industrial Age

As always, using Simon Frith's "Technique and Technology" theory as our guide, we have learned through a combination of Cobb's To The Break of Dawn and Philipe Bougouis' In Search of Respect that Hip Hop music in the modern era is an amalgamation of the Blues ethos with South Bronx boom bap.  By the early 90s, rap music became in particular characterized by the tragedy of urban America's crack cocaine epidemic, from its lyrical content to how it has been marketed by a global entertainment industry.

For an understanding of Hip Hop music in 2011, Rather than analyze record sales or identify who pioneered the seemingly infinite sub-genres of rap, we turn to Rha Goddess' essay "Scarcity and Exploitation: The Myth and Reality of the Struggling Hip Hop Artist."  This essay along with Danny Hoch's "Toward a Hip Hop Aesthetic: A Manifesto for the Hip Hop Arts Movement" and, importantly, M.K. Asante Jr's chapter "Old White Men (Or, Who Owns Hip Hop?)" from It's Bigger Than Hip Hop provide for us a concluding analysis of where Hip Hop has come from, how it has grown and its present state.  This is not a dissection which rapper is the "Greatest Of All Time" but are far more serious quest to identify Hip Hop's Collective Consciousness.

First, Rha Goddess defines Poverty Consciousness as psychological fear of lacking material items and denial of self worth.  It is oft romanticized belief that this mental condition and material state is beneficial to artistic process.  For example, while it is an oversimplification, we often correlate oppressive conditions with creative (African American) output.  Think how we connect Jim Crow era oppression begetting the blues or urban strife in our America' northern cities creating the sound of jazz.  Or the people in the South Bronx birthed Hip Hop culture in the face of post industrial peril.  Simply put, right or wrong, we believe Poverty Consciousness breeds creativity.

Hip Hop culture did begin under the conditions of poverty and lack of resources. Danny Hoch calls them the “traditional aesthetics” of Hip Hop like the devices of metaphor or illusion.  What has emerged as Hip Hop culture grew and its identity formed is a recognizable “Collective Consciousness.” (CC) Hip Hop's CC is its the understanding of identity, history, money, competition of survival, scarcity of resources, and feelings of exploitation (real or imagined).

Mobb Deep's "Hell On Earth" itemizes these real fears and imagines them to be something even worse:

Rap music is a defiant celebration of the struggle;  going from rags to the riches, the transformation and triumph are hallmarks of the rap song form. Thus, rapper must "pay their dues" as a "starving artist" to establish credibility and validity.  Game and 50 Cent make this clear in "Hate or Love It":

Rappers who obtain credibility and validity define themselves in lyrics, images or symbols as possessing or experiencing any or all of the following:

• In touch

• On the pulse

• Original

• Innovative

• Pioneering

• Courageous

• Crucifixion earns “extra props”

If an rap artist has not struggled to obtain this, they are “commercial” or “sellouts.” Paradoxically, credibility is diminished by success.  (This was especially true during Hip Hop's Golden Era from1987 to 1993).  What is the incentive to be anything else other than a "starving artist"? You must maintain the appearance of struggle even while succeeding.

 “Industry rule number 4080 / record company people are shady...”

A Tribe Called Quest “Check the Rhime"

But since the mid 1990s, making money off of Hip Hop has not only been accepted but it has all but become its singular focus.  So why are rap artists today still "starving"? Answer: bad business practices.

Often in rap music (and perhaps other popular art forms), this "struggling" Collective Consciousness creates a trend of bad business management and poor business decisions.

Follow how a rapper's path to success takes shape in this narrative:

• Artist as victim.  Faces lack of recognition, resources and stability.

• Organized money and institutions are the primary culprits along with fellow artists and unsupportive family and friends.

• Artists don't know how to do business and they are victims of labels, lawyers and finicky fans.

or conversely when a Hip Hop artist succeeds:

• Friends, family and community treat you differently

• Rappers feel uneasy and guilty about success

• Worse, they feel unsafe and about success (“watch your back”)

What develops is a “scarcity of success”; thus, the Hip Hop industry is:

• fiercely competitive

• artists hoard information and work in isolation

• record labels marketing "gimmicks" are actual lived experiences. This ensures a rapper's authenticity and artistic dominance

Consider how the following "real life" situations are exploited by labels, media and / or the artist themselves.  For rappers especially, the line between "real life" and entertainment is blurred purposely.  This is nothing new to Hip Hop (or pop music) as the public criminal lives of Buskwick Bill, Slick Rick and Tupac all fueled record marketing strategies.

*Artist / Marketed Struggles and Events*
- Eminem / White, Addiction, Kim, Haley, Mom
- 50 Cent / Shot nine times
- Kanye / Car accident, Mom died, dumped by girlfriend
- Jay Z / Life of poverty, jail record, death of Auto-Tune
- Lil' Wayne / Pending charges, conviction, jail time
- Diddy / Biggie's death

“If skills sold, truth be told, I'd probably be / lyrically, Talib Kweli / Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense / But I did five mill' - I ain't been rhymin like Common since” - Jay Z “Moment of Clarity"

If an artist commits to having credibility they accept being under acknowledged and under paid because society doesn't “value” art with integrity.

“Hustlers and boosters embrace me and the music I be makin / I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars / They criticized me for it yet they all yell "HOLLA!" - Jay Z “Moment of Clarity"

But art is valued in our society- We consume it in abundance, don't we? It is predominately thought of as escapism- it is supposed to be entertaining, amusing, easy to digest, not requiring much thought. Thus, rappers who choose artistic success often adopt these “dumbed down” strategies.  Jay-Z takes a second to dis those who "dumb down" their "art" which ironically confirms his authenticity as a "true artist."

Hip Hop's "Industrial Era"

This Hip Hop Consciousness does not empower rappers and producers as their "artistic" practice is consumed by the machine of the music business.  A sampling of the forms of companies, services and careers the Hip Hop and Rap Music Industry is comprised of:

• Entities that seek to profit from the marketing and sales of rap music and its ancillary products.

• Record companies

• Music publishers

• Radio stations

• Record Stores

• Music video shows/channels

• Recording Studios (Owners, Engineers, Mixers)

• Performance Venues

• Booking Agents

• Promoters

• Managers, Accountants, Lawyers

• Disc Jockeys

• Music Publications

• Music/Entertainment Websites

The state of the Hip Hop Industry largely parallels the economic inequality African Americans face at in society at large.  With the synergistic relationship Hip Hop and R&B have had in the last 15 years, these “black” genre labels have re-categorized under the euphemism of “Urban Music” to make marketing of this product more palatable for "mainstream" tastes.  But the following questions must be clearly answered if we are to think that Hip Hop music is something more than disposable entertainment:

Who sponsors rap?

Who buys the most rap?

Who promotes death and violence?

Who backs ignorance?

Who exploits Hip Hop artists?

Who profits from “Black on Black” violence?

Who owns “urban” radio stations, television stations, print publications?

Mos Def's "freestyle" cut "The Rape Over" asks the same:

To quote Jay Z, truth be told, major label rappers have little to no ownership in this distribution, marketing and ultimate profit from their product.  The “Big Four” Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, EMI Group, Warner Music Group account for 82% of US Music Market and 90% of the retail market. There are no Black Americans in the top executive positions of these companies. Rap record labels and “black entrepreneurs” like Diddy, Russell Simmons, Jay Z give an illusion that the Hip Hop industry is "black owned" but the Big Four are really “parent” companies of the most prolific Hip Hop success stories. Diddy, Simmons and others employ “perception management” to create the illusion of control over the content of the music.  Ultimately, these entrepreneurs make more money from clothing, liquor sales, car parts, etc. and other accessories than they do from music.

“Subliminal hypnotism and colonialism / leaves most niggaz dead or in prison”- Jeru da Damaja “Return of the Crooklyn Dodgers”

Neo-colonialism: Forcing countries to consume what they do not produce and produce what they do not consume.  If the largest records and ancillary companies had but even a peripheral interest in the poor and the Black and Latino population rap music supposedly represents, then why would this rap "culture" be so overwhelming negative and self destructive?

Perhaps main stream rap's biggest audience is not even Black at all: According to Asante's referenced Forbes study: 45 million Hip Hop consumers between the ages of 13 and 34. 80% are White and have $1 trillion in spending power.

Thus, “Commercial” Hip Hop is programmed by corporations that have little to no Black or ethnic representation despite peddling a product that purports to be “Black.” As a result the music:

• Has lost its edge

• Sense of rebellion and Black improvement

• The founding principals of artistry and empowerment

After the platinum successes of the low budget investments artists of the Golden Era, signed artists whose political agenda was in direct conflict with a record label's bottom line were dropped. The “Cop Killer” controversy accelerated this trend; the 2 Live Crew First Amendment “victory” certified that misogyny and Black on Black violence was a selling point.

A trend of “corporate censorship” has developed where politically charged artists are marginalized by the label's “choice” on how to distribute the product.

Restriction of socio-poltical Hip Hop artistry can take the form of:

• Intimidation

• Budget Cutting

• Refusing to advertise or allow airtime

• Dropping “questionable” songs from final product

• Repackaging of artwork

Large record labels are practicing a policy of that seeks to make money off Hip Hop art and culture as long as it does not challenge the status quo in tone or content.

Plain and simple, Hip Hop artists do not own their music because they do not own the channels of production. Ownership of the music, distribution of the music and the final manufactured product are largely beyond a Hip Hop artist's control. Thus, the feeling of alienation is sustained in Hip Hop's collective consciousness.

The widespread dysfunctional reaction of rappers to seemingly all forms of marginalization is a dominate Hip Hop musical narrative that outlines mass consumption of material items, drugs, guns and women as some sort of defiant stance. There is no spiritual base or sense of peace or accomplishment as the Hip Hop artist is seeking internal serenity but only acquires external satisfaction.

Hip Hop music at it best is "Edutainment," food for thought over sublime beats. But its capacity to subvert norms and revolution communication and pop cultural expression so readily realized in the 1970s, 80s and 90s have been stunted.  Hip Hop "artists" and its audience may one day desire more than material success and it express themselves accordingly.  But likely, we won't call it Hip Hop anymore.

Same Difference: East Coast vs. West Coast Hip Hop

"Now I'm gonna show you how the East Coast rocks"

- South Bronx's KRS-ONE

"Now I'm gonna show you how the West Coast smacks kids"

- Oakland's Souls Of Mischief

Not only was a first of its kind, Brian Cross’ ethnography of the West Coast Hip Hop scene “It's Not About a Salary...” also provides insight into why Hip Hop originating from across the country differs in content and style in many ways.  Further, when we use Simon Frith's methodology of identifying technique and technology to identify genres of popular music, we discover why West Coast Hip Hop may sound different than East Coast but ultimately its music structure is similar. 

Differences in props:
Jam Master Jay holds a box...

To begin, Cross analyzes Run DMC’s “Peter Piper” and the World Class Wrecking Cru’s “The Cabbage Patch,” using the differences between the two records to illustrate variations between the East Coast and West Coast approach to hip hop.

...Dr. Dre (left) carries a stethoscope

Cross purposely contrasted two songs from the same era that employing the same sample source, Bob James' "Take Me the Madri Gras." What is difference? Cross likens “The Cabbage Patch” to a “big-band sound” as compared to “Peter Piper's" “stripped down funk.” Cross generalizes that from 1982 to 1987, most West Coast Hip Hop releases tended to lack originality or complexity in rhythm or lyrics.  The music was largely derivative and did not gain as much critical or commercial recognition.

Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" is often cited as
the "first" rap song heard on the West Coast

There is informal evidence that DJing, rapping, breakdancing and graffiti had its West Coast counterparts as early as the late 1970s.  But considering that recorded Hip Hop music did not originate out West, Cross' opinion is not surprising.  West Coast techniques were being shaped by what technologies are immediately available or in this case, unavailable.  The regional beginnings of this culture relied on imported Hip Hop from New York City in the early 1980s, primarily rap music biggest hits.  

Cross indicates that the stylistically varied East Coast Hip Hop of the early 1980s was difficult to locate in CA.  Another speculation cites that records like electro-funk sound of “Planet Rock” were more enthusiastically embraced than the “underground” East Coast sound.  Thus, Cross states “more commercial aspects of the music seemed dominant in LA.”  While the community reflected the some of the same forms of structural marginalization of education and job opportunity- Cross contends the “cutting edge of the music seemed to have been lost, in crossing the country, to commercialism.”  Bobby Jimmy and the Critters made a name for themselves with their parody raps.

Uncle Jamm's Army

We also learn that much like Bronx Hip Hop in the 1970s, the West Coast scene began with a nomadic sound system, Uncle Jamm’s Army.  Local DJs and MCs also made mix tapes and pressed their own records in the first half of the 80s, soon aided by radio and a dedicated club scene.

While this is not an absolute, one can also generalize that West Coast DJs favored the spacey George Clinton P-Funk sound, while East Coast DJs preferred the sparse, tough funk of the JBs.  Roughly from 1987 to the "Industrial Era of Hip Hop" in 1997, this difference in inspiration and source material would characterize the musical difference between the two coasts.

However, both the sharp contrast in urban culture and leisure practices of LA to NYC proved to be the West Coast’s literal selling point.  In New York, since warm weather was seasonal, dark stuffy hip hop clubs were the norm. Crowded buildings and streets, cluttered skylines, and an aggressive but distant attitude characterized New York. Whereas Los Angeles was favored by the sun year around, by sprawling suburbs and a laid back demeanor. While LA is as distinct and awesome as NYC, the rest of America, especially the nameless suburbs, have more in common with this characterization of LA than they do with the nature of New York.

Perhaps the pace of the West Coast may be more appealing to a broader mainstream American sensibility.  But perhaps far more influential on the content of West Coast rap music was the proliferation of crack cocaine, automatic weapons and gang warfare that became to characterize California's most troubled communities such as Compton, Watts and Oakland.

Further, as Compton drug dealer turned rapper Eazy E bankrolled NWA recordings or Crenshaw's Ice-T flaunted gang connections, the criminal underworld and Hip Hop's rebellious spirit became linked.  This desire to explicitly make money via Hip Hop music compelled West Coast hip hop crews to take artistic or political risks their East Coast brethren simply did not conceive.  With its blunt emphasis on gang violence, drug dealing, and pimpology, West Coast Hip Hop music was seemingly all the more dangerous and alluring to outsiders curious enough to know how the other half lived.

Ice T immediate makes clear how addictive and dangerous his brand of rap is:



For those within the culture who understood Hip Hop’s theatrical raps of exaggerated claims of supremacy and cruel disses, “gangsta rap” as the critics called it, simply signaled a new era of Hip Hop MCs.  Through the success of Ice T, NWA, and Too Short most notably, by the end of the 80s the metaphoric base of MCs boasts now included graphic depictions of sex, abuse of women, detailed accounts of black on black violence, rebelling against police, and selling crack cocaine.  While a group like NWA was suddenly heralded as street reporters, the careless violence of their lyrics was intended as a selling point like a Hollywood action film rather than a carefully considered protest of injustice.

Too Short's "Freak Tales" were ribald limericks set to heavy Oakland bass peppered with pimp imagery:


NWA's "Fuck the Police" earned the group a warning from the FBI.  The record begins with Ice Cube's premeditated outrage, followed by Ren's aggressive defiance and finished by Eazy E's self aggrandizing swagger.


While not as notorious, "Express Yourself" NWA's sensationally equates self expression will result in incarceration, peril and death:

California Love Hate Relationship

The East Coast / West Coast “War” was a legitimate rivalry on record having its beginnings in the early 1990s with Tim Dog barking, “Fuck Compton." The West Coast's growing profile did not sit well with tough South Bronx purists:

Nas' debut secures the
coveted 5 mic rating

The Chronic is "snubbed"
with a 4.5 mic rating

 As Hip Hop culture emerged in new forms via new mediums, respect and exposure in television, films and in print began newly contested grounds to obtain respect.  The Source Magazine, the self proclaimed "Hip Hop Bible" became a hot bed of controversy, debate and acrimony erupted over coverage and album reviews in particular.  While the West Coast was gaining greater record sales, East Coast Hip Hop tended to garner more attention of music critics.  Increased competition between East and West Coast crews seemingly at first only forced MCs and DJs to up the creative ante; the reverence paid to Dre’s 1992 Chronic or Wu Tang’s 1993 36 Chambers confirms this idea.

But by the mid 90s, with the lines between drug dealing and music making blurred, the competitiveness of hip hop culture turned fatal with the September 1996 shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas and March 1997 shooting of Christopher Wallace in Los Angeles.

The "beef" began after Tupac Shakur’s initial 1995 shooting in New York seemed to implicate the Bad Boy camp or at least somebody from an East Coast crew.  Rivalries on record between Bad Boy and Death Row turned from competitive to threatening as in Tupac’s “Hit ‘em Up” or Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?”




Did the music itself create conditions that lead to the killing of Big and 'Pac? Antagonistic rivalries have always been a component of Hip Hop traditions.  A “dis” record or “beef” between MCs is nothing new.  See the Juice Crew’s “The Bridge” vs. Boogie Down Productions’ “South Bronx.” Even George Clinton told James Brown, “Let’s take it to the stage, sucka,” rivaling each other as to who owned the title of “Godfather of funk.”

What was new to this still relatively young Hip Hop record business were the criminal backgrounds of its producers and promoters.  Suge Knight’s openly stated connection to the Mob Piru Blood Gang and Sean Combs' history overseeing a fatal concert event created an atmosphere in which controversy was a business practice and tragedy was quick to be capitalized upon. 

Here the tensions erupt at award shows, interviews and the press, resulting in hurt feelings, gun fire and ultimately death:


Newspapers and television journalists immediately declared a “Rap War” between West and East Coast hip hop crews; ignoring any of the traditions of rivalry within Hip Hop music, news reports instead emphasized the troubled pasts of Tupac and Biggie as if their deaths were inevitable.  Any larger social context in which the more violent nature of rap music portrayed was being ignored in favor of highlighting the tragic story of its fallen stars.  Yet, to this day neither murders have been solved and the direct or indirect involvement of the LAPD and LVPD remains a distinct possibility.

It should be noted that Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam were instrumental in conducting a “peace summit” in Chicago between high profile East and West Coast rap artists. “Beefs” between the Coasts or artists have been generally confined to the recording booth since the loss of two of hip hop most charismatic, talented, and troubled MCs.

The New School, 1982-1986

The New School:
The Boogie Down comes downtown
Bam and Melle Mel give Hip Hop music a social purpose

Run DMC crown themselves Kings.

For the purposes of this discussion, we will consider the "Old School" the period of Hip Hop at its inception from 1973 to 1981.  When thinking of this time frame, the Old School marks where Hip Hop birth at Kool Herc's first parties in '73 at the Sedgwick Housing Projects in the Bronx to the emergence of Bambaataa's Zulu Nation, Grandmaster Flash's DJ mastery and MC crews in the late 1970s.  It would also include the first recorded efforts of Hip Hop whether it be the dubious smash hit "Rapper's Delight" or the early recordings on Enjoy Records.  Kurtis Blow emerged from this era as the first Hip Hop recording star that straddled both legitimacy and commercial success.  The following two part ABC news report overviews the roots of rap and this early period effectively:

But by 1982, parties in the Bronx start losing popularity, questions about the sustainability of the culture within NYC or beyond emerged. There is speculation that the original hip hop audience started to “grow up”; Hip Hop’s first generation began to seek jobs, settle down. Others who continued to contribute to the culture sought for more; simply put, parties in your old high school gymnasium or local community center were losing favor.  Most record labels treated rap records as novelties without artistic potential, a fad presumed that would soon meet its demise as popular disco had by 1980.  “Between the 1979 release of ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and 1983, the music was perceived as a cute Negro niche market” – William Cobb, To the Break of Dawn pg 44

Occurring essentially at the same time during '82, the “New Wave” music scene of downtown Manhattan and the Bronx hip hop movement began to intermingle.  New avenues of artistic and economic growth for Hip Hop music and culture appeared in the form of breakthrough recordings, videos and feature length movies.

Producer Martin Hannett mixing & matching
drum machines, keys, & guitars

“New Wave”, like punk music which it sprung forth from, sought a new approach to creating pop music. Punk championed a “Do It Yourself” attitude that shunned music training for sheer energy and aggression. New Wave bands from Europe and NYC also moved away from the rock ‘n roll’s predictable "guitar gods" and drum solos. Choosing to use synthesizers and drum machines, songs were often danceable with moody, obscure lyrics- a darker, futuristic disco sound. New Wave songwriters also drew musical inspiration from Reggae, Disco, and R&B, mixing elements of those genres into their music. Talking Heads, New Order and The Police are the perhaps the most recognized bands of this genre. New Wave music’s appreciation and “borrowing” from other music genres was in line with the spirit of the Hip Hop movement.

As New Wave artists began to "check out" Hip Hop performances, the culture itself benefited by gaining a new audience that produced broader artistic possibilities and potential for securing more lucrative performance venues or recording ventures.

Notable moments of 1982 that shape the development of Hip Hop culture as it emerged from the Bronx to international recognition:

Fab Five Freddy salutes Warhol

 1.  Hip hop DJs, MCs, writers, breakers, “activitists” start to rub elbows with record industry executives and learn the in and outs of the downtown Manhattan club scene. Fab Five Freddy (graffiti artist, party promoter) and Russell Simmons (party promoter, manger of Kurtis Blow and Run DMC) are especially instrumental in getting hip hop acts into downtown clubs.

2.  Malcolm McLaren, former manager of the Sex Pistols, invites Afrika Bam’s and the Zulus to open for Bow Wow Wow @ the Ritz. McLaren later promotes the World’s Famous Supreme Team, a hip hop crew of radio DJs and MCs.

3.Tom Silverman- publisher of Dance Music Magazine- starts Tommy Boy Records and asks Bam to record “Planet Rock.”  (See "Afrika Bambaattaa’s Message" below)

4.  Downtown Manhattan clubs (Mudd Club, Peppermint Lounge, Danceteria, The Roxy) begin to regularly host DJ and MC crew performances, typically the Zulus and Flash.  A fictionalized account in the movie Beat Street captures this moment:

5.  A broad spectrum of races and nationalities mix at these clubs. Crowds of 3,000 to 4,000 people in attendance from all over the northeast, exposing hip hop music to thousands of new listeners.

6.  New Wave songs begin to be “versioned” by hip hop acts. For example, in 1982, Tom Tom Club, an offshoot of the Talking Heads, records “Genius of Love” an ode to funk and soul music. Using the beat and / or lyrics, hip hop versions of “Genius of Love” are soon recorded or performed at hip hop shows.

Afrika Bambaattaa’s Message

The success of this record simultaneously revolutionized pop and hip hop music.

1.  “Planet Rock” sampled or replayed the records Bam used in his DJ routines. Bam proved that the innovations of the hip hop DJ could create new music.

2.  Similar to the New Wave attitude, new forms of music would be found using the newest technologies. Bam and his producers willingly used voice changers, drum machines, samplers, and keyboards.

3.  “Planet Rock” primary use of electronic instruments further centralized the role of technology in popular American music.

Prior to “Planet Rock”, electronic instruments as the principal tool for production of music occurred only on the fringes of popular music in the works of Kraftwerk or jazz. Most conspicuously, albums such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Madonna’s debut were propelled by drum machines and keyboards.

“Planet Rock” also confirmed Bambaataa’s ideological vision of hip hop culture.

1.  “Planet Rock” was meant as an anthem for the Zulu Nation’s philosophy: peace, unity, love and having fun.

2.  By simply listening to “Planet Rock” you were participating in an cultural event not just a recording.

3.  If you take Bambaataa’s record selections and the “Party People” and transport them to “Planet Rock” something special happens: here breakbeats were looped effortlessly, vocals were entertaining food for thought, and pleasure was a never ending sensation.

4.  Bambaataa was assisted by white musicians from New Wave scene, Arthur Baker and John Robbie, confirming that hip hop music could be a means to breaking down social and racial barriers.

“Planet Rock” inspired several New Wave / Hip Hop collaborations. Jean-Michel Basquait, a prolific SoHo artist produces the record, “Beat Bop.” The MCs of this record predate the nasal deliveries of the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill, not to mention the “gangsta pimp” imagery of the lyrics.  New Wave eccentric, Thomas Dolby borrows his own “Blinded Me with Science” to produce Whodini’s “Magic’s Wand.” Graffiti writer Futura 2000 produced the instrumental “Escapades of…” with The Clash. With Fab Five Freddy, Blondie’s guitarist Chris Stein produces the soundtrack to Wildstyle, Hip Hop’s culture’s first cinematic manifesto.

As described by Downtown club owner Kool Lady Blue: "It was the Reagan era and Nicaragua and talk of war and nuclear weapons. But then there was this whole thing going on in New York where it was the youth culture getting together in unity and peace and having fun. No segregation and everyone joining together. Just the opposite of what was going on politically in America."

The Message

“Planet Rock” pointed to the musical direction of hip hop music by using samplers and drum machines. “The Message” initiated the lyrical direction of hip hop music with tales of urban woe, personal struggle, or “realism.”

1.  The music and the lyrics of “The Message” purposefully compliment each other. The spooky key boards and dark basslines looped w/o bridge or downbeat create a disturbing atmosphere that serves as a metaphor for the lyrics. This songwriting technique gave depth to the MC Melle Mel and Duke Bootee's verses, awarding “rap” critical praise it had never earned prior.

2.  Music in their "Message":

Crisp voices mixed prominently

Vivid images of desperation, suffering, and poverty

Studio tricks: vocal over dubbing and “skit"

Tone: calm and determined, but disgruntled

Like “Planet Rock,” there was no shouting of zodiac signs over disco grooves. This record was not only different than any “rap” recording at the time, but it was a dark contrast to most popular music in general.

3.  Of note, this record did not feature Grandmaster Flash on turntables and did not even feature the original members of the Furious Five.  It was the last recording Melle Mel, Flash and the Furious Five would record together.  In retrospect, this effort was proof that a compelling lyricist matched with just a drum machine and a keyboard could spawn a hit record and a new direction for Hip Hop.

Run DMC

So how did a group from Hollis, Queens become self professed "ambassadors" for Hip Hop music? How were they able to become recognizable international icons of Hip Hop? Lyrically speaking, Run and DMC took a bold new approach to rhyming that was a distinctive depature from the "Old School."  Secondly, though this is an oversimplification, Run DMC took the musical direction of "Planet Rock" and married it with the hard hitting but catchy unwavering realism of "The Message."  Run DMC not only preserved and perfected Hip Hop blueprint from the Bronx but they gave it to the world to consume as the group's success forever married rap music as a commercial endeavor.

Qualities and attributes of Run DMC:

1.  Rapped with commanding, bellowing voices songs were confrontational in both style and content.  In contrast to many old school MCs’ smooth, female seeking personas, Run DMC were devastating rather than debonair.

2.  Used primarily loud, booming electronic drum beats for music.

3.  Dressed like kids in the parks, unlike the elaborate costumes of old school MC and DJ crews. Run, D, and Jay sported Adidas track suits and sneakers or Kangol hats with black jeans and leather jackets.

Bambaataa and Flash’s groups emulated George Clinton and Parliment’s extravagant costumes, clothing themselves in leathers and feathers or sequins and silk suits. To a certain degree, this was recommended by the record labels as they were more comfortable marketing a funk/disco group than they were a hip hop crew.

4.  The group first single, “It’s Like That / Sucker MCs” displayed both a talent for “message raps” and “battling.”

“Sucker MCs” chronicled the life of a b-boy’s rise to hip hop fame. It was hip hop’s first “rags to riches” story where hip hop music was understood as a means for fame and fortune.

5.  Hailing from previously “unknown” Hollis Queens, Run DMC displayed swagger and unfailing confidence.  Called themselves and their music “The New School”

6.  Had a DIY attitude that said you don’t have to be from Uptown to rock the house. Ironically, this was similar to original impulse for hip hop music: you don’t have to be at a pricey disco to dance or ignore great funk and soul bands of the past.

7.  Ambitions were less simply winning rhyme battles at shows than a explicit goal to entertain the masses whether on record or stage.

8.  Run DMC brought the DJ back to the center stage.  Jam Master Jay had singles dedicated to him, full album cuts and was highlighted at live shows.

9.  By adopting rock guitars for hip hop use and declaring themselves, “The Kings of Rock,” Run DMC were declaring that hip hop was the new form of popular music.