Login/Join

Working Bibliography

Discussion
Mar 8, 2011
by: JeffS
Channels
Interests
What I'm good at
Career goals

 1)  Wikipedia Search: Rap and Hip Hop

This was a very useful and informative search. I had very little knowledge of the emergence of this music movement. I learned that it originated in the South Bronx, NY as a Black American cultural expression in the mid-1970’s. The origins of this genre of music stemmed from African-American music and ultimately African music. The Griots were a group who travelled around in ancient Africa and orally told the various histories of the African tribes in the area. They told these histories in a rythmic way that corresponded the a beat from a drum. Rap/Hip Hop started as a musical way of expressing concerns with the current social inequality and other social issues. Some of its original styles including reading poetry or rhyming verses to disco, funk, or heavy beat grooves. Some argue that although it started as a cultural expression it quickly changed into a purely commercial movement. Rap and Hip Hop were originally ignored primarily because it was a Black cultural expression and it often employed the use of offensive language and themes that were upsetting to the higher American classes. I also learned some of the names of the first “rappers” such as Gil Scott-Heron and DJ Kool Herc.

Citation:
Troop, David. "Rap and Hip Hop." Rap Attack 2: African Rap to Global Hip Hop. Rev. ed., expanded ed., updated ed. 1. London, England: Serpent, 1991. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music>.

2)  Advanced Google Search
The online source I found explained that there is some differences between Rap and Hip Hop and that both are music genres that fall under the hip hop culture. The article names three main differences: music features, culture, and community message. These differences were present from the beginnings of these types of music in the early 1970’s. Rap is the combo of rhyming and poetry that are set to musical beats and in its early days was often in the form of social commentary on issues that didn’t get a lot of media attention. Hip Hop is a combo of rythm and blues (R&B) as well as beat-boxing. I also learned that these types of music became popular at the block parties which were popular in the Bronx among the Black and Puerto Rican residents.

Citation:
Francois, Carol. "What is the Difference between Rap and Hip Hop?." wiseGeek 1.1 (2010): 23-46. Web. 8 Mar 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-rap-and-hip-hop.htm>.

3)  Virtual Library
This source helped me to find out a few more artists that helped to found rap/hip hop as well as many of the artists who helped the type of music to become popular. Many of the artists are considered to be the most influential on rap and hip hop that the world has seen.

Citation:
Hess, Mickey. cons of hip hop : an encyclopedia of the movement, music, and culture . rev. ed., expanded ed., updated ed. 2 vols. Westport, Conneticut: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print.

4)  Google Scholar Search
This online version of Jeff Chang’s book was a very interesting source because it had an introduction by one of the first well-known hip hop stars, DJ Kool Herc. Herc explains what exactly Hip Hop means to him and what it began as. He tells us that Hip Hop started as a type of music and culture that brought people together and helped people get through their lives. He explained how it was nothing like today’s hip hop or rap in that it wasn’t about how hard someone was, or how many people somebody had killed, or the newest pair of $200 shoes somebody had. Herc explains how it was a way to let the world know what an artist thought about the societal issues that were affecting them everyday.

Citation:
Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Rev. ed. 1 vol. New York, New York: St. Martin's Press, 2006. xi. Print.

5)  SIRS/EBSCO Search
This was a helpful timeline that helped to lay out the evolution of the music and the events that help make it so popular.

Citation:
"Rap of Ages: A Timeline." Mother Jones 32.6 (2007): 68. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 8 Mar. 2011.