“Hip-Hop, The Renaissance” Essay

They say â€Å"they never really miss you til you dead or you gone† So on that note I’m leaving after the song. A wise MC by the name of Shawn Corey Carter told me this as his Black Album gave me identical eclectic vibes I felt listening to the likes of Digable Planets, Big L, Big Daddy Kane, Big Pun, Common, Mos Def and others artists born of â€Å"The Renaissance†. I have come to inform you all of this renaissance known as hip-hop, a renaissance that will never cease breathing until the last listener’s foot is finished tapping to the rhythm and rhyme scheme of their favorite record. Hip-Hop, a genre of stylized rhythmic music that is used to accompany a rhythmic form of speech that would go on to become rap. Many have tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint the location of the birth of this â€Å"Renaissance† by saying that this is a West-coast, Midwest, and even a down South born style of music. However, I prefer to take you back to the 1970’s on 1520 Sedgwick Street in the Bronx, the home of Jamaican DJ Kool Herc who is arguably considered the father of hip hop, if not one of the many. See Kool Herc’s style of deejaying at house parties was that he would recite rhymes over what would in later time garner the title â€Å"an instrumental†. He would use a plethora of in house reference when dropping said rhymes on the microphone not knowing this would spawn a movement that would travel through the streets of Brooklyn and be spread by various other party Dj’s as well such as Coke La Rock. Spoken- word and music by early founding fathers such as Gil Scott- Heron, Jalal Mansur, and The Last Poets (one of whom I know personally) helped this movement come into fruition because of the simple fact that their lyrics were based on post- civil rights era life in the urban community. Oh yes the movement was real. Not only because everyone could relate but because it came via a rhythmic delivery that captured the mind and imagination of the people of that time. In creating this movement, they led us into a new era of Hip-Hop in which The Sugarhill Gang recorded the first record of the genre in 1979 titled â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. There were many others who allegedly stated their claim as being the first, but couldn’t contend with Sugarhill Gang because â€Å"Rapper’s Delight† made the Billboard Top 100. It’s like Rosa Parks. We all know she wasn’t the first to not give up her seat, but why argue if it led to a positive result in the grand scheme of things. By the 80’s, Hip-Hop had spread to every major city in the United States, but Philadelphia was the only city that could come close to drawing comparison to New York’s contributions to Hip-Hop after Philly artist Jocko Henderson released his record â€Å"Rhythm Talk† Since I have told you the history of the Renaissance known as Hip-Hop, let’s bring it to the present since every student in here, I’m assuming, is a late 80’s, 90’s baby.   Now let’s talk about present day artists that epitomize the rhythmic, eclectic and dynamic styles. We talk about Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Meek Mill, Big Sean, Eminem, Common, Mos Def, and so on. I prefer to talk about Black Thought’s team, The Roots. This Hip-Hop group has transcended the Hip-Hop genre since the came on to the scene in the City of Brotherly Love in 1987. Black Thought and ?uestlove both attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts where ?uestlove would be the drum kit at talent shows while Black Thought laced the percussions with lyrics that would make The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, and especially DJ Kool Herc proud of the fact that the roots of Hip-Hop have not been forgotten. Ironic how they would become known as The Roots in the process of their formation. They barely missed the Top 100 when they dropped their first major label album titled â€Å"Do You Want More?!!!!† in January 1995. What made this so significant is that they used no prerecorded instruments, kicks, or sounds. Every bit of their sound was original. This to me is why they epitomize what Hip-Hop because they are as original in the 21st century as they were in the 90’s when they made their debut. Another artist I will mention is 23 year old Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar who just released his debut album â€Å"good kid, m.A.A.d city†. I believe it is the album of the year, but that’s a persuasive speech for another day. With this one album alone Kendrick shows veterans in the game how to perfectly arrange an album and turn it into a masterpiece that reaches every generation and demographic. In closing I will say that what started as a Renaissance has become commercialized. Do I feel that there is hope that we will one day as artists go back to our roots like The Roots and Kendrick Lamar? Yes, but it will be a strenuous process. The Renaissance is in good hands with artists like Kendrick Lamar making classics with one debut. Not to mention myself. I try to bring a new feel myself to the game as well. Hip-Hop, The Renaissance is taking a step into the next generation. I will leave you Hip-Hop fans with this question: â€Å"Will you take that next step with me.