Activism: Many hip-hop artists have used their platform to address social and political issues, inspiring activism and encouraging dialogue on important topics.
From its humble beginnings in the Bronx to its global prominence today, hip-hop has become an integral part of modern culture. This comprehensive guide has explored the origins, evolution, key elements, and cultural significance of hip-hop, showcasing the genre's enduring influence on the music world and beyond. As hip-hop continues to evolve and adapt to the changing times, its impact on society and the lives of its fans remains as powerful as ever.
Hip-hop music is a genre that originated in African American and Latino communities in the Bronx, New York City, during the 1970s. It is characterized by its rhythmic beats, spoken word vocals, and creative wordplay. Hip-hop music incorporates elements of rap, DJing, sampling, and breakdancing. The genre serves as a platform for artists to express their experiences, tell stories, convey social and political messages, and showcase their lyrical skills. Hip-hop has evolved into a global cultural movement that encompasses music, fashion, art, and dance.
DJ Kool Herc: Known as the "Father of Hip-Hop," DJ Kool Herc pioneered the use of breakbeats and created the blueprint for DJing and turntablism, laying the foundation for the genre.
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five: Grandmaster Flash and his group The Furious Five were early pioneers of hip-hop, known for their innovative DJ techniques and socially conscious lyrics. Their song "The Message" is considered a seminal hip-hop track.
Run-D.M.C.: Run-D.M.C. helped bring hip-hop to mainstream audiences with their fusion of rap and rock. They popularized the "loud and proud" style of rap, paving the way for future hip-hop acts.
Public Enemy: Public Enemy emerged in the late 1980s with politically charged lyrics, addressing social issues and systemic injustice. Their album "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" is regarded as a landmark in hip-hop.
Notorious B.I.G. (The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls): Biggie Smalls, also known as The Notorious B.I.G., was a prominent figure in East Coast hip-hop. His storytelling prowess, lyrical skills, and impactful delivery made him one of the most influential rappers of all time.
Mainstream Success: Hip-hop has become a dominant genre in mainstream music. It has topped charts, achieved commercial success, and garnered critical acclaim. Hip-hop artists have earned recognition and awards in prestigious platforms like the Grammy Awards, further solidifying the genre's influence and cultural significance.
Fashion and Style: Hip-hop has influenced fashion and style trends globally. Artists like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, and Jay-Z popularized fashion elements such as tracksuits, gold chains, oversized clothing, and sneakers. Hip-hop fashion continues to evolve, with artists and designers incorporating streetwear aesthetics and cultural references into their designs.
Language and Slang: Hip-hop has introduced new language and slang into popular vocabulary. Phrases, words, and slang terms originating from hip-hop have permeated everyday speech and have become part of the lexicon of popular culture.
Social and Political Commentary: Hip-hop music has been a powerful platform for social and political commentary. Artists have used their lyrics to address issues such as racism, inequality, police brutality, and socioeconomic struggles. Hip-hop has provided a voice for marginalized communities and has sparked important conversations and activism.
Cultural Fusion and Global Reach: Hip-hop's global impact is undeniable. It has transcended borders and cultural barriers, influencing music and artists from various countries and cultures.
Subgenre Expansion: Hip-hop has branched out into various subgenres, each with its own unique sound and characteristics. These subgenres include gangsta rap, conscious rap, trap, mumble rap, alternative hip-hop, and more. This diversification has allowed hip-hop to cater to a wide range of musical tastes and preferences.
Musical Innovations: Hip-hop has incorporated elements from other genres, resulting in genre-blending and experimentation. Artists have integrated elements of R&B, jazz, funk, soul, rock, and electronic music into their hip-hop compositions, creating new sonic landscapes and expanding the boundaries of the genre.
Evolution of Production Techniques: Advancements in music production technology have influenced the sound of hip-hop. The use of sampling, drum machines, synthesizers, and digital recording techniques has allowed for greater creativity and sonic exploration within the genre. Producers like DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, and J Dilla have played significant roles in shaping the production aesthetics of hip-hop.
Global Influences: Hip-hop has been influenced by and has influenced music from around the world. Artists from different countries have embraced hip-hop, infusing their own cultural elements and languages into the genre. This cross-pollination has resulted in the emergence of regional hip-hop scenes and the blending of different musical traditions.
Lyrical Diversity: Hip-hop lyrics have evolved to encompass a wide range of themes and styles. While the genre has historically featured storytelling, social commentary, and braggadocio, contemporary hip-hop explores a broader range of topics, including mental health, personal growth, identity, and introspection. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Noname are known for their introspective and thought-provoking lyricism.
From the early days of ‘Rapper’s Delight’, hip-hop took flight from its roots in Northern America to influence an entire new global movement. As differing cultures found their own footing in rap, developing their quintessential flavour, it didn’t take long before Germany found its very own ‘Rappers Deutsch’.
Eric Barber Digital MarketingInitially taking cues from the likes of Public Enemy, the sample-heavy, politicized sound has found its very own identity amongst a myriad of multi-cultural nationals, with a heady mix of old and new styles. Breaking down the starting points, biggest artists and latest trends, this is the ultimate guide to German hip-hop.
German hip-hop is real, and comparatively, it’s as important as electronic and rock music when it comes to the cultural conversation. Today, there’s a multitude of styles, both on the over- and underground. Going back, German hip-hop can trace its roots to the town of Heidelberg in the mid-to-late 1980s. Frederick Hahn, better known as Torch, was an MC for Advanced Chemistry, a local political hip-hop group whose members came from immigrant families. The group – one of the first to rap in German – were vocal in their support against racism, police violence and right-wing politics, politicizing their own identity as Germans while the country was forging a new cosmopolitan future. One of their biggest-selling singles was called ‘Fremd im eigenen Land’ (“foreign in my own country”), placing pro-immigrant politics in the mainstream and setting a template for what was to come.
At around the same time, a very different type of German hip-hop group emerged: Die Fantastischen Vier aka “The Fantastic Four”. The rappers from Stuttgart sought to distance themselves from the American sound, aiming to create something inherently more German, and ultimately more attuned towards commercial success. But with two separate ideologies, Die Fantastischen Vier became embroiled in a classic rivalry with Advanced Chemistry right from the get-go, pitting the two different hip-hop communities against each other.
Alongside acts such as Fettes Brot and Fünf Sterne Deluxe, the early 1990s became dominated by a contingent of similar white, middle-class hip-hop groups. With chart-topping hits, the scene was set for Germany’s hip-hop community to grow while simultaneously cementing a very unique, German twist to hip-hop’s quintessential nature.
Towards the end of the 1990s, German hip-hop became narrated through second-generation immigrant musicians who eventually went on to become the scene’s stars. “The biggest German hip-hop artist of all time? Most would say that would be Kool Savas,” says Marc Leopoldseder from leading German hip-hop publication Splash! Mag. Born to a German mother and a Turkish father, Kool Savas brought a more ardent, street sound to the whole scene, scoring number one chart positions with his albums Aura and Märtyrer. As immigration in Germany increased during the 1990s, hip-hop became an ever-important vessel for those whose voices needed to be heard, especially the Turkish, which there were two million of towards the end of the decade.
Another of the scene’s biggest artists was Bushido, a controversial artist with a Tunisian father and German mother. “He’s like the godfather of German gangsta rap, and a big role model for Arab and Turkish kids,” explains Marc. “He was the first famous rapper that didn’t want to look like an American, but more like the guys from the rough Berlin neighbourhoods.” Along with the likes of Kool Savas, edgier rap artists helped further politicize the scene, driving home a darker street sound. Artists such as Sido, Kollegah, Haftbefehl and Megaloh all started to create a new German hip-hop identity, along with one of the most prominent rap stars from this time, Hamburg’s Samy Deluxe.
In Europe, every country claims its own hip-hop identity, with France having the most unique and formidable character. In recent years, a lot of German acts have been taking their cues from the explosive Parisian duo PNL, an act that has been blowing up with its unique flavour and socially-rooted rap. “As most of the German street rappers have Turkish, Arab, Persian or Kurdish roots, they identify more easily with French rappers than with Americans,” Marc explains.
In Europe, every country claims its own hip-hop identity, with France having the most unique and formidable character. In recent years, a lot of German acts have been taking their cues from the explosive Parisian duo PNL, an act that has been blowing up with its unique flavour and socially-rooted rap. “As most of the German street rappers have Turkish, Arab, Persian or Kurdish roots, they identify more easily with French rappers than with Americans,” Marc explains.
One such recent outcrop of musicians who have taken influence from PNL is 187 Strassenbande, a crew from Hamburg, consisting of Gzuz, Bonez MC, Maxwell, LX and Jambeatz. The 2016 LP Palmen aus Plastik released by Bonez MC and Austrian producer RAF Camora went to number one in Germany, and incorporated many modern style elements, with dancehall and trap influences.
“Another crew that’s very hot at the moment is KMN Gang,” Marc points out. Hailing from Dresden, the KMN Gang rap about marginalization and criminality, taking many stylistic and lyrical cues from PNL and the French scene. Along with the more modern trap-based beats, Marc is keen to point out the “weird, cloudy, and artsy flavours”.
Artists such as Young Hurn, LGoony, Juicy Gay and Haiyti are leading examples of young musicians creating new and exciting styles within the community. The latter, an exciting female rap artist from Hamburg, was described by Noisey as “the best and most innovative German rapper of our time”. Haiyti is also part of a newer contingent contesting the predominately male scene, alongside Leila Akinyi and controversial Berlin duo SXTN.
Like Germany’s ever-growing international community, the scene is broad, accommodating all types of hip-hop. From dancefloor-oriented Peter Fox to the goofy witticism of CRO, from Berlin rogue troop K.I.Z. to the comedic and easy-going nature of MC Fitti, there’s a rich variety for all. There’s even room for a group consisting solely of hand-puppets, the Puppetmastaz. With the influx of Syrian migrants, it’s only a matter of time before the cosmopolitan community grows in diversity even more. One such artist who migrated to Berlin during the Syrian civil conflict was Mohammed Abu Hajar of the Mazzaj Rap band, who is already making waves on a local level.
Due to language limitations, German hip-hop will never be able to challenge its American counterpart, but when checking the charts of leading hip-hop store store HHV, independent sales tell a very different picture. Re-issues of Fünf Sterne Deluxe sit next to Anderson .Paak and Joy Denalane in the top 100. Local beat-music collective BeatGeeks have a compilation record alongside local rappers Audio88 and Bushido, in a top sellers list that also includes A Tribe Called Quest and Sleaford Mods. It goes to show that in Germany, there’s still space for a wider, creative outlet.
Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans[1][2] pioneered from Black American street culture,[3][4] also known as hip hop African American culture,[5][6][7] that had been around for years prior to its more mainstream discovery[8] while reaching other groups such as Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans, starting in the Bronx, New York City.[a] Hip Hop is one of cultural movements that has been shaped and dominated by African American males[10] though female hip hop artists have contributed to the art form and culture as well.[11]Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping[b], DJing and turntablism, breakdancing, and graffiti.[12][13][14] Other elements include historical knowledge of the movement, beatboxing, street entrepreneurship, hip hop language, and hip hop fashion.[15][16][17] Some of these are argued to be the “fifth element”.[18]
The Bronx hip hop scene emerged in the mid-1970s from neighborhood block parties thrown by the Black Spades, an African American group that has been described as being a gang, a club, and a music group. Brother-sister duo DJ Kool Herc and Cindy Campbell additionally hosted DJ parties in the Bronx and are credited for the rise in the genre.[19] Hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the United States and subsequently the world.[20] These elements were adapted and developed considerably, particularly as the art forms spread to new continents and merged with local styles in the 1990s and subsequent decades. Even as the movement continues to expand globally and explore myriad styles and art forms, including hip hop theater and hip hop film, the four foundational elements provide coherence and a strong foundation for hip hop culture.[21]
Hip hop is simultaneously a new and old phenomenon; the importance of sampling tracks, beats, and basslines from old records to the art form means that much of the culture has revolved around the idea of updating classic recordings, attitudes, and experiences for modern audiences. Sampling older culture and reusing it in a new context or a new format is called "flipping" in hip hop culture.[22] Hip hop music follows in the footsteps of earlier African-American-rooted and Latino musical genres such as blues, jazz, rag-time, funk, salsa, and disco to become one of the most practiced genres worldwide.
In the 2000s, with the rise of new media platforms such as online music streaming services, fans discovered and downloaded or streamed hip hop music through social networking sites beginning with Blackplanet & Myspace, as well as from websites like YouTube, Worldstarhiphop, SoundCloud, and Spotify.[23][24]