History
The origins of hip house can be traced back to various sources in the mid 1980s. The earliest hip house track is MC Miker G and DJ Sven’s 1986 hit “Holiday Rap”. Other early formidable hip house artists include The Beatmasters, Fast Eddie, Tyree and the Jungle Brothers.
Influences
Hip house came from the catchy marriage of euro house music with American hip hop vocals. As the genre developed, two styles emerged: in the US, hip house was slower, more grounded in its hip hop roots; in Europe, hip house was faster, more grounded in its house roots.
Sound
Hip house is party music, often with an intense edge that lends itself nicely to competitive environments like sports stadiums. The sound of hip house can be described as syncopated raps over Euro house tracks that incorporate samples, scratches and hooks mostly programmed on drum machines, synths and sequencers.
The Beatmasters & Cookie Crew – “Rok Da House”
London, 1987
The Beatmasters release hip house’s first track “Rok da House” with Cookie Crew, setting a high bar and clear direction for the genre moving forward.
M|A|R|R|S – “Pump Up The Volume”
London, 1987
With acid house influences, “Pump Up The Volume” by MARRS becomes an instant hit, helping hip house gain early exposure.
Bomb The Bass – “Beat Dis”
London, 1988
Bomb The Bass releases another classic example of acid-inspired hip house with “Beat Dis”, which charted around the world.
Technotronic – “Pump Up The Jam”
Belgium, 1989
“Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic becomes one of house music’s first major US hits.
Tyree Cooper – “Turn Up The Bass”
Chicago, 1989
Tyree Cooper brings Chicago house to hip house with “Turn Up The Bass”.
Double Trouble ft. Rebel Mc – “Street Tuff”
London, 1989
Double Trouble and Rebel MC give hip house a Caribbean flare with “Street Tuff”.
SNAP! – “The Power”
Frankfurt, 1990
SNAP! puts soul into hip house with their smash hit “The Power”, released to celebrate the Berlin wall coming down.
Marky Mark feat The Funky Bunch – “Good Vibrations”
Boston, 1991
Marky Mark trains shirtless and makes out with a girl on a bed. “Good Vibrations” becomes a number 1 hit.
The Outhere Brothers – “Boom Boom Boom”
Chicago, 1995
The Outhere Brothers release “Boom Boom Boom” around the time that hip house begins its rapid decline.
