Learn Evolution of Urban Breaks History The urban breaks genre was the result of second-wave Nu R&B producers combining killer choruses from modern pop music with the energy and attitude of rap for track verses. In the early 2000s, an urban breaks track usually meant a rapper would be given a verse on a pop song, or a pop star […] Written by @recordingarts 20 February 202012 April 2022
Learn Evolution of Crunk History In the late 90s, Memphis producers DJ Paul and Juicy J were making mix tapes with bare-bones drum machine beats and anthemic vocals overtop music with slasher-movie vibes. This new style had a slowed-down Miami bass groove with aggressive vocals, and although it didn’t have a name yet, it was laying the foundations for […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of Country Rap History While decades-old examples of hip hop and country cross-pollination can be found, country rap has been slow to find its footing as a genre. This has been due in large part to implicit (and sometimes explicit) racial lines drawn between hip hop’s predominately black-American artists and their mostly white, country contemporaries. This tension could […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202015 June 2022
Learn Evolution of Latin Hip Hop History During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the West Coast of America became a hot spot for a new sound: Latin hip hop. Latino and Hispanic youth who grew up with a mix of cultural influences took the sounds of hip hop and made it their own. Eventually, Latin hip hop spread outside of […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of G-Funk History While New York hip hop was busy producing gangsta rap and hardcore hip hop, Los Angeles was developing a mellow sound that was more in line with the laid-back West Coast lifestyle. G-funk took the silky smooth bass lines and funky drums of artists like James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic, added wavering synths from R&B, […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of Alternative Hip Hop History Alternative hip hop artists presented a new musical front during the golden age of hip hop. Starting in the late 1980s, some artists like De La Soul began creating hip hop tracks influenced by a wider variety of music than their contemporaries. Jazz, pop, rock music, funk, and soul were all genres up for […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of Horrorcore History In the 1980s, hip hop artists started turning to the horror film genre for inspiration. Radio-friendly tracks like “Nightmare On My Street” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, or “Nightmares” by Dana Dane, helped pave the way for what would become a truly macabre sound for hip hop; horrorcore. Like the slashers […] Written by @recordingarts 19 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of Boom Bap History Boom bap is an onomatopoeia word describing the kick (boom) and snare (bap) drum sounds that define this genre. It was a popular style for 80s and 90s hip hop, particularly within the East Coast scene. While KRS-One helped solidify the boom bap name with his album, Return of the Boom Bap, DJ Premier and […] Written by @recordingarts 18 February 202019 April 2021
Learn Evolution of Hardcore Hip Hop History By 1987, hip hop had made its way into the mainstream. Both Run-DMC and LL Cool J released albums that hit #3 on Billboard’s pop chart, and The Beastie Boys hit #1 with their first studio album, Licensed to Ill. While the music and lyrics of these charting tracks were far from family friendly, […] Written by @recordingarts 18 February 202023 August 2022
Learn Evolution of Miami Bass History Miami bass (also called booty bass) emerged around the 1980s as the new bumpin’ kid on the block party. Its sonic predecessors (reggae, old school hip hop, and electro funk) had paved the way for a welcoming party scene that would give Miami bass a home. Notable founders of the genre The 2 Live […] Written by @recordingarts 18 February 202019 April 2021
