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The relationship between Jazz and Hip Hop music, including their social and historical evolutions
The relationship and similarities between Jazz and Hip Hop music can be found in their evolution and impact on society. Some of the most prominent shared characteristics are the pioneering and afro-centrism of the music by African Americans, rhythmic structure, the elements of improvisation, their moves from east to west coast and selling out. Similarities also exist in their connections to everyday life and the impoverished circumstances of which the music grew out of. The relationship between Jazz and Hip hop music reaches into every aspect of the African-American experience and culture. Today Jazz- Rap is becoming a popular ménage of the two genres showing how the two can be fused together.
Before we analyze the similarities we can discover the definitions of the two genres. According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. It is characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. Jazz has been described as "America's Classical Music", and started in saloons throughout the nation. The same sources definition of Hip hop music is, A style of popular music made up of two main components: rapping (MCing) and DJing (audio mixing and scratching) and a cultural movement that was initiated by inner-city youth in the late 1970s. Much of the deffinitions can be interchangable and said about the other.
The roots of Jazz and Hip Hop lie in Western and African music. For example, many of the traditions present in both are found in North and West African cultures, such as emphasis on rhythm, solo and community participation, call and response, and incorperated dancing. Performers interact with the audiences and the line between audience and performers often becomes inteligable. At times performers may come out of the audience and join the performers on stage, if they can hang. Also, jazz at some points has been a very dancable music as is hip hop. Dances such as the Lindy Hop and Shim-Sham were popular at jazz clubs and hip hop has an entire sub-culture of dancing known as break-dancing which encorperates many of the same bodily movements. Wikipedia explaines, Originally an Afro-American dance, Lindy Hop combines the movements and improvisation of African dances with the formal 8-count structure of European dances.
Both jazz and hip hop grew out of impovrished comunities. Jazz is heavily rooted in New Orleans and at the time of its conception was affluent in poor black communities and districts of ill repute. Much like Congo Square in 1870, in the 1970s Bronx, NY, they would stand on the street corners and create music with very little recourses. Both used instruments, often rudimentary, on very low income, if any, budgets in order to acquire desired sounds. For example, Jazz players would use cheap old time civil war marching band instruments to make their own music form groups. Similarly hip hop disc jockeys would plug into traffic light poles to power up amplifiers and other equipment necessary to make a party. Jazz great Arty Shaw once said, Jazz was born in a whiskey barrel, grew up on weed and expired on heroin. We can imagine hip hop was born in milk crates on street corners, grew up on addidas and expired on MTV. Jazz and hip hop have been the voice of a peoples struggle which has found its way on the popular culture scene.
Similarities can be found in the rhythmic structures utilized by both genres. Beats in hip hop are almost always in 4/4 time. At its rhythmic core, hip hop swings: instead of a straight 4/4 count (pop music; rock 'n' roll; etc.), hip hop is based on an anticipated feel somewhat similar to the "swing" emphasis found in jazz percussion. Like the triplet emphasis in swing, hip hop's rhythm is subtle, rarely written as it sounds (4/4 basic; the drummer adds the hip hop interpretation) and is often played in an almost "late" or laid back way., states the Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
One of the most prominent aspects of jazz and hip hop is improvisation. Improvisation is the assertion of the individual within a framework of room allowed for such. The elements of improvisation are the freestyle forms of musical expression such as what John Coltrane might have done with a saxophone, an M.C. or D.J. might do in a rap battle or with a record. The strive for recognition in the music and in the community can be view as a integral facet of the two musics. This non-stop strive is one of the most powerful forces behind the progression of the genres. The most recognised talents of their time are also quite accomplshed improvisors or freestylers.
Another shared trait is their moves from the east coast to the west coast and the impact it has had on the music. The west coast jazz movement led the Bebop style to the Cool style. Hip hop on the east coast was based on inner city life and the challenges one faced on a daily basis. When Hip hop moved to the west in the early 1990s it adapted to a more casual, easy going atmosphere. The east coast can be seen as a more rough and rugged style where the west coast has a more laid back smooth sound.
The term selling out refers to the ill reputation an artist is labeled from their peers by selling out their talents in order to aquire financial gains or something other than the progression of the music or culture. Many artists in both genres came from quite poor backgrounds and didnt earn enough money to support themselves only playing the types of music they preferred, often an artist might decide to produce a style of music directed by a record company executive solely to be made for commercial success. Some might even go as far as to caracaturize themselves and their cultures to achieve this. Examples can be found in hip hip rappers displaying a steriotypical portait such as female degrading, drug taking and material obsessions. This is not a far streach to assimiliate to the minstralcy associated with jazz history.
New forms of jazz and hip hop are constantly being created. For some time a mix of the two called Jazz rap had some success. Wikipedia states, Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. Known for intellectual, often socio-political or Afrocentric lyrics and jazz beats (sometimes performed by a live band, instead of sampled), jazz rap has not become a huge mainstream success; it instead sells primarily to a small specialized fan base. Groups such as US3, De La Soul and Herbie Hancock have made singificant contributions to the jazz- hip hop blend.
In conclusion, the genres of jazz and hip hop have many similarities and much of their deffinitions can be said about the other. From their beginings and through out their evolutiuons jazz and hip hop have been the voice of a stuggling people which has made its way in to the popular media and culture of America. At their cores they are evolutions of african music and dance and encorperate improvisation and constant innovation. Just as the line between the audience and performers becomes faint, so does the line between jazz and hip hop.
Before we analyze the similarities we can discover the definitions of the two genres. According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. It is characterized by blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation. Jazz has been described as "America's Classical Music", and started in saloons throughout the nation. The same sources definition of Hip hop music is, A style of popular music made up of two main components: rapping (MCing) and DJing (audio mixing and scratching) and a cultural movement that was initiated by inner-city youth in the late 1970s. Much of the deffinitions can be interchangable and said about the other.
The roots of Jazz and Hip Hop lie in Western and African music. For example, many of the traditions present in both are found in North and West African cultures, such as emphasis on rhythm, solo and community participation, call and response, and incorperated dancing. Performers interact with the audiences and the line between audience and performers often becomes inteligable. At times performers may come out of the audience and join the performers on stage, if they can hang. Also, jazz at some points has been a very dancable music as is hip hop. Dances such as the Lindy Hop and Shim-Sham were popular at jazz clubs and hip hop has an entire sub-culture of dancing known as break-dancing which encorperates many of the same bodily movements. Wikipedia explaines, Originally an Afro-American dance, Lindy Hop combines the movements and improvisation of African dances with the formal 8-count structure of European dances.
Both jazz and hip hop grew out of impovrished comunities. Jazz is heavily rooted in New Orleans and at the time of its conception was affluent in poor black communities and districts of ill repute. Much like Congo Square in 1870, in the 1970s Bronx, NY, they would stand on the street corners and create music with very little recourses. Both used instruments, often rudimentary, on very low income, if any, budgets in order to acquire desired sounds. For example, Jazz players would use cheap old time civil war marching band instruments to make their own music form groups. Similarly hip hop disc jockeys would plug into traffic light poles to power up amplifiers and other equipment necessary to make a party. Jazz great Arty Shaw once said, Jazz was born in a whiskey barrel, grew up on weed and expired on heroin. We can imagine hip hop was born in milk crates on street corners, grew up on addidas and expired on MTV. Jazz and hip hop have been the voice of a peoples struggle which has found its way on the popular culture scene.
Similarities can be found in the rhythmic structures utilized by both genres. Beats in hip hop are almost always in 4/4 time. At its rhythmic core, hip hop swings: instead of a straight 4/4 count (pop music; rock 'n' roll; etc.), hip hop is based on an anticipated feel somewhat similar to the "swing" emphasis found in jazz percussion. Like the triplet emphasis in swing, hip hop's rhythm is subtle, rarely written as it sounds (4/4 basic; the drummer adds the hip hop interpretation) and is often played in an almost "late" or laid back way., states the Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
One of the most prominent aspects of jazz and hip hop is improvisation. Improvisation is the assertion of the individual within a framework of room allowed for such. The elements of improvisation are the freestyle forms of musical expression such as what John Coltrane might have done with a saxophone, an M.C. or D.J. might do in a rap battle or with a record. The strive for recognition in the music and in the community can be view as a integral facet of the two musics. This non-stop strive is one of the most powerful forces behind the progression of the genres. The most recognised talents of their time are also quite accomplshed improvisors or freestylers.
Another shared trait is their moves from the east coast to the west coast and the impact it has had on the music. The west coast jazz movement led the Bebop style to the Cool style. Hip hop on the east coast was based on inner city life and the challenges one faced on a daily basis. When Hip hop moved to the west in the early 1990s it adapted to a more casual, easy going atmosphere. The east coast can be seen as a more rough and rugged style where the west coast has a more laid back smooth sound.
The term selling out refers to the ill reputation an artist is labeled from their peers by selling out their talents in order to aquire financial gains or something other than the progression of the music or culture. Many artists in both genres came from quite poor backgrounds and didnt earn enough money to support themselves only playing the types of music they preferred, often an artist might decide to produce a style of music directed by a record company executive solely to be made for commercial success. Some might even go as far as to caracaturize themselves and their cultures to achieve this. Examples can be found in hip hip rappers displaying a steriotypical portait such as female degrading, drug taking and material obsessions. This is not a far streach to assimiliate to the minstralcy associated with jazz history.
New forms of jazz and hip hop are constantly being created. For some time a mix of the two called Jazz rap had some success. Wikipedia states, Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. Known for intellectual, often socio-political or Afrocentric lyrics and jazz beats (sometimes performed by a live band, instead of sampled), jazz rap has not become a huge mainstream success; it instead sells primarily to a small specialized fan base. Groups such as US3, De La Soul and Herbie Hancock have made singificant contributions to the jazz- hip hop blend.
In conclusion, the genres of jazz and hip hop have many similarities and much of their deffinitions can be said about the other. From their beginings and through out their evolutiuons jazz and hip hop have been the voice of a stuggling people which has made its way in to the popular media and culture of America. At their cores they are evolutions of african music and dance and encorperate improvisation and constant innovation. Just as the line between the audience and performers becomes faint, so does the line between jazz and hip hop.
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