1. GEOG 433: DAY 16 PRESENTATIONS AND HIP HOP (CONT’D )

2. HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS Today we have three genre presentations – Rochelle, Linda, and Melissa – and the remainder of the discussion of hip hop. On Tuesday, we have Doug and Steve, and on Thursday we have Kate and Tomson. Thanks to Kate and others for the examples of Canadian hip hop – Classified (“Maritimes”- a good example of cross- fertilization!), K’naan, and Swollen Members/ Madchild. As with other forms of music, white artists have muscled in on hip hop. “Early adopters” included Vanilla Ice and Eminem. Ghetto fashion was also big for a time amongst suburban white youth.

3. THE FURTHER EVOLUTION OF RAP/ HIP HOP As indicated in the reading for Tuesday rapping, in association with DJing, emerged out of the toasting and MCing introduced by DJ Kool Herc in 1972. Nonetheless, DJing remained predominant as reflected in the pioneering group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, first formed in 1978. Most hip hop was about creating a party scene – an escape from the oppressive reality of daily life aka Afrika Bambaataa. Life was tough in New York at the time!

4. THE FURTHER EVOLUTION OF RAP/ HIP HOP “The Message,” released by the Furious Five didn’t even have all the members on it since most of them didn’t support the concept of making a ‘message record’ and were convinced it would be commercial poison. Nonetheless, it was a huge hit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY&featur e=kp. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY&featur e=kp Another milestone in the evolution of politically engaged rap was the emergence of Public Enemy, with its main MC and thinker, Chuck D.

5. THE FURTHER EVOLUTION OF RAP/ HIP HOP Public Enemy’s first album was a dud, but the second, “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” made a huge impact – not only from the content, but from the dense and innovative production. The song, “Fight the Power” (title borrowed from an old Isley Brothers’ hit), had an accompanying video directed by Spike Lee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_t13-0Joyc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_t13-0Joyc They followed up with a third album, “Fears of a Black Planet.” Chuck D later acknowledging deriving inspiration from the uncompromising ‘kamikaze’ attitude of Sex Pistols. See the rest of the two chapters for much more.