1. MCing – Early Roots Poetry – form of expression, tell a story Civil Rights – Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets James Brown – small rhymes, raps Richard Pryor – comedian: spoke of life

2. Early MC’s Kool Herc parties - Coke La Rock – shout out friends The MC would shout out the DJ too Creative rhymes – Engage the audience Busy Bee, Lovebug Starski, Eddie Cheba

3. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Melle Mel, Cowboy – worked the mic at Flash’s parties Kept audience dancing/engaged Formed performing group – headlined parties

4. Cold Crush Brothers Strong group of MCs Well structured show Grandmaster Caz Battle rap – outdo opponent

5. Rapper’s Delight Big Bank Hank – pizza delivery worker Took rhymes from Grandmaster Caz Rapper’s Delight sold 2 million copies in 1979 More groups started signing record contracts

6. The Message Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five First rap song to address issues on the street Not about rocking parties, or bragging

7. Afrika Bambaataa Soul Sonic Force Planet Rock Electro sounds

8. Writing Rhymes Standard: 16 lines to a verse Simple: “Will it ever stop? I don’t know Turn off the lights and I’ll glow” - Vanilla Ice Complex: “Dead in the middle of Little Italy little did we know That we riddled some middlemen who didn’t do diddly” - Big Pun

9. Writing Rhymes Similie – comparing two things using “like” or “as” Ex. “You’re as cold as ice” Metaphor – using an image to describe something else Ex. “Her voice was an arrow that pierced my heart”

10. Writing Rhymes Alliteration – repetition of sounds in the first syllables of a series of words or phrases Ex. “falling fast, forgetting the future” Assonance – using vowels to create internal rhymes Ex. “Do you like the blue shoe goo?”

11. Writing Rhymes Form “I’m mad as hell ‘cause it’s bound to sell And you be biting what I’m writing and people can’t tell You change it around, disguise the sound With no prior desire to write, that’s why I frown” - Grandmaster Caz

12. Run DMC Mid to late 80s Carried the torch – took Hip Hop to new heights Breakthrough to mainstream audience Collaboration with Aerosmith “Walk this Way”

13. Other 80s MC’s LL Cool J Fresh Prince Doug E Fresh Fat Boys

14. Public Enemy Militant style - Politically charged lyrics Criticized American media Frustrations in African American life

15. Gangster Rap – Ice T Aggressive lyrics “I don’t give a fu@$!” Drugs, sex, violence, crime – story Controversy – “Cop Killer” Talk about the time? Keeping it real?

16. NWA Eazy E, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, 1986-1991 – Controversy – music banned Much more extreme than Ice-T Censorship

17. Snoop Dogg & Dr Dre Dr Dre – Death Row Records “The Chronic” Produced Snoop’s first album (Eminem & 50 Cent too) Snoop – ex-Crip – 11 albums to date

18. 2Pac (Tupac Shakur) Lyricist, poet & actor Mother: Afeni Shakur – Black Panther One of the greatest MCs – unique flow Dual personality – controversial & wise Carried “West Coast” sound – Death Row records

19. Notorious B.I.G. Brooklyn, NYC Central “East Coast” MC – Bad Boy Records Loose, easy flow – dark storytelling Crime & controversy – East vs West

20. Death Row vs Bad Boy (West Coast vs East Coast) Mid-late 90s – fued between record labels Sean “Puffy” Combs & Suge Knight Disses on songs, at awards shows – strong media attention Gang involvements

21. RIP 2Pac & Biggie Tupac - September 7, 1996 – drive-by in Vegas Biggie - March 9, 1997 – drive-by in LA Unsolved murders - Lasting legacy as MCs End of the gangster rap era – scene changes

22. Post Biggie & 2Pac Opens the door for new MCs Nas, Jay-Z, Lil Kim, Puff Daddy, Timberland, Missy, Pharcyde, Fugees, Wu-Tang, etc “Bling” era & underground scene

23. Other Scenes Detroit – EminemOakland – Too Short Chicago – CommonAtlanta – Outkast Canada – Maestro, Rascalz, Kardinal

24. Women in Hip Hop Queen Latifah Lauryn Hill MC Lyte Foxy Brown Eve Missy Elliot Miche Mee

25. Hip Hop Today Hip Pop? Many flavours – a whole spectrum What will be next?

26. New Jack Swing Hybrid of Hip Hop and R&B (Mid 80s-mid 90s) Teddy Riley – producer Initially produced for Doug E Fresh “The Show” Formed his own group: Guy

27. New Jack Swing Teddy produced for many popular artists Bobby Brown Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1995) Wreckx’n’Effect, Heavy D, Blackstreet

28. Arsenio Hall Comedian and TV Show host “Arsenio Hall Show” late night TV Featured many New Jack Swing artists Helped spread the NJS sound

29. New Jack Swing Kid & Play – House Party Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – Janet Jackson Babyface – Bobby Brown, TLC

30. New Jack Swing Dancers featured on videos/performances Scoob & Scrap (Big Daddy Kane) Buddha Stretch & Elite Force - choreographers Party dances