92-469: QDT is an American production supergroup composed of DJ Quik , Snoop Dogg and Teddy Riley . QDT stands for Quik-Dogg-Teddy. The group worked in tandem to produce and record most tracks on Snoop Dogg's ninth studio album, Ego Trippin' (2008). Although not officially disbanded, the group has not worked as a collective since the album’s release. Snoop Dogg used the production group extensively on his album Ego Trippin' . Bumping into Teddy Riley at
184-609: A DJ battle. He then began performing at Adlai E. Stevenson High School and formed the Bronx River Organization, then later simply "The Organization". Bambaataa had deejayed with his own sound system at The Bronx River Houses ' Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, he already had an established Army party crowd drawn from former members of
276-574: A Roland TR-808. The Akai MPC60 came out in 1988, capable of 12 seconds of sampling time. The Beastie Boys released Paul's Boutique in 1989, an entire album created completely from an eclectic mix of samples, produced by the Dust Brothers using an Emax sampler. De La Soul also released 3 Feet High and Rising that year. Public Enemy 's Bomb Squad revolutionized the sound of hip-hop with dense production styles, combining tens of samples per song, often combining percussion breaks with
368-784: A common phrase used by MCs as part of a scat -inspired style of rhyming. The term was first used in print to refer to the music by reporter Robert Flipping, Jr. in a February 1979 article in the New Pittsburgh Courier, and to refer to the culture in a January 1982 interview of Afrika Bambaataa by Michael Holman in the East Village Eye. The term gained further currency in September of that year in another Bambaataa interview in The Village Voice, by Steven Hager . In 1982, Bambaataa and his followers –
460-574: A drum machine. Their beats were much more structured than the early more minimal and repetitive beats. The MPC3000 was released in 1994, the AKAI MPC2000 in 1997, followed by the MPC2000XL in 1999 and the MPC2500 in 2006. These machines combined a sampling drum machine with an onboard MIDI sequencer and became the centerpiece of many hip hop producers' studios. Wu Tang Clan's producer RZA
552-507: A few other works with Family three years earlier, one titled "Funk You" in 1985, and the other titled "Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)" in 1986. In 1986 he discovered an artist in Atlanta . (Through MC SHY D) by the name of Kenya Miler a.k.a. MC Harmony (Known producer now as Kenya Fame Flames Miller), that was later signed to Criminal Records and Arthur Baker. The group was Harmony and LG. The first single, 1987's "Dance To The Drums/No Joke",
644-608: A flood of new semi-professional beatmakers, who license their beats or instrumentals preferably on digital marketplaces to rap artists from all around the world and caused the creation of a new niche market. Some Beatmakers oppose complete reliance on DAWs and software, citing lower overall quality, lack of effort, and lack of identity in computer-generated beats. Sequencing software often comes under criticism from purist listeners and traditional producers as producing sounds that are flat, overly clean, overly compressed, and less human because it's all computer-generated. Popular DAWs include
736-470: A group of dancers, artists, and DJs – went outside the United States on the first hip-hop tour. He saw that the hip hop tours would be the key to help expand hip hop and his Universal Zulu Nation. In addition it would help promote the values of hip hop that he believed are based on peace, unity, love, and having fun. He brought peace to the gangs; many artists and gang members say that "hip hop saved
828-554: A live band, and began to use only technology. Bambaataa credited the pioneering Japanese electropop group Yellow Magic Orchestra , whose work he sampled, as an inspiration. He also borrowed a keyboard hook from German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk and was provided the electronic Roland TR-808 "beat-box" by producer Arthur Baker and synthesizer player John Robie . That resulted in " Planet Rock ", which went to gold status and generated an entire school of "electro-boogie" rap and dance music. Bambaataa formed his own label to release
920-649: A lot of lives". His influence inspired many overseas artists like the French rapper MC Solaar . He was a popular DJ in the South Bronx rap scene and became known not only as Afrika Bambaataa but also as the "Master of Records". He established two rap crews: the Jazzy 5 including MCs Master Ice, Mr. Freeze, Master Bee, Master D.E.E, and AJ Les, and the second crew referred to as Soulsonic Force including Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow and Emcee G.L.O.B.E. In 1982, Bambaataa, who
1012-507: A medium between them and the record company. Teddy has been writing for the Pussycat Dolls and other people at Interscope . Snoop has been writing for his groups, and I've been storing tracks for them when it's time to go full-fledged with it." Hip hop production Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording
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#17327980848931104-556: A movement out of the creativity of a new generation of outcast youths with an authentic, liberating worldview. In 1981, hip hop artist Fab Five Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan new wave clubs, and invited Bambaataa to perform at one of them, the Mudd Club . It was the first time Bambaataa had performed before a predominantly white crowd. Attendance for his parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues, first to
1196-423: A series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing . Through his co-opting of his street gang Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented organization Universal Zulu Nation , he has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world. In May 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of
1288-468: A song called "Do Me Right", and on Mekon 's album Some Thing Came Up , on the track "D-Funktional". He performed the lyrics on the track "Is There Anybody Out There" by the Bassheads . As an actor, he has played a variety of voice-over character roles on Kung Faux . Bambaataa was a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. On September 27, 2007, it
1380-500: A synth hook from Kraftwerk’s “ Trans-Europe Express ”, as well as electronic drum patterns from their track “Numbers,” Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” not only became a massive commercial hit in clubs and dance floors everywhere, but also set the stage for the emergence of electro-funk as a distinct genre. Robert Keith Wiggins , a.k.a. "Cowboy" of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five , is credited with naming hip-hop. The term became
1472-541: A technique of splicing out or copying sections of other songs and rearranging or reworking these sections into cohesive musical patterns, or "loops." This technique was first fully explored in 1982 by Afrika Bambaata , on the Soulsonic Force tape Planet Rock , which sampled parts of dance act Kraftwerk and experienced vast public acclaim. This was followed up on in 1986: then- Def Jam producer Rick Rubin used Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin loops in creating
1564-623: A vocal track (the "rap"). The artist who crafts the beat is the producer (or beatmaker), and the one who crafts the rap is the MC (emcee). In this format, the rap is almost always the primary focus of the song, providing most of the complexity and variation over a fairly repetitive beat. Instrumental hip hop is hip hop music without an emcee rapping. This format gives the producer the flexibility to create more complex, richly detailed and varied instrumentals. Songs of this genre may wander off in different musical directions and explore various subgenres, because
1656-957: Is a core element of hip hop production. While some beats are sampled, others are created by drum machines . The most widely used drum machine is the analog Roland TR-808 , which has remained a mainstay for decades. Digital samplers , such as the E-mu SP-12 and SP-1200 , and the Akai MPC series, have also been used to sample drum beats. Others yet are a hybrid of the two techniques, sampled parts of drum machine beats that are arranged in original patterns altogether. The Akai MPC series and Ensoniq ASR-10 are mainstays for sampling beats, particularly by The Neptunes . Some beat makers and record producers are sound designers that create their own electronic drum kit sounds, such as Dr. Dre , Timbaland , DJ Paul & Juicy J , Swizz Beatz , Kanye West and The Neptunes. Some drum machine sounds, such as
1748-408: Is crucial to consider this when mixing. Vocals are one of the most essential elements to the overall sound of hip hop tracks and attract the most attention. They are often mixed with heavy processing, including equalization (EQ), compression, and the use of effects such as reverb and delay. In modern hip hop, auto-tune has become a defining characteristic and adds a stylized, almost robotic effect to
1840-616: Is often credited for getting hip hop attention away from Dr. Dre 's more polished sound in 1993. RZA's more gritty sound with low rumbling bass, sharp snare drum sounds and unique sampling style based on Ensoniq sampler. With the 1994 release of The Notorious B.I.G. 's Ready to Die , Sean Combs and his assistant producers pioneered a new style where entire sections of records were sampled, instead of short snippets, à la MC Hammer ’s “Can’t Touch This.” Records like "Warning" ( Isaac Hayes 's " Walk On By "), and "One More Chance (Remix)" ( Debarge 's "Stay With Me") epitomized this aesthetic. In
1932-405: Is to produce a final product where all the elements in the song complement each other to create an intended listening experience. Mixing is considered a creative process, as there is no definite right or wrong way to mix a song. Each mixing engineer mixes with their own style and inputs their own creative intent to the track. Rhythm and vocals are the most important aspects to the hip hop genre and it
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#17327980848932024-475: Is used to add depth and space, while delay is used to create rhythm between the vocal and instrumental elements. Small amounts of saturation can be applied to the drums for more presence, or vocals to add warmth and harmonics. DAWs and software sequencers are used in modern hip hop production for the composer as software production products are cheaper, easier to expand, and require less room to run than their hardware counterparts. The success of these DAWs generated
2116-646: The Beastie Boys ' debut Licensed to Ill , and the following year rap duo Eric B. & Rakim popularized James Brown samples with their album Paid in Full . The technique took a bi-coastal turn when discovered by a young Dr. Dre , whose first gig was the DJ of Afrika Bambaata-esque electrofunk group, the World Class Wreckin' Cru . In 1988, Dre began his use of sampling in hip-hop when he produced
2208-636: The N.W.A album Straight Outta Compton , a landmark in the genre of gangsta rap . In 1989, Jazz -sampling pioneers Gang Starr followed in 1991 by Pete Rock & CL Smooth and A Tribe Called Quest both appeared on the scene, popularizing their brand, and sampling took on a full role in hip-hop, spreading to prominence in high-profile projects like the Wu-Tang Clan 's Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers , Dr. Dre's The Chronic , Nas ' Illmatic and Notorious B.I.G. 's Ready to Die . In
2300-610: The Rock Steady Crew , and the Double Dutch Girls, as well as graffiti artists Fab 5 Freddy , PHASE 2 , Futura 2000 , and Dondi . Bambaataa's second release around 1983 was " Looking for the Perfect Beat ", then later, " Renegades of Funk ", both with the same Soulsonic Force. He began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records , where he developed and placed two groups on
2392-486: The Universal Zulu Nation . Inspired by hip-hop icons like DJ Kool Herc, Bambaataa began hosting block parties throughout the South Bronx, including at the Bronx River Organization. Bambaataa engaged primarily as a hip-hop artist. Due to his ties to organized crime, much of his early fan base was centered around the hip-hop movement , as Bambaataa established numerous rap groups including the “Jazzy 5” and
2484-466: The VH1 's 2007 Hip-Hop Honors , Snoop says he felt that God was telling him that he "needed to work with this guy.". DJ Quik, explains that the group wants to help artists get their music heard: "Snoop started this company called QDT (Quik-Dogg-Teddy). We produce records and write songs for other cats that don't have access to great producers or songwriters," Quik told AllHipHop.com . "We are trying to be
2576-560: The Zulu in that film. During his trip to Africa, the communities he visited inspired him to create one in his own neighborhood. He changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, adopting the name of the Zulu chief Bhambatha , who led an armed rebellion against unfair economic practices in early 20th-century South Africa. He told people that his name was Zulu for "affectionate leader". Bambaataa formed The "Bronx River Organization" as an alternative to
2668-424: The audio engineer on the selection of everything from microphones and effects processors to how to mix vocal and instrumental levels. Hip-hop, the dominant turn-of-the-century pop form, gives the most electrifying demonstration of technology's empowering effect [...] [T]he genre rose up from desperately impoverished high-rise ghettos , where families couldn't afford to buy instruments for their kids and even
2760-532: The rapping of an MC , a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " scratching " using record players and the creation of a rhythmic backing track, using a drum machine or sequencer , it is most commonly used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal aspects of hip hop. Hip hop producers may be credited as the record producer or songwriter; they may also supervise recording sessions. Hip hop instrumentals are colloquially referred to as beats or musical compositions, while
2852-527: The "MC popping" rap style), DJ Jazzy Jay , Cosmic Force, Queen Lisa Lee, Prince Ikey C, Ice Ice (#1), Chubby Chub; Jazzy Five -DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Freeze, Master D.E.E., Kool DJ Red Alert, Sundance, Ice Ice (#2), Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Busy Bee Starski, Akbar (Lil Starski), and Raheim . The personnel for the Soulsonic Force were groups within groups with whom he would perform and make records. In 1980, Bambaataa's groups made Death Mix , their first recording with Paul Winley Records . According to Bambaata, this
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2944-488: The "Universal Zulu Nation" due to multiple allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s. Born Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, Bambaataa grew up in the Bronx River Projects , with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in
3036-494: The 1980s-era TR-808 cowbell, remain as historical elements of hip hop lore that continue to be used in 2010s-era hip hop. Hip hop does not simply draw inspiration from a range of samples, but it layers these fragments into an artistic object. If sampling is the first level of hip hop aesthetics, how the pieces or elements fit together constitute the second level. Hip hop emphasizes and calls attention to its layered nature. The aesthetic code of hip hop does not seek to render invisible
3128-561: The 2000s and 2010s, artists such as RJD2 , J Dilla , Pete Rock , Large Professor , MF DOOM , Danny! , Nujabes , Madlib , Damu the Fudgemunk , Wax Tailor , Denver Kajanga, DJ Krush , Hermitude , Abstract Orchestra , and Blockhead have garnered critical attention with instrumental hip hop albums. Due to the current state of copyright law, most instrumental hip-hop releases are released on small, independent and underground labels. Producers often have difficulty obtaining clearance for
3220-509: The 2000s, sampling began to reach an all-time high; Jay-Z 's album The Blueprint helped put producers Kanye West and Just Blaze on the map for their sampling of soul records. Kanye West himself scored early hits with " Through the Wire " and " Jesus Walks ", often considered by West as " chipmunk soul ", due to its sped up vocals on both songs. His 2004 album, The College Dropout , included two sampled hits featuring Twista which led to
3312-584: The 20th Century" issue. Gee Street Records, Bambaataa and John Baker organized a concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1990 for the African National Congress (ANC), in honor of Nelson Mandela 's release from prison. The concert brought together performances by British and American rappers, and also introduced both Nelson and Winnie Mandela and the ANC to hip hop audiences. In relation to
3404-418: The Black Spades. Due to the oft nebulous timeline of hip-hop origins, there are conflicting accounts of when Bambaataa began hosting parties. Some suggest he began as early as 1970, predating noted "father of hip hop" Kool Herc , while others contend he began after Herc in 1976, in fact, attending and drawing inspiration from Kool Herc parties. He vowed to use hip-hop to draw angry kids out of gangs and form
3496-552: The Chicago rapper's Kamikaze selling platinum. On September 7, 2004, however, a U.S. Court of Appeals in Nashville changed the nature of musical copyright infringement by ruling that a license is needed in every case of sampling, where previously a small portion of the song could be copied without repercussion. The law immediately began rarefying samples in hip-hop; in a 2005 interview with Scratch magazine , Dr. Dre announced he
3588-788: The Ritz, in a show organized by hip hop pioneer, Michael Holman, with Malcolm McLaren 's group Bow Wow Wow , then to the Peppermint Lounge , The Jefferson, Negril, Danceteria and the Roxy . " Planet Rock ", a popular single produced by Arthur Baker and the keyboardist John Robie , came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force . The song borrowed musical motifs from German electronic music , funk, and rock. Different elements and musical styles were used together. The song became an immediate hit and stormed
3680-668: The SL-1200 remained the most widely used turntable in DJ culture for the next several decades. Synthesizers are used often in hip hop production. They are used for melodies, basslines , as percussive "stabs", for chords and for sound synthesis, to create new sound textures. The use of synthesizers was popularized by Dr. Dre during the G-funk era. In the 2000s, Jim Jonsin , Cool and Dre , Lil Jon , Scott Storch , and Neptunes continue to use synths. Often in low-budget studio environments or recording rooms constrained by space limitations,
3772-761: The Time Zone Compilation. He created " turntablism " as its own subgenre and the ratification of " electronica " as an industry-certified trend in the late 1990s. In the late 1970s, Bambaataa formed what became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially and politically aware rappers, B-boys , graffiti artists and other people involved in hip hop culture . By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and DJ Dee , and after Disco King Mario loaned him his first equipment, Bambaataa began organizing block parties all around The South Bronx. He even faced his long-time friend, Disco King Mario in
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3864-555: The Universal Zulu Nation. A month later, The Universal Zulu Nation issued an open letter apologizing to the people alleging Bambaataa had sexually abused them while expressing responsibility for the organization's "poor response", signed by nearly three dozen members of the Zulu Nation, including leaders from as far as New Zealand. In October 2016, Vice published an investigative article titled "Afrika Bambaataa Allegedly Molested Young Men For Decades" and reported stories from
3956-669: The Zulu Kings, and later formed the Zulu Queens, and the Shaka Zulu Kings and Queens. As he continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, b-boys , b-girls , graffiti writers, and artists followed him, and he took them under his wing and made them all members of his Zulu Nation. He was also the founder of the Soulsonic Force , which originally consisted of approximately 20 Zulu Nation members: Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, DJ Cowboy Soulsonic Force (#2), Pow Wow, G.L.0.B.E. (creator of
4048-596: The alleged victims and witnesses. The article stated the accusers "claim that these accounts of alleged abuse have been common knowledge in the Bronx River community and beyond since the early 1980s, including among many of Bambaataa's closest friends and Zulu soldiers." No charges were brought against Afrika Bambaataa. In a March 2021 interview, Melle Mel said "everyone knew" about the accusations, calling it "hip hop's best kept secret" but would not respond when asked if he knew specifically. In October 2021 Bambaataa
4140-459: The artist's voice. Occasionally, vocal mixing can also include effects such as saturation or pitch modulation to bring a certain stylistic sound. Mixing the beat in hip hop involves having a strong low-end that complements the vocals. Most hip hop beats consist of elements such as the 808 bass, kick, snare, hi-hats, and melodic instruments such as synths or samples. Having a good mix means every element should be distinguishable with its own place in
4232-400: The composer is called either a programmer, songwriter, or beat maker. In the studio, the hip hop producer often functions as both the composer and as a traditional record producer. They are sometimes called Orchestrators. P. Diddy is an example of one, but they are ultimately responsible for the final sound of a recording and providing guidance to the artists and performers, as well as advising
4324-704: The composer would use virtual instruments instead of hardware synthesizers. In the 2010s, virtual instruments are becoming more common in high-budget studio environments. In hip hop, a multi-track recorder is standard for recording. The Portastudio cassette recorder was the law in the in-house recording studios in the 1980s. Digital ADAT tape recorders became standard during the 1990s, but have been largely replaced by Digital Audio Workstations or DAWs such as Apple's Logic, Avid's Pro Tools and Steinberg's Nuendo and Cubase. DAW's allow for more intricate editing and unlimited track counts, as well as built-in effects. This allows songwriters and composers to create music without
4416-468: The course of the 2010s, many chart-topping hits revolved around music producers using digital audio workstation software (for example FL Studio) to create songs from sampled sounds. Some prominent music producers include Sonny Digital , Mike Will Made It , Metro Boomin , WondaGurl , Zaytoven , Lex Luger , Young Chop , DJ L Beats, Tay Keith , and the birth of music producing groups such as 808Mafia , Winner's Circle, and Internet Money . The drum beat
4508-403: The different facets of the contemporary hip hop producer; a single production credit can involve any number of these roles. Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa ( / ˌ æ f r ɪ k ə b æ m ˈ b ɑː t ə / ), is an American DJ , rapper, and record producer from South Bronx , New York City . He is notable for releasing
4600-502: The direct-drive turntable technology of the Technics SL-1100, which he used for the first sound system he set up after emigrating to New York in the 1970s. The signature technique he developed was playing two copies of the same record on two turntables in alternation to extend the b-dancers ' favorite section, switching back and forth between the two to loop the breaks to a rhythmic beat. The most influential turntable
4692-652: The disadvantages of dynamic microphones are they do not generally possess the wide spectrum of condenser microphones and their frequency response is not as uniform. Many hip-hop producers typically used the Neumann U-87 for recording vocals which imparts a glassy "sheen" especially on female vocals. But today, many producers in this musical genre use the Sony C-800G tube microphone, vintage microphones, and high-end ribbon microphones tuned for flattering, "big" vocal expression. Many classic hip-hop songs were recorded with
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#17327980848934784-446: The drum set has taken numerous identities. It is the instrument that makes jazz "swing" and rock 'n' roll "rock." With a new age of pop music on the rise within the past decade , it is easy to assume the drum set has been replaced by electronic sounds produced by an engineer. In reality, the drum set is the reason behind the production of these electronic beats, and live drummers contribute to modern day hip-hop much more than what meets
4876-421: The ear. An example of a drummer recording on a hip-hop record is Kendrick Lamar 's album titled To Pimp A Butterfly which was released in 2015. Robert Sput Searight, drummer of Snarky Puppy , performed on the tracks titled "For Free" and "Hood Politics." When performing live, Lamar would often employ a live band as opposed to most live hip-hop that use a pre-recorded backing track. The non-musician may find
4968-521: The earliest songs to contain a drum loop or break was " Rhymin' and Stealin' " by the Beastie Boys , produced by Rick Rubin . Marley Marl also popularized a style of restructuring drum loops by sampling individual drum hits in the mid-1980s, a technique that was popularized by the MC Shan 's 1986 single "The Bridge," which used chops of " Impeach the President " on two Korg Delay/sampling triggered by
5060-410: The early 2000s, Roc-a-Fella in-house producer Kanye West made the "chipmunk" technique popular. This had been first used by 1980s electro hip-hop group Newcleus with such songs as "Jam on It". This technique involves speeding up a vocal sample, and its corresponding instrumental loop, to the point where the vocal sounds high-pitched. The result is a vocal sample that sounds similar to the singing of
5152-570: The event, the recording Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) helped raise approximately $ 30,000 for the ANC. From the mid-1990s, Bambaataa returned to his electro roots. In 1998, he produced a remix of " Planet Rock " combining electro and house music elements, called "Planet Rock '98", which is regarded as an early example of the electro house genre. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered his song " Renegades of Funk " for their album, Renegades . The same year, he collaborated with Leftfield on
5244-520: The expense of a large commercial studio. Generally, professional producers opt for a condenser microphone for studio recording, mostly due to their wide-range response and high quality. A primary alternative to the expensive condenser microphone is the dynamic microphone , used more often in live performances due to its durability. The major disadvantages of condenser microphones are their expense and fragility. Also, most condenser microphones require phantom power, unlike dynamic microphones. Conversely,
5336-484: The first direct-drive turntables , which eliminated belts, and instead employed a motor to directly drive the platter on which a vinyl record rests. The Technics SL-1100 was adopted by early hip hop artists in the 1970s, due to its strong motor, durability and fidelity. A forefather of turntablism was DJ Kool Herc , an immigrant from Jamaica to New York City. He introduced turntable techniques from Jamaican dub music , while developing new techniques made possible by
5428-416: The first use of turntables in jazz fusion , and gave the turntablism and record " scratching " widespread exposure. The release of DJ Shadow 's debut album Endtroducing..... in 1996 saw the beginnings of a movement in instrumental hip hop. Relying mainly on a combination of sampled funk , hip hop and film score , DJ Shadow's innovative sample arrangements influenced many producers and musicians. In
5520-566: The fledgling Electro genre. An especially notable artist is the genre's own pioneer Juan Atkins who released what is generally accepted as the first American techno record, "Clear" in 1984 (later sampled by Missy Elliott ). These early electro records laid down the foundations that later Detroit techno artists such as Derrick May built upon. In 1983, Run-DMC recorded " It's Like That " and " Sucker M.C.'s ," two songs which relied completely on synthetic sounds, in this case via an Oberheim DMX drum machine, ignoring samples entirely. This approach
5612-421: The following: Live instrumentation is not as widespread in hip hop, but is used by a number of acts and is prominent in hip hop-based fusion genres such as rapcore . Before samplers and synthesizers became prominent parts of hip hop production, early hip hop hits such as " Rapper's Delight " ( The Sugarhill Gang ) and "The Breaks" ( Kurtis Blow ) were recorded with live studio bands. During the 1980s, Stetsasonic
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#17327980848935704-412: The gang. Hip hop culture was spreading through the streets via house parties, block parties, gym dances and mix tapes. About a year later Bambaataa reformed the group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Specifically, Bambaataa watched the 1964 film Zulu , which sparked the name for the group. Five b-boys ( break dancers ) joined him, whom he called
5796-441: The instruments do not have to supply a steady beat for an MC. Although producers have made and released hip hop beats without MCs since hip hop's inception, those records rarely became well-known. Jazz keyboardist /composer Herbie Hancock and bassist/ producer Bill Laswell 's electro -inspired collaborations are notable exceptions. 1983's Future Shock album and hit single " Rockit " featured turntablist Grand Mixer D.ST ,
5888-437: The label: Time Zone and Shango. Bambaataa recorded "Wildstyle" with Time Zone , and he recorded a collaboration with punk rocker John Lydon and Time Zone in 1984, titled "World Destruction". Shango's album, Shango Funk Theology , was released by the label in 1984. In 1984, Bambaataa and other hip hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street . He also made a landmark recording with James Brown , titled " Unity ". It
5980-410: The layers of samples, sounds, references, images, and metaphors. Rather, it aims to create a collage in which the sampled texts augment and deepen the song/book/art's meaning to those who can decode the layers of meaning. Sampling is using a segment of another's musical recording as part of one's own recording. It has been integral to hip hop production since its inception. In hip-hop, the term describes
6072-517: The many samples found throughout their work, and labels such as Stones Throw are fraught with legal problems. In contemporary hip hop production, the title producer has become a catch-all term that could indicate one or many types of contributions to any particular project. It is further complicated by the fact that the music industry has only three main categories to identify musical contributions – artist, producer, and songwriter – which often overlap in 21st century music production. Below are some of
6164-605: The most basic of equipment. In many cases this contributes to its raw sound quality, and charm. A lot of recording engineers prefer using "dry" acoustics for hip hop to minimize the room reverberation. Mixing is the process of blending audio elements together to create a cohesive sound that clearly conveys the artist’s intended experience for the listener. This process is the final step of music production, after songwriting, arrangement, and recording have been completed. Mixing involves adjusting audio tracks and applying tools such as equalizers, compression, and effects. The purpose of this
6256-522: The most densely packed sonic assemblages in musical history: Eric B. and Rakim 's Paid in Full , Public Enemy 's Fear of a Black Planet , Dr. Dre 's The Chronic . The Roland TR-808 drum machine was introduced in 1980, which was an analog machine with a step-programming method. The 808 was heavily used by Afrika Bambaataa , who released " Planet Rock " in 1982, in addition to the electro hip hip groundbreaking classic " Nunk " by Warp 9 , produced by Lotti Golden and Richard Scher, giving rise to
6348-477: The most rudimentary music-making seemed out of reach. But music was made all the same: the phonograph itself became an instrument. In the South Bronx in the 1970s, DJs like Kool Herc , Afrika Bambaataa , and Grandmaster Flash used turntables to create a hurtling collage of effects— loops , breaks , beats , scratches . Later, studio-bound DJs and beat maker's used digital sampling to assemble some of
6440-492: The movement. He was exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection. Gangs in the area became the law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf. Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades . He quickly rose to the position of "warlord" in one of the divisions. As warlord, it was his job to build ranks and expand
6532-602: The music charts worldwide. The song melded the main melody from Kraftwerk's " Trans-Europe Express " with electronic beats based on their track " Numbers " as well as portions from records by Babe Ruth and Captain Sky , thus creating a new style of music altogether, electro funk . Afrika Bambaataa was booked on the first ever European hip hop tour presented by Europe One and Fnac France. Along with himself were rapper and graffiti artist Rammellzee , Zulu Nation DJ Grand Mixer DXT (formerly Grand Mixer D.St), B-boy and B-girl crews
6624-471: The popular cartoon singing animals " Alvin and the Chipmunks ". West adopted this style from J Dilla and the Wu-Tang Clan 's RZA , who in turn was influenced by Prince Paul , the pioneer of the style of speeding up and looping vocal samples to achieve the "chipmunk" sound. Kanye West has used the "chipmunk" effect in many of his songs, and has been used in many other artists' music in the 2010s. During
6716-551: The potential for technological advancement in music making, deciding to stop performing with a live band and instead only relying on technology on stage. That same year, Bambaataa released his breakthrough electro-funk track in the form of “Planet Rock”, which featured Bambaataa, producer Arthur Baker and the Soulsonic Force. This groundbreaking single, featuring the iconic line “party people, can you feel it?,” seamlessly blended electronic sounds, drum machines, and futuristic synthesizers with traditional funk and hip-hop elements. Featuring
6808-517: The song " Afrika Shox ", the first single from Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth . " Afrika Shox " also appeared on the soundtrack to Vanilla Sky . In 2004, he collaborated with WestBam , a group that was named after him, on the 2004 album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light which also featured Gary Numan . In 2006, he was featured on the British singer Jamelia 's album Walk with Me on
6900-440: The sonic soundscape. Each element should complement each other, with the sub-bass frequencies in particular. The sub-bass frequencies, which include the 808 and the kick, can often clash and cause muddiness when they play at the same time. To avoid the clash, EQ and sidechain compression is often used to carve out distinct spaces for each element, allowing the kick to punch through between the sustained 808 bass. Panning and managing
6992-469: The stereo field are important in creating space in the mix. Typically, instruments such as hi-hats, cymbals, and other various background elements are panned to different parts of the stereo field. The vocals, 808, kick, and snare are left in the center. This arrangement of panning will avoid clashing between the vocals and main drums, while creating width and immersion. Special effects such as reverb, delay, and distortion are at times, used sparingly. Reverb
7084-455: The turf of the young Spades. He was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gangs, and their members. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf. After Bambaataa won an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa , his worldview shifted. He had seen the movie Zulu and was impressed with the solidarity exhibited by
7176-411: The use of a live drummer on a hip-hop recording unnoticeable, however, these musicians should receive credit for their work. The list below names some of the most influential drummers of the hip-hop genre. Other hip hop drummers include the following: Instrumental hip hop is hip hop music without vocals. Hip hop as a general rule consists of two elements: an instrumental track (the "beat") and
7268-612: The use of sampling. Because hip hop production revolves around sampling, a sampler / sequencer combination device such as Akai 's MPC line of grooveboxes usually forms the centerpiece of a hip hop production studio. Although mostly replaced by Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) by today, classics like the E-mu Systems SP-1200, Akai MPC60, Akai MPC3000 or Ensoniq ASR-10 still see use today due to their workflow and sound characteristics. The most widely used turntables in hip hop are Panasonic 's Technics series. They were
7360-480: The “Soulsonic Force”, which featured many artists that had overlapped with the Universal Zulu Nation. In 1982, Bambaataa began playing "authentically" electronic music in the form of EBN-OZN ’s “AEIOU Sometimes Y”, which was the first ever commercially released American single made on a computer, namely the Fairlight CMI. Inspired by electronic music groups such as Kraftwerk , Bambaataa began to realize
7452-476: Was 15. Following the allegations, three more men accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse. Bambaataa issued a statement to Rolling Stone denying the allegations. In early May 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation disassociated itself from Bambaataa as part of an organizational restructuring that saw the group removing "all accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation" from their roles. On May 6, Bambaataa resigned as head of
7544-465: Was Kevin Donovan, which was widely accepted by the hip hop community until recently, following sexual abuse allegations, when Bronx River residents spoke out and revealed in oral testimonies that Bambaataa's real name was in fact Lance Taylor. The Zulu Nation was the first hip-hop organization, with an official birth date of November 12, 1977. Bambaataa's plan with the Universal Zulu Nation was to build
7636-620: Was a pioneering example of a live hip hop band. Hip hop with live instrumentation regained prominence during the late-1990s and early 2000s with the work of The Goats , The Coup , The Roots , Mello-D and the Rados, Common , DJ Quik , UGK and OutKast , among others. In recent years, The Robert Glasper Experiment has explored live instrumentation with an emphasis on the instrumental and improvisational aspect of hip hop with rappers such as Mos Def , Talib Kweli , Q-Tip , and Common as well as neo-soul singer Bilal Oliver . Throughout history
7728-407: Was an unauthorized release. Winley recorded two versions of Soulsonic Force's landmark single, "Zulu Nation Throwdown", with authorization from the musicians. Disappointed with the results of the single, Bambaataa left the company. The arranger credit on these recordings is correctly attributed to Harlem Underground Band leader, Kevin Donovan. This led to the false assumption that Bambaataa's real name
7820-620: Was announced that Afrika Bambaataa was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. On December 22, 2007, he made a surprise appearance performing at the First Annual Tribute Fit For the King of King Records, Mr. Dynamite James Brown in Covington, Kentucky . On August 14, 2012, Bambaataa was given a three-year appointment as a visiting scholar at Cornell University . The appointment
7912-562: Was billed in music industry circles as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop". Around October 1985, Bambaataa and other music stars worked on the anti- apartheid album Sun City with Little Steven Van Zandt , Joey Ramone , Run–D.M.C. , Lou Reed , U2 , and others. During 1988, he recorded "Afrika Bambaataa and Family" for Capitol Records , titled The Light, featuring Nona Hendryx , UB40 , Boy George , George Clinton , Bootsy Collins , and Yellowman . He had recorded
8004-400: Was inspired by Kraftwerk 's futuristic electronic music, debuted at The Roxy a test cassette of EBN-OZN 's ground breaking, 12-inch white rap/spoken word "AEIOU Sometimes Y". It was the first commercially released American single ever made on a computer, a Fairlight CMI , ushering in the era of music computer sampling. In that same year, Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force stopped performing with
8096-725: Was made in collaboration between Cornell University Library 's Hip Hop Collection, the largest collection of historical hip hop music in North America, and the university's department of Music. His archives, including his vinyl collection, original audio and video recordings, manuscripts, books, and papers arrived at the Cornell University Hip Hop Collection in December 2013. In April 2016, Bronx political activist Ronald "Bee-Stinger" Savage accused Bambaataa of molesting him in 1980, when Savage
8188-418: Was moving more toward instrumentation, and in 2006 The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1994 debut album Ready to Die was temporarily pulled from shelves for a retroactive sample clearance issue. As a result, more major producers and artists have moved further away from sampling and toward live instrumentation, such as Wu-Tang's RZA and Mos Def . There were often questions of originality and authenticity that followed
8280-489: Was much like early songs by Bambaataa and the Furious Five. Kurtis Blow was the first hip hop artist to use a digital sampler , when he used the Fairlight CMI on his 1984 album Ego Trip , specially on the track "AJ Scratch". The E-mu SP-12 came out in 1985, capable of 2.5 seconds of recording time. The E-mu SP-1200 promptly followed (1987) with an expanded recording time of 10 seconds, divided on 4 banks. One of
8372-801: Was produced by Bambaataa and Baker with musicians Keith LeBlanc and Doug Wimbish. Bambaataa was involved in the Stop the Violence Movement, and with other hip hop artists recorded "Self Destruction", a 12" single which hit number one on the Hot Rap Singles Chart in March 1989. The single went gold and raised $ 400,000 for the National Urban League to be used for community anti-violence education programs. In 1990, Bambaataa made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of
8464-492: Was the Technics SL-1200 . It was adopted by New York City hip hop DJs such as Grand Wizard Theodore and Afrika Bambaataa in the 1970s. As they experimented with the SL-1200 decks, they developed scratching techniques when they found that the motor would continue to spin at the correct RPM even if the DJ wiggled the record back and forth on the platter. Since then, turntablism spread widely in hip hop culture, and
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