Readings for week's discussion:
The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip Hop (Charnas)
Cla** Notes:
Album One (Chapter One): Number Runners
Harlem, USA becomes the dominant Black neighborhood in New York City in the 1920s. The Great Migration brought millions of African diasporic peoples to Northern cities and with them, they brought music and culture.
As Jazz music develops from this new, urban, Black community, the nightlife of Harlem begins to draw spectators (and their wallets) from all over the city.
Unlike most areas in the United States at this time, Harlem is able to develop a Black middle cla**, consisting of doctors, lawyers, shopkeepers, and artists. This elite cla** of African-Americans were also afforded the opportunity of home ownership and decided to move into a neighborhood that they called "Sugar Hill".
In 1951, Ira Jack Allen is approached by two Turkish men after a night at the Apollo Theater and is asked to record for a new record label called Atlantic Records. Allen and his partner "Big" Joe Turner, two Black men, entered into the record business.
As the 1950s came, the landscape of New York City changed drastically. Manufacturing was leaving the city and thousands of transplants were moving in at the same time. Harlem was becoming a different place. Hustling, in all its connotations became the primary mode of survival.
As many methods of hustling were dangerous in nature, many people sought to find easier, safer ways to make money. Two of those visionary people were Joe Robinson & Anthony Holloway, better known as DJ Hollywood.
As the Civil Rights Movement approached, the cultural landscape of America changed. Schools were being desegregated and young people were becoming more tolerant and open to this change. As all of this radical change occurred, the music industry was not sold on the idea of an interracial America and its practices showed.
While Black music was being dismissed by mainstream media outlets for being "Too Black", the emergence of disc jockeys and discos started to change the perception and possibilities of Black music.
The Birth of Hip-Hop
At 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the South Bronx, New York, two siblings, Cindy and Clive Campbell dreamt up a way to hustle. They decided to through a community "jam" and have Clive DJ control the music.
ALBUM TWO: Genius of Rap (Dan Charnas)
As Disco began to "die" in New York City, DJs like Afrika Bambaataa started creating a new sound that had young people all over the city following the sound.
In 1981, with a loan from his parents, Cory Robbins opens Profile Records. This company would be responsible for many of the great, early rap groups and initially became successful from a remake of "Genius of Love" called "Genius Rap".
As rap becomes increasingly popular, major New York City radio stations begin to play the records. One of the most influential DJs, responsible for rap being played on the radio (while detesting rap music at the same time) was DJ Frankie Crocker.
Frankie Crocker gave air time for DJ Mr. Magic's "Rap Attack" mix, allowing it to become the first rap radio show on a major commercial radio station.
Rap began to evolve in 1982. The art form starts to become more political and less about partying and socializing. The first socially conscious record to drop was Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message". This new form of emceeing was inspired heavily by Gil-Scott Heron and the Last Poets.
Other rappers begin to tell the story of the inner-city and their experiences. Run-DMC's "It's Like That" is a perfect example of the switch in subject matter.
The Hip-Hop radio DJ culture begins to grow stronger at this moment and DJs like Red Alert and Jazzy Jay are becoming household names in the black community.
As Hip-Hop figures are slowly becoming celebrities, companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are starting to sponsor rap battles and clothing for rappers and their crews. Corporations are beginning to see how powerful Hip-Hop could be.
Run-DMC's self-titled album was said by executives that rappers could not sell a whole album, but only singles. It was projected that their first album would only sell 20,000 copies. They went ahead with the project and sold close to 250,000 records. This created new possibilities.
Week Two Playlist