The Beautiful Sound Of Rap and Melody in Hip-Hop (part 1) by BlackSpace

 

 

 

 

This article will be discussing the evolution of rap and how the game changed in essence to South African Hip Hop music. South Africa has a lot of artists, each with their own style, technique and an approach that keeps the game at its feet. Hip Hop is an art that has a very strong influence. It changes a lot from time to time. South African mainstream Hip Hop began in 1986. “It's the mid-80s and Bubble-gum music is the order of the day in South Africa.” (Kay, 2012) Hip Hop changed from party rap to conscious rap between 1996 and 2002, the development stage, and then transitioned to revolutionary rap from 2003 to 2008, the golden era. From 2009 until present is new school. South African rap has gone back to party rap once again, like GZA–the founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan collective–said on the interview he had on Star Talk with Astrophysicist Neil deGresse Tyson; “Hip Hop is forever changing musically, it is corporate wise, it is on another level as far as the money, the business side, but I think lyrically is regressed” (GZA, 2015). South African Hip Hop has gone to a less developed state. Rappers were a lot more lyrical because Hip Hop was more about the relevance of the massage carried into the song, and now all you can hear in most of the songs in the current Hip Hop era, is the non-informative, pompous lyrics that only reflect on how much money one has, cars and/or girls.

There are rappers and Hip Hop fanatics that strongly believe that Hip Hop is deteriorating, for that reason they remain underground, and fans listen to old school Hip Hop to console the near loss of the true and original meaning to Hip Hop–a non-revolting revolution through music. A lot of record labels are money driven and they do not consider the art and style that a musician/rapper incorporates in their craft. Humans are afraid of what they do not understand. Therefore, what people do not understand will not sell in this country, or any other country for that matter. The competition is no longer about who makes more sense in their music. Rappers are now competing for sales. It is a shame because; these types of action reflect badly when it comes to other countries taking South Africa seriously. Therefore, the next succession of articles will also focus on the awareness in the constitution of literacy that Hip Hop was also meant for.

 

 

Bibliography

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GZA. (2015, May). Star Talk. USA.

Kay, R. (2012). istory of South African Hip Hop. Retrieved 06 02, 2015, from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rashid.kay.5/posts/10204378731446606

Modau, T. (2012, 09 16). South Arican Hip Hop. Retrieved 06 02, 2015, from thabangthinks.blogspot.com: http://thabangthinks.blogspot.com/2012/09/south-african-radio.html

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Thomson, M. (2014). South African Hip Hop. Retrieved 06 02, 2015, from thabangthinks.blogspot.com: http://thabangthinks.blogspot.com/2012/09/south-african-radio.html