50 years of Hip Hop- How Come?

@garebear No, you’re wrong and both exaggerating and over-simplifying. I don’t know what "Hip Hop Rappers" are, but many artists (Nas, Alfa Mist, Mac Miller, Fetty Wap, Nicki Minaj, and others) are musically, if not classically trained. And yes, any creative mind with a digital audio workstation can create the genre.

But any creative mind with a guitar can do the same thing. I imagine classical musicians were clutching their pearls in the 60’s.

@1happyman New Edition and Bobby Brown’s artistic iterations were more accurately seen as R&B, whilst BBD is more of a hip hop act. But in the early 80’s, you had Newcleus, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash, UTFO, Kool Moe Dee, and others.

And agin, can we leave behind the battered and inaccurate chestnut of Blondie and Dylan being primogenitures of rap? It screams out-of-touch Boomer. I mean, Dylan was emulating West African griots, if anything.

@simao Hip Hop is not rap.

Out of touch Boomer :)

@1happyman Yes, I know. 

Signed,

Snarky Gen-Xer 

@garebear 

........wait just a minute here. Please tell me that some of you are not actually comparing great jazz musicians to Hip Pop Rappers ? Please tell me that you aren't even considering this.

I am right there with you on this. The level of musicianship between the vast majority of rap and hip hop musician, compared to jazz musicians from the past and present is pretty significant.

And every time I bring this up in these sorts of conversations, rap and hip hop fans will always mention musicians like, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves and other serious jazz musicians from LA, because they play on Kendrick Lamar's albums. The thing is, almost none of the prodigious jazz chops these guys have, is actually needed to play on Lamar's album. 

If you haven't already heard it, you should give Kamasi Washington's "Epic" album a listen. It is a pretty impressive work.

The jazz musicians that I am thinking about and listen to actually play their own instruments. Hip Pop or Rap is all tape loops and mechanically laid down music ....there are instruments just thump !         

As much as I dislike  rap and hip hop, you are incorrect with the above statement. I would say, the majority of modern rap and hip hop are performed with people playing real instruments. 

Against ones’s better judgment …. :-(

Lyrical truth for some officers in certain Precincts … Cypress Hill - Looking Through the Eye of a Pig.

All I ask … read, no one (again) is obviously obligated to listen.

For those of you willing and daring enough, I’d have to recommend their recorded live album, “Live at the Fillmore.” Yes, musical instruments will be present.

Peace