Hip-Hop Think Tank
Another instrumental player in the establishment of the Hip-Hop culture was Afrika Bambaataa. As a member of the powerful gang the Black Spades, Afrika Bambaataa already possessed street credibility amongst the youth in his neighborhood. Inspired by Kool Herc’s parties and fueled with a desire to elevate above street violence, Bambaataa transformed this gang into a dance crew. He called it Zulu Nation, based off a film he viewed about the African Zulu warriors. By forming a dance crew, he was able to channel the anger of his gang into competitive dancing. Afrika Bambaataa came to be known as the Master of Records, making a name for himself because of his reputation for playing some of the most unique records, from rock music to cartoon theme songs, and even excerpts from Western art music (Norfleet, 357). Lastly, Grandmaster Flash was instrumental in further developing the aesthetic of what was to be known as Hip-Hop music. He incorporated an element known as “scratching” which served to “accent and punctuate different rhythmic phrases” within the music he was playing (Price, 25). He also introduced the electric percussion system referred to as the beat box. The beat box would later go on to define the aesthetics of 1980s Hip-Hop music. As previously mentioned, MCing was not the prominent element of Hip-Hop at its inception. In the beginning, the MC merely served as a sidekick to the DJ, helping to further his notoriety. However, MCs began to recognize their power as a mouthpiece and used each available opportunity to become more creative, to get the greatest response from the crowd. MC’s began competing for validation from their audience. Rap legend Kool Moe Dee defined a good MC as one who has “a high degree of originality and versatility (Price, 37)”. Soon the MC would become the focal point of Hip-Hop culture. Rap eventually became the mouthpiece of the Hip-Hop movement. With the power of the microphone, the rapper began to speak for the neighborhood and the culture, articulating every aspect of their experience. Much like the folk spiritual, rap provided a way to put words to the experience. Rap poets spoke about every aspect of their experience: suffering, pain, hope, resistance, accountability, and everyday life. The first recorded rap hit, “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang, is a perfect example of the party element that birthed Hip-Hop. However, it wouldn’t take long for the songs of resistance to come out in full force, such as Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power.” All Around the World It’s the Same Song It can be argued that both spirituals and rap are inherently transcendent activist musical forms because of the conditions from which they grew. Spirituals served as an
72 Hip-Hop Studies at the Crossroads