Street Politics

Without meaning to, hip-hop became a political movement. It formed an avenue for disadvantaged youth to turn their time and energies into something positive and productive.  Many attribute the use of the sample to the resourcefulness of young black New Yorkers, who couldn’t afford instruments, so instead made songs by recording sound snippets on tape-loops.

Fast forward a few years, and the likes of Public Enemy and the Zulu Nation took hip hop’s political message to center stage. Chuck D. and crew brought the world “Fight the Power” in 1990, while the latter was formed in the early 1970s to provide an alternative positive image of Afrocentricity, away from the guns, drugs, and gang-banging.

Although these two events are the most commercially visible, political hip-hop has long been a genre in its own right. Outlandish statements, social commentary, and outspoken artists have become such an integral part of the music and an essential factor in its bid for world domination.

The Golden Age

The late ‘80s and early ‘90s saw what many refer to as the golden age of hip-hop. The raw authenticity of the genre was still intact, but the mainstream media was beginning to take note. The list of classic artists from the time is endless, with the likes of KRS-One & BDP, A Tribe Called Quest, Das EFX, Wu-Tang, Nas, Eric B & Rakim and MC Shan only touching the surface of the talent of this period.

Subgenres began to form, with gangsta rap, boom bap, Dirty South and G-Funk allowing hip hop to expand and diversify even further. And with the success, money started to flow from the hoods that nurtured the music; RUN DMC’s Jam Master Jay was one of many who set up labels, studios, and businesses in the area where they grew up.

However, no journey is smooth sailing, and the mid-’90s saw the world of hip hop reach its rebellious teenage years.