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| African Griots |
I know many are anxiously awaiting my final anthological report on hip-hop, but before I shower my readers with my favored rap talents, I need to provide some of you with a bit more preliminary information. I would hate to overwhelm any of you, so, in this post, I will provide a brief history of rap’s development and its influences, as well as an understanding of my minute “experience” in this linguistically creative field.
Approximately two years ago, I was enrolled in an English course at JMU entitled “Oral Literature: The Evolution of Hip-Hop,” which introduced me to an incredible culture that had never really been recognized in an academic setting. Our final paper was similar to the current post I’m attempting to complete listing the “Masters of Hip-Hop,” but we were only required to include five artists in our mini-anthologies and we didn’t have a distinctly clear rubric by which we could evaluate the artists, like the one I’ve constructed. Despite this, through the course, I learned a great deal about the background and history of rap music, which I will share with you in a rather condensed version. (On a side note: I received an A- in the class, which I wasn’t entirely happy about...)
Rap music finds its roots in pre-colonial African tribes around the 14th century, in which stories, allegories, and songs were transferred solely in an oral manner alongside a drum or other musical instrument by griots, who were the African rockstars of their day. During the colonial period, however, and the establishment of slavery, the African story-telling tradition was brought over to the Americas and the Caribbean, with rhythmic traditions that are still present today as seen through other forms of music, like Reggae. Anyway, as the colonies grew, so did the need for slaves, especially in what we now know as the United States.
Unfortunately, as disgusting as this piece of American history is, those held captive were able to find comfort during their work periods through a form of music known as call-and-response. This method of song consists of an expression which is confirmed, responded to, or negated by the next expression, and so on. A perfect example of a song with this call-and-response technique is the famed piece, “Wade in the Water,” which has proven itself a symbol of this horrific time period. (Listen to "Wade in the Water" Here!)
In keeping with the morose tones and rhythmic nature of call-and-response music, Blues music developed, which later developed into Jazz music around the U.S. Prohibition era, which was more lively, entertaining, and joyful than its musical predecessors. The poetics of jazz music strongly influenced “beat” writers through the 1970s, encouraging writers to utilize musical instruments during poetry readings and other public presentations of their work. Then during the late 70s and early 80s, the culture of hip hop was born.
This, my friends, is the history of rap music in a nutshell. I hope this provides some of you with a better understanding of hip-hop’s evolution and its century-old roots. Though I provided an incredibly compacted version of the growth of this particular industry, it is crucial that we recognize, appreciate, and preserve the ancestors of hip-hop because this musical form did not arise overnight, nor did it emerge out of thin air. Hip-Hop is a product of struggle, hardship, and brutality that was burdened upon innocent people who found relief through music and, without their suffering, this poetic form would not exist. So, please, next time you download a seemingly frivolous hip-hop song, keep its history in mind, and know that it is of the utmost importance that we protect, nurture, and conserve this form of poetics, as I hope to do with my anthology.
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