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N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton

Jeff Robinson said:
KRS 1 and Boogie Down Productions, Afrika Bambaataa, Gangstarr, Jeru the Damager, Tupac, De La Soul? Even groups like Tribe Called Quest and the Furious Five who were more known for producing party music had more politically tinged stuff - think about 'the message' for example.
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Yeah, of course :oops::facepalm:@self. Had a bit of a mental block earlier - BDP/KRS1 and Gangstarr for sure :cool: Was also listening to De La - Stakes Is High yesterday and that is definitely them on a conscious tip.

Jeff Robinson said:
I guess its important to define what we mean by 'political rap'. If we mean groups and MCs that devote most of their time to talking about party politics, international relations, macroeconomics and the like then that's always been a tiny component of hip hop's output. A broader definition of political hiphop - one that is endorsed by people like Chuck D and Ded Prez - involves the act of working class, usually black, urban youth telling stories about their lives and their communities. Out of such story telling emerged an (at least latent) critique of ghettoisation, poverty, discrimination, police brutality etc. As Kool DJ Herc - widely acknowledged as the modern founding father of hip hop put it: hip hop was created as an alternative to disco. The people in the South Bronx who got together to create what became known as hip hop couldn't identify with the glitz and glamour of disco music and developed their own style that captured their life experiences etc. Now hip hop has gone full circle - the mainstream stuff overwhelmingly now represents the glitz and glamour 'bling' lifestyle that the art form was created as an alternative to.
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Excellent post Jeff.
 
i think partly what was happening in the late 80s was a resurgence in black power politics in the US in general.... Afrocentricism was a growing force on US campuses, reagan was in the white house, there was a wave of black gang films (starting with colours?), spike lee, rodney king + LA riots....there was definitely a time specific set of factors there... a wave of sorts. Not that the problems arent there today of course.

I dont listen to southern rap but there must be some angry voices out there (even if the music isnt all that)
 
stethoscope said:
Other than PE, the only other reasonably well known political rap groups that come to mind are possibly Brand Nubian, X-Clan, and Disposable Heroes? Having a think :hmm: UK-wise, I loved Marxman but they never attained mainstream success.
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There are loads:

Mos Def
KRS-1
Erik-B and Rakim
Grandmaster flash and furious 5 with The Message
Immortal Technique
 
DotCommunist said:
there was the whole 'dirty dirty south' wave but I can't say I remember any seminal works :hmm:
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tumblr_le208qlsWY1qbzq3do1_500.jpg
 
Mos Def and Immortal Technique all came later (proving it wasnt all golden age rap that was political)

DotCommunist said:
there was the whole 'dirty dirty south' wave but I can't say I remember any seminal works :hmm:
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i never checked enough to know, but theres loads of souther rap tunes by real gangstas and i bet theres a few equivalents to NWAs fuck the police out there lurking

i also think when rap was rooted in 70s funk samples it almost inevitably brought some black power vibes with it - something lost if your beats are based on miami bass
 
Jeff Robinson said:
I should say its not primarily about the decline of political rap, but more about violence, sexism and homophobia in hip hop. Very good though, and well worth a watch.
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this was a really good watch- two points in it I hadn't considered: Hip hop contains a fair degree of homoeroticism. That completely passed me by but now its pointed out I cannot unsee

And the other point: really powerful people aren't wearing guns on hips and posturing and talking about killing. They have abstracted power, they don't display masculinity in the form of hyperviolence and sexual boasts.

A very thought provoking piece there. If you have any other hip hop docu reccs I would be obliged,
 
DotCommunist said:
this was a really good watch- two points in it I hadn't considered: Hip hop contains a fair degree of homoeroticism. That completely passed me by but now its pointed out I cannot unsee

And the other point: really powerful people aren't wearing guns on hips and posturing and talking about killing. They have abstracted power, they don't display masculinity in the form of hyperviolence and sexual boasts.

A very thought provoking piece there. If you have any other hip hop docu reccs I would be obliged,
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sounds interesting!This is it yeah?


People seemed to rate this one - Whatever happened to hiphop? Havent watched it either though....

Documentary from Sonali Aggarwal: Starring Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-ONE, Busy Bee, Kool Keith, MC Lyte, Slick Rick, Jean Grae, Gemini and other notable people being part of the Hip Hop movement. It began with the beat of the drum. With the beat, came a voice for those without one. From this voice, came a movement. Overcoming the odds, the originators of Hip Hop took their music from block parties of New York City streets to world wide radio waves.

During the early years, the music and message reached new heights by exploring humanity, politics, and street life, while keeping it real and having fun. But what ever happened to Hip Hop? Currently the most pervasive music worldwide, its roots have been forgotten, its message perverted. With Hip Hop in the spotlight, it's time to put it back on track.
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thats the one fella, really interesting look.

one bit that struck me is how women asked about the 'ho bitch' stuff in hip hop say 'I know he aint talking about me'

to which the counterpoint was 'if george bush came on TV saying nigger this and nigger that would you shrug and say 'well it aint me'
 
Well, for the first few listens of 'Compton' I was thinking that it sounded weird, somehow 'too modern' and layered....but holy shit Dr. Dre has done it again. It's totally clicked for me now and is absolutely amazing! :cool:
 
I might have to investigate this. Straight Outta Compton, The Chronic and Doggystyle are all timeless masterpieces, and 2001 is pretty good, if overlong.
 
Wu Tang - 36 chambers

Public Enemy - Fear of a black Planet

Nas - Illmatic

Beastie Boys - Ill commication

Dr Dre - Chronic

Biggy - Ready to Die
 
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