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First Rap Record

First rap record

Hip hop culture, including rapping, scratching, graffiti, and breakdancing, emerged from 1970s block parties in New York City, specifically The Bronx (Toop, 1991). In the 1930s more than a fifth of Harlem residents were from the West Indies, and the block parties of the 80's were closely similar to sound systems in Jamaica(Toop, 1991). These were large parties, originally outdoors, thrown by owners of loud and expensive stereo equipment, which they could share with the community or use to compete among themselves, who began speaking lyrics or toasting. Rap music emerged from block parties after ultra-competitive DJs isolated percussion breaks, those being the favorites among dancers, and MCs began speaking over the beats (Toop, 1991); in Jamaica, a similar musical style called dub developed from the same isolated and elongated percussion breaks. However, "most rappers will tell you that they either disliked reggae or were only vaguely aware of it in the early and middle '70s." (Toop, 1991) Lastly, most existing hip hop acts were shocked when King Tim III's throwback to radio DJs rhyming jive and the Sugarhill Gang's appropriation of rap on their remake, not sample, of Chic's "Good Times" were released, as most DJs and MCs knew each other and many had been attempting to record (Toop, 1991). Early rap records are a mix bag of quality material by party veterans and poorer material quickly produced for a profit. Lil Rodney Cee, of Funky Four Plus One More and Double Trouble, cites Cowboy, of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, as, "the first MC that I know of...He was the first MC to talk about the DJ." (Toop, 1991) =The historical conditions contributing to the origin of hip hop= The reasons for the rise of hip hop are complex. Perhaps most important was the low cost involved in getting started: the equipment was relatively inexpensive, and virtually anyone could MC along with the popular beats of the day. MCs could be creative, pairing nonsense rhymes and teasing friends and enemies alike in the style of Jamaican toasting at blues parties or playing the dozens in an exchange of wit. MCs would play at block parties, with no expectation of recording, thus making hip hop a form of folk music (as long as electronic music is not excluded from being folk). The skills necessary to create hip hop music were passed informally from musician to musician, rather than being taught in expensive music lessons. In Washington, D.C., go go also emerged as a reaction against disco, and eventually mixed with hip hop during the early 1980s, while electronic music did the same, developing as house music in Chicago and techno music in Detroit.

Backlash against Disco

While the sixties saw social activism, society became more self-absorbed in the seventies. Music became at once more introspective with the singer-songwriter movement and more carefree with the rise of disco music. While in 1977 Steve Rubell was hand-selecting beautiful "nobodies" from the huge mobs outside Studio 54 to mingle and engage in sexual encounters and drug use with the glamorous celebrities inside; a few years earlier in the decade, in the forgotten parts of the musical landscape --dissafected suburban garages, underfunded university campus laboratories, marginalized urban record collection networks-- certain elements were put into motion that would coalesce in the ghettos of North America to rebel against the dominant beat of flamboyant abandonement. The production of Disco necessitated commodification of originality and sacrifice of musical resources analogous to the industrialized nations' ignorant appetite of cheap middle-east fuel before the 1973 oil crisis. Soaring choirs, busy horn sections and 101 strings were out of the financial grasp of the independent musician; and the overly elaborated, highly detailed arrangement was a tool that artists no longer wanted to see employed to bolster the tirany of four-to-the-floor. Besides, Disco was not the socially conciouss funk of WAR, Curtis Mayfield, Sly and the Family Stone and George Clinton; it had taken easily subvertible forms, a homogenized product increasingly promoting the cheap merit and irresponsible hedonism of the elite to wider and wider audiences.

Punk

Originally a multiethnic effort [http://www.roctober.com/roctober/blackpunk1.html], Punk's honesty and concision was naturally inclined to shelter against Disco and its Rock counterparts: Soft, Progressive and Arena Rock.

Minimalism

Minimalism --and more significantly Electronic Minimalism-- resorted to calmly, methodically --and sometimes even organically-- remove the extensive mess of ornamentation existant in both Popular and Classical Music; cleaning the palate and paving the autobahn for the discovery of new rythms.

Ghetto DJs

Librarians of lunacy and analog alchemy, Ghetto DJs found solace in experimentation. A generation that refused to be silenced by urban poverty, teenagers with little cash but plenty of imagination began to forge new styles from spare parts. In an interview for David Toop's book 'Rap Attack 3', Afrika Bambaataa said that

"The Bronx wasn't really into radio music no more. It was an anti-disco movement. Like you had a lot of new wavers and other people coming out and saying, 'Disco Sucks'. Well, the same thing with hip hop, 'cause they was against the disco that was being played on the radio."

and in a reference plastered countless time on the internet, known as 'The History Of Rap' by Kurtis Blow, he writes

"You have to understand that disco music was the hottest thing out -- it was a craze that infiltrated all of American society. We were the rebels who couldn't relate. We weren't going for it. The B-Boys were from the ghetto, while disco was for the middle class and the rich. But there was hip-hop in both worlds. It was the hip-hop tug-o'-war -- disco rappers versus the B-Boys."

Punks, minimalists and DJs; all suppressing the fear of ridicule, all mindful of the delicate balance between challenging and alienating listeners, and all proud of their ability to understand increasing amounts of technical knowledge in light of the creative independence it reaped; have crosspolinated with and from each other since their infancy. But it was the minimalists toghether with the northern ghetto DJs which created electrofunk, or simply "electro", which came to form the dominant backdrop over which the old school MC's rapped.

Urban Socioeconomics

Along with the low expense and the demise of other forms of popular music, social and political events further accelerated the rise of hip hop. In 1959, the Cross-Bronx Expressway was built through the heart of the Bronx, displacing many of the middle-class white communities and causing widespread unemployment among the remaining blacks as stores and factories fled the area. By the 1970s, poverty was rampant. When a 15,000+ apartment Co-op City was built at the northern edge of the Bronx in 1968, the last of the middle-class fled the area and the area's black and Latino gangs began to grow in power. =Earlier styles that contributed to hip-hop music=
- West African griots, wandering poets and "praise-singers"
- spirituals and other forms of Christian music, as well as certain Protestant preachers' sermons
- Voice instrumental, long-standing tradition in world music of many varieties and across peoples
- scat singing, using the voice to imitate a musical instrument.
- toasting, traditional African-American and Afro-Caribbean entertainment, long, rhymed tales of great heroes, Stagger Lee and Jack Johnson among others (see dub)
- Dirty Dozens, stylized exchange of insults.
- "Signifying Monkey", long series of rhymed tales in which the weaker monkey triumphs through tricks over the more powerful beasts of the jungle, a ruder version of the Brer Rabbit stories.
- talking blues, popularized by Woody Guthrie, John Lee Hooker, and others, featuring rhyming talking with ironic asides to the audience.
- Late 1960s and early 70s at least proto-rap poets such as Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets
- jump rope and schoolyard rhymes, such as the following: ::One bright day in the middle of the night, ::Two dead boys got up to fight. ::Back to back they faced each other, ::drew their swords and shot each other.
- Jazz vocalese and pop/R&B Doo wop, using voices to imitate an entire band (dating back at least to the Mills Brothers). =Individual performances that prefigured hip-hop= While hip hop itself did not come along until the early 1970s, there have been many performers who succeeded with rapping-like performances in early jazz, blues, pop, and country performances.
- Pinetop Smith's "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" (1929) in which the "girl with the red dress on" was first told "when I say stop, don't you move a peg, when I say go I want you to shake your leg".
- W.C. Handy's talking celebration of "Long John Dean, the bold bank robber from Bowling Green".
- The 1942 Merrie Melodies cartoon Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs, which features all of its characters speaking in rhythmic rhyming verse.
- Rosalind Russell, "Swing" (1953), a "patter song" written by Leonard Bernstein for the Broadway musical Wonderful Town that's just full of rappish talk -- "Old man Mose, kicked that bucket, down in the well, well, well, well ... Fish, it's my favorite dish"
- Ray Charles's "Greenbacks" (1953), in which he raps out a sad story of how he got taken by a golddigger, "If you wanna have fun in this man's land, let Lincoln and Jackson start shaking hands".
- Champion Jack Dupree's "Big Leg Emma's" (1956), rhyming tale of a barrelhouse raid over slow blues piano: "I went down to Big Leg Emma's house, to get myself a drink of gin, but before I got in the house good, the law walked in".
- Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love", (1956) a maniacal boast, "I got a tombstone hand and graveyard mind, just 22 and I don't mind dyin'". An even more direct antecedent is Bo Diddley's "Say Man," in which Diddley and maracas player Jerome Green trade spoken-word insults about their clothes and girlfriends over an addictive rock/rhumba riff.
- Numerous novelty songs of the 50s and 60s featuring rhythmic readings of rhymed verse (often with melodic choruses), such as Larry Verne's "Please Mr. Custer", the tale of a reluctant Indian fighter; "All American Boy", the story of Elvis Presley, "Gitarzan" by Ray Stevens, "He's free as the breeze, He's always at ease, He lives in the jungle and hangs by his knees".
- Napoleon XIV, "They're coming to take me away ha-ha" (1966), just one demented rhymer, a trap set, and a variable speed tape drive. And, on the B-side, the whole thing in reverse.
- Bob Dylan "Subterranean Homesick Blues" 1960s vocal exercise, "Short pants, romance, learn to dance, Get dressed, get blessed, Try to be a success", etc.
- Pink Floyd's "Vegetable Man" (1968) is an unreleased song where current bandmember Syd Barrett is very clearly rapping about his clothes and the image forced on him by his band.
- The witty, rhyme-filled boasts of boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
- Bonzo Dog Band, "Humanoid Boogie" (1969): "Well, the humanoid boogie's gonna get to number one on the cha-cha-charts voted by the people-eeple-eeple of the record-buying publicoid".
- Many recordings by American R&B/soul/funk musician James Brown, in particular "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)", "Super Bad", "(Get Up I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine", and "Hot Pants (She Got To Use What She Got To Get What She Wants)".
- Many funk songs by Parliament-Funkadelic, such as the spoken-sung call and response poetry of "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The Doo-Doo Chasers)" (Funkadelic, One Nation Under a Groove, 1978)

Source

- David Toop (1984/1991). Rap Attack II: African Rap To Global Hip Hop. New York. New York: Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1852422432. Category:Hip hop Category:Origins of music genres

Hip hop culture

Hip hop is a cultural movement that began among urban Africans, Jamaicans and Latinos in the Bronx borough of New York City during the early 1970s, and has since spread around the world. The four main aspects, or "elements", of hip hop culture are MCing (rapping), DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing. Some consider beatboxing the fifth element of hip hop; others might add political activism, hip hop fashion, hip hop slang, double dutching (an urban form of rope skipping) or other elements as important facets of hip hop. The term has since come to be a synonym for hip hop music (or rap) to mainstream audiences. hip hop music In recent years the focus has been centrally place on rapping and producing. The origin of the term "hip-hop" itself is unclear; but, over time, the term has taken on a life of its own. The movement that later became known as "hip-hop" is widely accreditted to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc in the early 70s, while competing DJ Afrika Bambaataa is often credited with having invented the term "hip-hop" to describe the culture. A variety of mythical etymologies and complex meanings have been attached to the term and continue to propagate within the hip hop community. Beginning in the early 1990s hip hop was almost as popular as rock and roll, and by 2002 was the clear winner in terms of popularity.

Hip-hop

Main article: Hip hop music The various factors that influenced early hip hop are complex and numerous, and vary from the griots of Africa to the rock of America. Although the majority of influences can be traced to African culture, the multicultural society of New York City resulted in diverse musical influences from all over the world finding their way into hip hop music. Elements of the style and techniques of rapping originate with the griots of West Africa; traveling singers and poets had musical styles that contained elements of what would later evolve into hip-hop music. Some griot traditions came to the United States, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean with the passage of African slaves to the New World. Other notable influences are the spoken word sections of records by soul and funk musicians such as James Brown and Isaac Hayes. One of the many influences on the creation of contemporary hip hop music is the Jamaican style called dub, which arose as a sub-genre of Reggae in the 1960s. Dub music saw producers such as King Tubby creating instrumental versions of popular reggae records for the purpose of clubs and Sound systems; they had discovered that dancers often responded better to the extended, isolated beats of the records, often featuring intense percussion and heavy basslines. Soon, the MCs that hosted the dances began speaking over the instrumental records, and the skills of MCs such as U-Roy, Dr. Alimontado and Dillinger saw them become popular performers in their own right. This tradition continues in contemporary Dancehall music. In 1967, Jamaican immigrants such as DJ Kool Herc applied the methods of Dub to Funk loops that were popular in New York City. According to David Top, Reggae was not popular among most American Hip-Hop fans in the early years of Hip-Hop, despite its influence. In parks and community centres, up and coming DJs were playing to packed crowds of youngsters eager to hear the old funk tunes. Pretty soon (by 1976/77) the DJs and dancers we’re paying special attention to the percussion breaks in records like Jimmy Castor's 'It's Just Begun', Dennis Coffrey's 'Scorpio' and Herman KeIly's 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat': in fact to any record with a good drum break, including tracks by the Rolling Stones and other white rock bands. One of the first Hip-Hop songs to be released was "Rappers Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, which sampled Chic, a popular disco group. The kids who danced to the breaks started calling themselves B-Boys and their energetic, acrobatic style of dancing which accompanied the playing of the breaks became known as breaking. The most popular Bronx DJs like Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash started mixing two copies of the same record to make the breaks last longer; with fast cutting between the decks a 20-second drum break could be turned into a five-minute mix. Besides experimenting with the technical side of DJ-ing like cutting and scratching, the Bronx Jocks experimented with the the electronic music coming out of Europe. Kraftwerk's 1977 hit 'Trans-Europe Express' was a B-Boy favourite for its cool driving metallic Kraftwerk mixture of computerised drumbreaks and synthesisers. While all this was happening on the hot and sweaty dancefloors of the Bronx, out on the streets another vital element of the hip hop scene was falling into place.

Emceeing

The old, black tradition of using rhyming slang to brag or put down your enemies (or friends) had developed, through the street jive of the early Seventies, to become for many urban youngsters a new way of talking. In a larger sense, this was a continuation of a verbal tradition that goes back as far as the African griots. Half speaking, half singing the rhythmic street talk of Rapping was soon in the clubs, with aspiring rappers doing their thing over the local sound systems, the DJs providing backing tracks of instrumental loops of the latest dance hits. Another significant influence is Blues music. In many ways, hip hop is a continuation of an oral historical tradition dating back to the griots and traced through the Blues that came out of slavery. One of the main influences Blues had on rapping was the Call/Response aspect of the music. This survived into the tradition of "toasting" over Dub music, a tradition which was transferred to hip hop by Jamaicain immigrants like Kool Herc. This became most pronounced in the MC "Battles" of the early 1980's. Freestyle rapping of improvised lyrics is also part of a tradition that began with musicians improvising on their instruments in Jazz and the Blues. Rappers such as Guru give credit to the Jazz element that influences Hip-Hop. Rapping]Herc was one of the most popular DJs in early 70s New York, playing at neighborhood parties (also known as block parties). After his first gig on Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx in 1973, Herc quickly switched from using reggae records to funk, rock and disco, as he found that the New York audience did not particularly like reggae. Herc and other DJs found that dancers often preferred the funky, percussive breaks of the records, and began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. Within a highly-competitive atmosphere, Herc's friends and competitors quickly developed other mixing techniques in order to keep audiences excited. As in Jamaica, these events were often hosted by a performer who spoke while the music played; these were originally called MCs (Masters of Ceremonies) and, later, rappers. Early rappers focused on introducing themselves, the DJ and others in the audience, although they quickly progressed to including improvisation and a simple four-count beat, along with a simple chorus. Later MCs added more complex and often humorous lyrics, and incorporated a focus on sexual themes and all around boasting. Although it was yet to be recorded, hip hop music steadily grew in popularity, and by the end of the 1970s was beginning to become a major artistic force which had spread throughout the United States. During the 1980s and 1990s, hip hop gradually became mainstream (a transition usually considered to have been completed in 1992) in the US and, to a lesser degree, worldwide. By the 2000s hip-hop became the most popular music genre in the United States, at times occupying every top ten spot on the music charts. Famous rappers of the past and present include Melle Mel, Whodini, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Tupac Shakur, Rakim, Notorious BIG, Snoop Dogg, OutKast, Eminem, Jay-Z, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, 50 Cent and NWA

DJing

Main article: DJing Hip-Hop DJing, referred to by some as turntablism, is the practice of using a turntable as a musical instrument. Skills associated with turntablism include record scratching, beat juggling, and mixing. A DJ should not necessarily be considered a producer of a music track (though there is considerable overlap between the two roles). Today, the terms are often used exchangably, similar to 'rapper' and 'MC'. Famous DJs include Grandmaster Flash, Grandwizard Theodore (credited with "inventing" scratching), Mr. Magic, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Scratch from EPMD, DJ Pete Jones, Prince Paul (widely lauded for collaborations with De La Soul and assorted solo ventures), DJ Premier from Gang Starr, Pete Rock, DJ Scott La Rock from Boogie Down Productions, DJ Miz, DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC, Eric B., DJ Shadow, RJD2, DJ Q-Bert, Diamond D, Mr. Khaliyl (an associate of Mos Def and Jurassic 5), Young Einstein, DJ Nu-Mark, James Lavelle, Cut Chemist, DJ Format, DJ Serious, Mister Cee, DJ Paul Nice, DJ Aladdin, Mix Master Mike, DJ D-Styles, DJ Signify, DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Babu, DJ Kay Slay, DJ Quik, DJ Spooky, Mr. DJ, and DJ Spinderella (of Salt-N-Pepa). Before they became the center of attention, an MC's role was to get the crowd into the DJ's mix. In general, Hip hop has focused on getting one's audience to dance, although relatively large niche audiences have formed in present day that focus on lyrics rather than dance such as Tech N9ne. Disillusioned by the centrality of emcees, with this new culture, some DJs further explored the art of spinning records, creating the turntablist scene. A DJ generally needs turntables, a good sound system, and scratch material, which typically comes in the form of vinyl records. Some early recorded rap music does not contain any sampling or DJing, however; for example, none of the members of the Sugarhill Gang were involved in the Bronx DJing scene and thus couldn't have done any, which explains the session player remake of "Good Times".

Graffiti art

Main article: Graffiti, Types of graffiti Types of graffitiGraffiti as an urban art form had been known since at least the 1950s, but began developing in earnest in the late 1960s and flourished during the 1970s. Hip-hop graffiti began during these periods on the subways of New York, and later expanded to the city walls themselves. This movement from trains to walls was encouraged by efforts by the city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority to eradicate graffiti on their property (the M.T.A. officially declared the transit graffiti-free in 1989). The first forms of subway graffiti were quick spray-painted or marker signatures ("tags"), which quickly evolved into large elaborate calligraphy, complete with color effects, shading, and more. Finding original techniques was very important for graffiti artists; for example, in 1972, one well-respected graffiti artist called Super Kool replaced the dispersion cap on his spray paint with a wider one, found on a can of oven cleaner. This is still a common practice. By 1976, graffiti artists like Lee Quinones began painting entire murals using advanced techniques. Some of the most memorable of Quinones' work were political in nature, calling for an end to the arms race, for example. The book Subway Art (New York: Henry Holt & Co, 1984) and the TV program Style Wars (first shown on the PBS channel in 1984) were among the first ways the mainstream public were introduced to graffiti. Quickly the rest of the globe imitated and adapted hip hop graffiti. Today, there are also strong scenes in Europe, South America, Australia and Japan. (Graffitti is a European-origin tradition. The word comes from the Italian term "graffito.") Graffiti has long been villainized by those in authority because of its (perceived) ties to gangs, violence, drug culture and street crime. Although it is a crime, falling under the category of vandalism, many artists are not violent criminals and do not engage in such activity as the brands that their art form has been labeled. This may be true in some cases, but most "writers", as they are often called, are in fact true artists that spend painstaking hours practicing and refining their skill to create something that is beautiful, at least in their own eyes. Demonizing their art by saying it is nothing more than a nuisance that might not be aesthetically pleasing has resulted in knee-jerk legislation, such as the 3-strike laws in Los Angeles, California. These can send a young artist to prison for life just for writing on a wall, even if it is the only crime they have ever committed, because it is has been classified as "gang related activity".

Breakdancing

Main article: Breakdancing Breakdancing, also known as B-boying or B-girling by its practitioners and followers, is a dynamic style of dance. The term "breakdancer" originates from the dancers at DJ Kool herc's parties who would save their best dance moves for the break section of the song. Breaking is one of the major elements of hip hop culture, commonly associated with, but distinct from, "popping", "locking", "hitting", "ticking", "boogaloo", and other funk styles that evolved independently in New York during the late 20th century. It was common during the 1980s to see groups of people in a playground, basketball court, or sidewalk with a radio performing breakdancing shows for a large audience. While breaking in its current form began in the South Bronx alongside the other elements of hip-hop, it is similar in style to and may possibly derive from the Capoeira form of dancing/martial arts, which was developed by slaves in Brazil. "Hip-Hop" as a form of dance is becoming more popular. Derived from, but not wholly consisting of, breakdancing moves, it is a dance without any limitations to positions and is an expression of how a dancer feels on the inside. The style of hip-hop dance incorporates a lot of fast paced combinations and rhythm. Hip-hop is very casual and fun. The modern moves and energy make it a great form of fun and exercise for teens and pre-teens of today. Certain shoes can be worn at some studios, preferably the dance sneaker or jazz shoe.

Beatboxing

Main article: Beatboxing Beatboxing, considered by many to be the "fifth element" of hip hop, is the vocal percussion of hip hop culture. It is primarily concerned with the art of creating beats, rhythms, and melodies using the human mouth. Early pioneers of the art include Mahjeed Marrow, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and Buffy of the Fat Boys. The term 'beatboxing' is derived from the mimicry of the first generation of drum machines, then known as beatboxes. The art form enjoyed a strong presence in the '80s. Beatboxing declined in popularity along with breakdancing in the late 80s, and almost slipped even deeper than the underground. Beatboxing has been enjoying a resurgence since the late '90s, marked by the release of "Make the Music 2000." by Rahzel of The Roots (known for even singing while beatboxing) The Internet has greatly aided the rebirth of modern beatboxing—on a global level never seen before—with thousands of beatboxers from over a dozen countries interacting on the UK's Humanbeatbox.com. The art form has radically evolved, extending its reach to include physical theater routines, and has integrated itself into hip hop (and other forms of theater). Vocal percussion is a standby of a capella groups, as well. Beatboxing has also recently branched beyond its traditional scope (mimicry of "beat boxes" to create hip-hop beats) to several new stand alone forms. It is now widely practiced as a form of human Drum & Bass, a style of heavy electronic music. The range of sounds that can be reproduced by the human vocal chords are staggering to many unfamiliar with this musical practice. A recent development in the area of hip hop performance is hip hop theatre.

References

- (1999) Light, Alan, ed. The VIBE History of Hip-Hop. New York: Three Rivers Press.

External links

- [http://www.hhdirecto.net Spanish Hip Hop]
- [http://www.hiphop-blogs.com Hip hop discussion and community]
- [http://www.rap.about.com Rap.about.com] Vast Hip-hop culture resource
- [http://www.westlord.com/rapdictionary/ Rap Dictionary] the oldest and ultimate resource for looking up hip-hop slang.
- [http://www.hiphop-battles.com/ HipHop-Battles.com] - Audio Battle Platform for MCs and Beatboxer
- [http://www.jumpoff.tv JumpOff.tv] Big Hip Hop Battle Events Category:Pop culture Category:Electronic music Category:Electronica als:Hip Hop ko:힙합 ja:ヒップホップ

Rapping

:This article is on the art and practice of rapping. For information on "rap music", see Hip hop music. For the English folk dance, see Rapper sword. Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop culture, as well as the distinguishing feature of most hip hop music. It is a form of rhyming lyrics delivered rhythmically over a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. Originally, rapping was called MCing and accompanied DJing.

Origins

Rapping (as a self-conscious artistic school) began as a variation on the toasting found in reggae, funk and dub music, mixed with influences from jazz-related performance poetry (Langston Hughes's album Weary Blues being an important example; the Beats also notable), radio DJ patter, and the tradition of playing.

Descendents and influence

Rapping is one of the four elements of hip hop: MCing (rapping), DJing (mixing, cutting and scratching), graffiti (tagging), and breakdancing. However, in the course of rap's history, new musical styles developed that use rapping - especially rapcore, also known as rap/rock or rap/metal, first introduced by crossover pioneer Run-DMC's collaboration with Aerosmith in 1986. Some alternative rap has musically very little to do with mainstream hip hop music. Often consisting of bizarre soundscapes and vivid lyrics, abstract hip-hop has developed, largely in the underground. Music outside of the United States has taken the rap style and blended it with completely different elements. Japanese dance music, for example, often uses rapping to complement or break up the singing parts, with lyrics containing upbeat themes set to energetic rhythms and clean, warm synths. Rap was instantly popular in the United Kingdom, perhaps building on the great popularity of dub and reggae toasting. MCs also became a fixture at Jungle and UK Garage events, whilst a recent offshoot of garage, dubbed Grime, has focused on rapping, making stars of rappers such as Dizzee Rascal and Wiley.

The importance of rhyme

Undoubtedly, the most important element of rap lyrics is rhyme. In other forms of poetry, rhymes that span many syllables are often considered whimsical but in hip hop, the ability to construct raps with large sets of rhyming syllables is considered a sign of intelligence and achievement. For the same reason, rap music is sometimes referred to as "street poetry" or "street rhyme". To accomplish rhymes of this sophistication, rappers can use single rhyming words (intellectual/ineffectual) or they can use multiple words whose constituent syllables rhyme (octoroon/Doctor Doom). Rap lyrics often contain long series of lines each of which rhyme with each other. Occasionally, entire songs are composed in this fashion where all lines rhyme with each other. Of course, the more intricate the rhymes are, the more abstract the song becomes. This is because the more focus given to impressive rhyming, the harder it becomes to write coherently. However, in rare cases a lyricist is able to display impressive rhyming alongside topic coherence, and this delivery is often celebrated by fans of rap.

Different types of rhymes

Not all rhymes used in rap are clear cut. Often, consonance, assonance, half rhymes, and internal rhyme schemes are employed. Pulling of assonance naturally is considered skillful in the Hip-Hop community. According to Kool Moe Dee's book There's a God on the Mic, the best overall rhymers are Rakim and Eminem.

Importance of various techniques

Although rhyme is the essential required element of all raps, there are other literary techniques that are often employed. To use many of these techniques while still maintaining a meaningful rhyme is considered by most rap listeneres to be signs of a good rhyme.

Cadence

Cadence is the overall balance of a rhyme in relation to the beat, as far as emphasis and speed (and in some example of a rapper with varying -- but always strong -- cadence in his raps. He is seen this way because of his ability to ride slow, fast, melodic, or hardcore beats equally well.

Prosody

Unlike many other forms of poetry, rappers typically don't think about metre and feet very heavily. Instead, the goal is to unconciously develop a flow. A good flow is a metre that doesn't drag along, but rather, draws the listener into the words. According to Kool Moe Dee's book, There's a God on the Mic, Rakim is the inventor of flow in rapping. Rappers sometimes use popular poetic forms such as iambic pentameter.

Enunciation

Speaking clearly is important because rap is said outloud unlike many other forms of poetry. Enunciation in rap is sometimes exaggerated to a cartoonish level, which is actually a sign of skill. Ludacris is considered an example of a good enunciator by many, such as the interviewer on daveyd.com

Style, voice, tone, attitude, and soul

These terms are essentially the emotions carried by the rapper in his music and lyrics.

Speed

This is the tempo/speed that a person raps at. An example of a fast rapper is Twista, who used to hold the Guiness World Record for fastest rapper, until his record was broken.

Wordplay

Wordplay include double entendres, alliteration, and all forms of playing around with your words. Wordplay is subjective -- whether it's done well or poorly is up to the listener.

Other techniques

There are several other techniques used in rapping, such as: enjambment and hyperbole.

The message

Wordplay shows skill, but the message of a rap is more important. A rapper who talks about nothing with excellent wordplay doesn't show as much skill as one who has a message, because his or her creativity has substance. The message can be about one's life, about politics, about philosophy, about bragging, and anything with meaning. It can tell a story or show imagery that occurs in the rapper's everyday life. Percieved nonsense or dadaist rappers such as Aesop Rock are often looked down on by the purist Hip Hop fans for not having a real soulful message, and for "watering down the sound of the ghetto" (Kool Keith). However, dedicated fans of Aesop Rock find pleasure in finding the meaning in his dense lyrics, which they contest is clear to them.

Political Rap

It wasn't until The Message (which borrows lyrics from a Jewish comedy routine, according to David Toop) by Melle Mel that rapping became no longer solely focused on braggadocio and good times. One element that has always existed in raps, dating back to Hip-Hop's inception is the subject of struggle. This struggle was originally centered on making money, or getting girls. With The Message the idea of 'the struggle' was put in another context, that is, the hardships of the ghetto. As time has gone by and Hip-Hop has changed and grown, rappers have emerged that focus centrally on politics and social issues, such as Public Enemy. As all rappers have different viewpoints and personalities, the political message of one "socially concious" rapper (as they're often referred to in the Hip-Hop community) will differ greatly from the next. For example, artists like Ice Cube have used the themes of gangster rap to provide an outlet for his anger at America, which he perceives as incredibly racist and oppressive, and makes political and social observations based on his life in the crime-ridden ghetto. Political Rap artists like Dead Prez or The Coup often push forward ideologies such as militant Socialism in opposition to capitalism. Such artists often identify individual struggles with the popular ideology of their society. Political Rap is not limited to liberal, anti-establishment views. For example, the prolific rapper, KRS-ONE wrote the following, in pushing for individual responsibility: Album: I Got Next Track: 2nd Quarter-Free Throws "The rich get richer, cause they work towards rich/ The poor get poorer, cause their minds can't switch/ From the ghetto/ Let go/ it's not a novelty/ You could love your neighborhood without loving poverty" Political Rap has made it to the mainstream of Hip/Hop under Public Enemy. Rap has lent itself well to transmission of any message, because the words are usually easy to hear timed over a beat. Because political messages are so important to people, this largely explains why they have found a significant place in rap lyrics and the views of the Hip-Hop community at large.

Freestyle rap

A freestyle rap consists solely of lyrics off the top of the head. It is sometimes difficult to tell if a rapper is purely freestyling, or mixing their freestyle with old material. For example, Chino XL has multiple tracks labeled as freestyles on his records, even though they are not purely off the top of his head. Chino XL often repeats such lines, which is not uncommon for rappers to do in freestyles. In the heat of the moment, of course, it is possible for a rapper to inadvertantly quote themselves or others. However, in some cases like Chino XL's, canned rhymes are used three times under the claim that they are pure freestyles. The freestyle rap has existed since the beginning of Hip-Hop, as MC's often had to rap on the microphone for hours on end. As a result of their extended time on the mic, many rhymes were freestyled to keep the crowd entertained. The freestyle raps regarded as the best in the Hip-Hop community are those that prove their spontenaity. Referencing things going on in the present setting is a way of proving you are rapping a pure freestyle rhyme.

Battle rap

Battle raps are competitive raps performed in front of an audience. The winner is typically decided by judges or a crowd. According to Kool Moe Dee, a winning battle rap is one that specifically addresses the weaknesses of the opposing MC to win the crowd. Jin has gone undefeated for his battle raps on BET's Freestyle Friday.

Freestyle battles

A freestyle battle is a rap battle where the competitors make the rhymes of the tops of their heads. Authenticity is often difficult to prove, unless rappers address elements in their present setting. Here is an example of a quick, two-line freestyle battle rap, provided on the fly by Urthogie, a user of Wikipedia: "Your edits are horrible, ill break you down to particles/ I hope you get a kick out of this before reverting the article"

Traditional forms

In many traditional cultures there are lyrical forms that could loosely be described as rapping. Examples of these include:
- Mor lam in Laos
- Chastushka in Russia
- Tsiattista in Cyprus
- Enka Slamta in Ethiopia
- Tassou in Senegal
- Rhapsody in Ancient Greece
- Gstanzl in Bavaria and similar traditions in Austria and Switzerland.
- Urdu Rap from Pakistan
- Kuai ban in China

External links

- [http://www.hiphop-battles.com HipHop-Battles.com] Audio Battle Platform for Rapper
- Rapping Rapping Rapping als:Rap

Graffiti

: For the handwriting system, see Graffiti (Palm OS). Graffiti (Palm OS), Italy.]] Graffiti is a type of deliberately inscribed marking made by humans on surfaces, both private and public. It can take the form of art, drawings or words. When done without a property owner's consent it constitutes illegal vandalism. Graffiti has existed at least since the days of ancient civilizations such as classical Greece and the Roman Empire. Roman Empire The word "graffiti" expresses the plural of "graffito", although the singular form has become relatively obscure and is largely used in art history to refer to works of art made by scratching the design on a surface. Both of these English words come from the Italian language, most likely descending from "graffiato", the past participle of "graffiare" (to scratch); ancient graffitists scratched their work into walls before the advent of spray-paint, as in murals or frescoes. These words derive in their turn from the Greek γραφειν (graphein), meaning "to write". Historians continue to speculate over the vexed question as to where the term "graffiti" first referred to this form of marking.

History of graffiti

Ancient graffiti

Historian rather than the Classical Latin of literature, as in this political graffiti at Pompeii]] Historically, the term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Usage of the word has evolved to include any decorations (inscribed on any surface) that one can regard as vandalism; or to cover pictures or writing placed on surfaces, usually external walls and sidewalks, without the permission of an owner. Thus, inscriptions made by the authors of a monument are not classed as graffiti. The first known example of "modern style" graffiti survives in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) and appears to advertise prostitution, according to the tour guides of the city. It stands near the long mosaic and stone walkway and consists of a handprint, a vaguely heart-like shape, a footprint and a number. This purportedly indicates how many steps one would have to take to find a lover, with the handprint indicating payment. User:Alkivar The Romans carved graffiti into their own walls and monuments, and examples of their work also exist in Egypt. The eruption of Vesuvius preserved graffiti carved on the walls of Pompeii, and they offer us a direct insight into street life: everyday Latin, insults, magic, love declarations, political consigns. In contrast to typical modern graffiti, alphabets and quotations from famous literature (especially the first line of Virgil's Aeneid) have been found scribbled on the walls of Pompeii, either for the pleasure of the writer or to impress, albeit anonymously, the passerby with one's familiarity with letters and literature. In an ancient variant on the "for a good time..." theme, an inscription gives the address of one Novellia Primigenia of Nuceria, apparently a great beauty and subject of constant enquiry; an illustration of a phallus was accompanied by the text, mansveta tene: "Handle with care." Love was also the object of scorn: :Quisquis amat. veniat. Veneri volo frangere costas :fustibus et lumbos debilitare deae. :Si potest illa mihi tenerum pertundere pectus : quit ego non possim caput illae frangere fuste? :Whoever loves, go to hell. I want to break Venus's ribs :with a club and deform her hips. :If she can break my tender heart :why can't I hit her over the head? ::-CIL IV, 1284. Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli also has several examples. One example has even survived that warns: "Cave Canem", which translates as "Beware of the dog," next to a picture of the dog in question. Errors in spelling and grammar in graffiti not only inform us of the degree of literacy of many of the graffiti scrawlers, but they also give clues as to the pronunciation of spoken Latin. Such is the case with CIL IV, 7838: Vettium Firmum / aed[ilem] quactiliar[ii] [sic] rog[ant]. Here "qu" reflects the common pronunciation of "co". Conversely, ancient graffiti also provide us with evidence of the ability to read and write among classes of people for whom literacy was not requisite and might not otherwise be assumed. For example, the 83 graffiti found at CIL IV, 4706-85 (a peristyle which had been undergoing remodeling at the time of the eruption of Vesuvius) were executed not only by the architect Crescens, but also by most of the members of the work crew for whom he served as foreman. The brothel at CIL VII, 12, 18-20 contains over 120 graffiti, the authors of which included the prostitutes as well as their clients. And finally, the gladiatorial academy at CIL IV, 4397 contained graffiti left by the gladiator Celadus Crescens (Suspirium puellarum Celadus thraex: "Celadus the Thracier makes the girls sigh.") However, not only Greeks and Romans produced graffiti: the Mayan site of Tikal in Guatemala, also contains ancient examples. Viking graffiti survive in Rome and at Newgrange Mound in Ireland, and Varangians carved their runes in Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The ancient Irish inscribed stones with an alphabet called Ogham -- this standard mode of writing may not fall into the category of graffiti. Ironically, there are even examples in American history, like Signature Rock (a national landmark), along the Oregon Trail. Oregon Trail] Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Art forms like frescoes and murals involve leaving images and writing on wall surfaces. Like the prehistoric wall paintings created by cave dwellers, they do not comprise graffiti, as the artists generally produce them with the explicit permission (and usually support) of the owner or occupier of the walls.

Modern graffiti

wall paintings.]] In the 20th century, especially during World War II, 'Kilroy was here' became a famous graffito, along with Mr. Chad, a face with only the eyes and a nose hanging over the wall, saying "What No [scarce commodity]…?" during the time of rationing. Twentieth century warfare saw the advent of many new aviation technologies, closely followed by the advent of airplane graffiti, including the nose art made famous during World War II. Starting with the large-scale urbanization of many areas in the post-war half of the 20th century, urban gangs would mark walls and other pieces of public property with the name of their gang (a "tag") in order to mark the gang's territory. Near the end of the 20th century, non-gang-related tagging became more common, practised for its own sake. Graffiti artists would sign their "tags" for the sake of doing so, or to increase their reputation and prestige as a "writer" or graffiti artist. The first documented cases of illegal markings created with a spray can were created by an artist named "Cornbread" from Philadelphia. The spray can became an important characteristic for the lettering styles which followed. Taggers sometimes select tags, like screennames, to reflect some personal qualities, but often a tag is chosen for how the word sounds when spoken aloud or how the letters sit with each other when written; usually referred to as how the tag "flows". The letters in a word can make doing pieces very difficult if the shapes of the letters don't sit next to each other in a visually pleasing way. Also some tags are humourous plays on common expressions, such as: Page3, 2Shae, 2Cold, In1 and many others. Tags can also contain subtle and often cryptic messages or in some cases the writer's initials or other letters become a part of the tag. The current year is often put up next to tags as well; the bomber Tox, from London, never writes just Tox; it is always Tox03, Tox04, etc. In some cases, "writers" dedicate or create tags or graffiti in memory of a deceased friend, for example, "DIVA Peekrevs R.I.P. JTL '99". Tags are usually between 3 to 5 letters long to make the process of doing them illegally faster, but can be any length at all. Competition exists between writers as to who can put up the most, or the most visible or artistic tags (see Graffiti art battle). Writers with the most tags, throw ups and pieces up tend to gain more respect among other graffiti artists, although they will also incur a greater risk if caught by authorities. As well as being prolific writers are also expected to have "style", which means their work is artistic and accomplished, and the combination of the style of the work with the volume of work is what gets graffiti writers kudos from their peers. In some cases, taggers have achieved such elaborate graffiti (especially those done in memory of a deceased person) on storefront gates that shopkeepers have hesitated to cover them up. In the Bronx after the death of rapper Big Pun, several murals dedicated to his life appeared virtually overnight; similar outpourings occurred after the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. Other works covering otherwise unadorned fences or walls may likewise become so highly elaborate that property-owners or the government may choose to keep them rather than cleaning them off. "Legals" or commissioned walls are now a common part of the culture. Some graffiti has local or regional resonance, such as wall and street sign tagging in Southern California by gangs such as the Bloods and the Crips. The name Cool "Disco" Dan (including the quotation marks) occurs commonly in the Washington, D.C. area. One famous graffito in the DC Metro area appeared on the outer loop of the beltway on a railroad bridge near the Mormon temple as seen [http://www.lds.org/multimedia/files//5310_WASHINGTONDC_hr.jpg here]. Its simple scrawl "Surrender Dorothy" summoned visions of the Emerald City of Oz and has remained on the bridge for nearly 30 years off and on beginning in late 1973. Pressure from the Temple saw it removed, only to reappear. This "giraffiti" became so well known among the Mormon community that their newsletters often mentioned it as a specific example demonstrating misunderstanding. (See [http://www.mormonstoday.com/011207/D1WashDCTemple01.shtml "In View of Temple, Graffiti Again Seeks Dorothy's Surrender"] and [http://www.mormonstoday.com/991114/D1WashingtonTemple01.shtml "Landmark to most, temple is sanctuary for area's Mormons"] in Mormons Today.) Theories on and the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Scandinavian Institute of Comparative Vandalism of 1961. Most of those who practice graffiti art wish to distance themselves from gang graffiti. Differences in both form and intent exist: graffiti art aims at self-expression and creativity, and may involve highly stylized letterforms drawn with markers, or cryptic and colorful spray paint murals on walls, buildings, and even freight trains. Graffiti artists strive to improve their art, which constantly changes and progresses. Gang graffiti, on the other hand, functions to mark territorial boundaries, and therefore does not transcend a gang's neighborhood; in the eyes of lovers of graffiti-art, it does not presuppose artistic intent. The designs, while chosen to appear distinctive and recognizable, are more likely to be influenced by the speed with which a tagger can execute them (thus minimizing the chance of that tagger being caught). Those who distinguish between tagging and graffiti generally accept tagging as gang-motivated or meant as vandalism (illegal) or viewed as too vulgar or controversial to have public value, while they can view graffiti as creative expression, whether charged with political meaning or not. Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or in the achievement of a political goal. The murals of Belfast and of Los Angeles [http://rpmurals.home.att.net/] offer another example of official recognition. In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically and/or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus of addressing cleavages in the long run. emancipation Computer generated "tags" of usernames are now increasingly popular on forums, one notable site being gaia online.

Terminology

A number of words and phrases have come to describe different styles and aspects of graffiti. Like all slang and colloquialisms the phrases vary in different cities and countries. Below is a selection of terminology from the USA:
- tag - a stylized signature; the terms tagger and writer refer to a person who "tags". A tag can be distinguished from a piece by its relative simplicity. Tags are ussually comprised of a single color that contrasts sharply with its background. Tag can also be used as a verb which means "to sign". Writers often tag their pieces following the tradition of signing masterpieces. Another type of tag is a "dust tag", done in dust by writers wishing to practice. Not commonly popular.
- piece (from "masterpiece") - a large image, often with 3-D effects, arrows giving flow and direction, many colors and color-transitions and various other effects. A piece needs more time than a throw-up. If placed in a difficult location and well executed it will earn the writer more respect. Piece can also be used as a verb that means: "to write".
- throw-up - defined by the short amount of time it takes to create, a throw-up is not a piece. It generally consists of an outline (like black) and one layer of fill-color (like silver). Easy-to-paint bubble-shapes often form the letters. Throw-ups are often utilized by writers who wish to achive a large number of tags while competing with rival artists. The short amount of time it takes to complete a throw-up reduces the risk of getting "busted".
- bombing (as in the phrases to bomb or to hit) has no connection with terrorism, but describes painting many surfaces. Throw-ups or tags are often utilized, since they don't require much time to execute.
- crew or cru has become the standard collective noun for a group of writers or graffiti-artists, which can but are not limited to be part of gangs or can be associated with them for funding for materials, and sometimes protection from police and people who might not want graffiti on a certain wall while doing the piece. It is a common misconception that crews are gangs, since they break the law. However, crews can be founded unassociated with gangs.
- writers become up when their work becomes widespread and well-known. To "get up" in a city involves both tagging, bombing and making good pieces
- to slash somebody's tag (to put a line through, or tag over it) counts as a deep insult. This is also known as dissing; which originates from disrespecting.collective noun
- the phrase back to back refers to a graffiti that covers a wall from end to end, as seen on some parts of the West-Berlin side of the Berlin Wall. Similarly, trains sometimes receive end to end painting; which means a carriage has been painted along its entire length (but not to the top of the carriage). This is often abbreviated to "e2e". End to ends used to be called window-downs but this is an older expression that is falling from popularity.
- top-to-bottom pieces on trains cover the the whole height of the car. A top-to-bottom, end-to-end production is called a whole-car. A production with several writers might cover a whole-train, which means the entire side of the train has been covered.
- burner - typically a large, elaborate piece, more elaborate than a normal piece. It refers to the piece "burning" out of the wall or train-side. Burners often originate legally, because of the time and effort put into them, but the great early writers of New York also did burners illegally on trains.
- insides are tags or bombs done inside trains, trams, or buses. In 1970s New York, there was as much graffiti inside the subway trains as outside, and the same is true of some cities today (like Rome, Italy and Melbourne, Australia). While prolific, insides are often less artistic and seldom documented.
- going over - (go over) if a writer goes over or tags upon another writer's piece, it is the same as declaring war against the opponent writer. Most writers respect others' work, and the basic rules for replacing other creations are in this order: tag - throwup - piece. You should only paint over another's work if it has been slashed (or "dissed") already or if you will be creating something better than the original piece. As what constitutes better is highly subjective this often leads to disagreements. If someone breaks these guidelines the person is considered being a toy or generally an annoyance.
- toy - an inexperienced or unskilled writer. Graffiti pros use this as a derogatory term for new writers in the scene.
- king - inside or outside kings are writers with a certain amount of respect among other writers. To own the inside means you have most tags inside trains, and to own the outside means having most pieces on the train surface. One should note that their are kings of style among a variety of other categories and the term is regionally subjective. Self-declared kings will often incorporate crowns into their pieces; a commonly used element of style.
- buffing - (to buff) to remove a graffiti painting with chemicals and other instruments.
- nic - (to nic) to steal another artists ideas or lettering schemes. Seasoned artists will often complain about 'toys' that nic their work.
- bite - (to bite) an oldschool NYC term for nic . Berlin Wall To gain notoriety, and make pieces difficult to remove, graffiti artists will sometimes paint hard-to-reach spots such as rooftops. Such heavens pieces (also commonly known as giraffiti), by the nature of the spot often pose dangerous challenges to execute. Another technique sometimes referred to as scratchitti involves making purposely hard-to-remove graffiti by scratching or etching a tag into an object, generally using a key or another sharp object such as a knife, stone, ceramic drill bit, or diamond tipped Dremel bit. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness determines which stones or other objects will scratch what surfaces. Etch can also refer to the use of acid solutions intended for creating frosted glass to write on windows.

Legal situation

Graffiti is subject to different societal pressures from popularly-recognized art forms, since graffiti appears on walls, freeways, buildings, trains or any accessible surfaces that are not owned by the person who applies the graffiti. This means that graffiti forms incorporate elements rarely seen elsewhere. Spray paint and broad permanent markers are commonly used, and the organizational structure of the art is sometimes influenced by the need to apply the art quickly before it is noticed by authorities. frosted glass In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffiti artists. Some have suggested that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing. Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Many people regard graffiti as an unwanted nuisance, or as expensive vandalism requiring repair of the vandalized property. One can view graffiti as a 'quality of life' issue, and many people suggest that the presence of graffiti contributes to a general sense of squalor and a heightened fear of crime. Advocates of the "broken window theory" believe that this sense of decay encourages further vandalism and promotes an environment leading to offences that are more serious. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's subscription to the broken window theory promoted an aggressive anti-graffiti campaign in New York. However, throughout the world, authorities often, though not always, treat graffiti as a minor nuisance crime, though with widely varying penalties. Chicago's mayor, Richard M. Daley created the 'Graffiti Blasters' to eliminate graffiti and gang-related vandalism. The bureau promises absolutely free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call. The bureau uses paints (common to the citys 'color scheme') and baking-soda based solvents to erase all varieties of graffiti. [http://www.kcb.org/kcb_cleanups.html] Community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti. In France, the Protestant youth group Éclaireurs de France took their graffiti-scrubbing into the Meyrieres Cave near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, where they carefully erased the ancient paintings from the walls, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archaeology.[http://www.improb.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html#ig1992] archaeology Graffiti made the news in 1993, over an incident in Singapore involving several expensive cars found spray-painted. The police arrested a student from Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty for vandalizing the car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Singapore Vandalism Act, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of 3,500 Singaporean dollars (US $2,233 or 1,450 British pounds), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on May 5, 1994. (Fay originally received a sentence of six lashes of the cane, but the then President of Singapore Ong Teng Cheong finally agreed to reduce his caning-sentence to four lashes.) In 1995 Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York set up the Anti-Graffiti Task Force, a multi-agency initiative to combat the perceived problem of graffiti vandals in New York City. This began a crackdown in "quality of life crimes" throughout the city, and one of the largest anti-graffiti campaigns in US history. That same year Title 10-117 of the New York Administrative Code banned the sale of aerosol spray-paint cans to children under 18. The law also requires that merchants who sell spray-paint must lock it in a case or display cans behind a counter, out of reach of potential shoplifters. Violations of the city's anti-graffiti law carry fines of $350 per count. Both [http://www.nyc.gov/html/nograffiti/html/legislation.html the full text of the law] and an [http://www.zephyrgraffiti.com/zephyrwrt/crackdwn.html opposing viewpoint] written by famous NYC graffiti artist Zephyr appear online. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a [http://www.encams.org/campaigns/main2.asp?pageid=34 press release] calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to teenagers. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed 'cool' or 'edgy' image. To back the campaign, 123 British MPs (including Prime Minister Tony Blair) signed a charter which stated: Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem. The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico has had an aggressive anti-graffiti program since the mid-1990s. The city regarded its heavily-tagged arroyos, bridges and sound barrier walls as an eyesore. Reports emerged of taggers suffering injury and death attempting to tag their gang's area or while spray painting graffiti on the bridges. Each park and arroyo now has a sign posted that gives the telephone number to the Albuquerque Tagger's Hotline, and a website exists where citizens can report taggers or graffiti online. Most stores in the metro area will not even sell spray paint without seeing an ID, and some have gone so far as to lock the spray paint away. Punishments include fines, community service and jail.

Famous artists

Airplane graffiti

References and additional resources

In film

- Bomb the System (Theatrical release May 27, 2005 in America / Sep 3, 2005 in Japan): a narrative feature about a crew of graffiti writers in modern day New York City. Shot entirely on the streets of New York starring Mark Webber as BLEST, a young artist struggling for fame and featuring BONZ Malone, SEMZ, TATS crew, LEE Quinones, Tracy 168, GANO, and artwork from KR, SERF/MINT, PER, T-KID, STEM YNN, KYRO VGL and many many others. Bomb the System was scored by independent hip hop producer El P aka El Producto, his first such attempt at composing for film and directed by 23 year old NYU film school grad Adam Bhala Lough. The film screened at 23 festivals on 3 continents and was nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 2003. Palm Pictures released the film and subsequent DVD in 2005 to mixed reviews by the mainstream press, but laudes in the New York Times and Village Voice [http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/movies/27bomb.html?ex=1127275200&en=39b1021812a987a9&ei=5070]. The first pressings of the DVD contain a limited edition Tracy 168 "Bomb the System" poster. [http://www.bombthesystem.com] [http://www.bombthesystem.jp] See either website for more details or See
- RASH (film), 2005, Feature Documentary. Directed by Nicholas Hansen, Produced by [http://www.mutinymedia.com/ Mutiny Media]. A contemporary story of Melbourne, Australia and the artists who make it a living host for illegal artwork called street art. [http://www.mutinymedia.com/ See the website]
- The Graffiti Artist, 2004: Directed by James Bolton, Produced by Mettray Reformatory Pictures. Award-winning film about two young graffiti artists communicate via their graffiti art. Starring Ruben Bansie-Snellman (from Gus Van Sant's Elephant). See the website at www.thegraffitiartist.com or www.indie-pictures.com. Winner of several major international film festival awards and released by Los Angeles based Indie-pictures.
- Style Wars, 1983: Directed by Tony Silver, Produced by Henry Chalfant. Represents a history of the 1980s NYC graffiti scene as seen through the eyes of its participants. See .
- Wild Style, 1982: Directed by Charlie Ahearn, the first hip-hop movie. See .
- Beat Street, 1984: Directed by Stan Lathan, produced by Harry Belafonte and David V. Picker. A drama that takes place in the emergent hip-hop scene of early 1980s New York City. Among the first popular mainstream movies to feature MCing, DJing, graffiti art, and breakdancing, Beat Street features appearances by many pioneers in these arts. See for more details.
- Turk 182! (1985) gives a fictional account of graffiti used for political purposes in New York City. The name may reference TAKI 183. See .
- Bombing British Channel 4 documentary featuring many UK and U.S. graffiti artists in the early to mid eighties.
- Quality of Life (coming in late 2005): a narrative feature about two graffiti writers from San Francisco's renowned Mission District graffiti scene, directed by Benjamin Morgan. Co-written and starring Brian Burnam, a former graffiti writer, with cameos by other active and retired Mission-District writers. [http://www.qualityoflife-themovie.com/ See the website] for more details.
- Writers: 1983-2003: 20 Ans de Graffiti à Paris 2004 Resistance Films. Documentary on the history of Graffiti in Paris. French. Released on DVD with english subtitles. [http://www.writerslefilm.com See the website] for more details.
- Atlantis Phase I 2004 [http://www.subaquatica.com Subaquatica] DVD with 9 video chapters for videos documenting the work of 9 different Spanish Street Art artists or collectives accompained only with music. No language. Released on DVD with a CD for the music. [http://www.subaquatica.com/atlantisphase1/ See the website] for more details.
- [http://www.infamythemovie.com/ Infamy] USA 2005 Directed by [http://www.infamythemovie.com/dougpray.html Doug Pray]; Infamy is an intense journey into the lives, minds, and families of seven individuals who are obsessed with graffiti and follow that obsession into the most unexpected places. Cameras follow Los Angeles legend SABER by night as he dangles on the supports of a billboard hovering twenty stories up, and by day into the city’s Museum of Natural History, where he is featured in an exhibition about the L.A. River. New Yorkers EARSNOT and CLAW cover the City’s surfaces with their tags in the face of their graffiti minority status as openly gay and female, respectively, and then into their jobs as icons in the Downtown fashion scene. Philadelphia’s ENEM and Los Angeles’ TOOMER tour their intricate murals for murdered friends, as well as their rapidly styled tag signatures, which they frankly prefer. San Francisco’s JASE heads to paint freight trains that will take his art throughout North America, then to his day job in graffiti-specialized spray paint distribution. Finally, there’s JOE CONNOLLY “The Graffiti Guerrilla,” who makes the removal of Los Angeles graffiti his daily passion. Woven throughout these individuals’ stories are their families and neighborhoods; and for every preconception of who is a graffiti writer that they fulfill, there’s one that turns out dead wrong. (Film synopsis from the film's website.)
- [http://www.wholetrain.com Wholetrain] 2005 Germany Directed by Florian Gaag: Wholetrain tells the fictional story of the KSB graffiti-crew. When another crew injures their honor it leads to a heated creative conflict. The KSB-crew sets off to paint a wholetrain, unleashing a chain of events that will change their lives forever. Besides focusing on the motivations of graffiti-culture, Wholetrain deals with the problems and tensions arising from the protagonists' constant struggles in a world between their everyday lives, illegality and the persecution of the police - a world you either dedicate yourself to wholeheartedly or not at all. (Film synopsis from the film's website.)
- [http://www.justtogetarep.com/ Just To Get A Rep] USA, Documentary directed by Peter Gerard: Just to Get a Rep explores the love-hate relationship between graffiti and hip-hop. The true story of aerosol art is told by New York's pioneers as well as today's innovators from all over the world. (Film synopsis from the film's website.)

In the press

- Beaty, Jonathan. "Zap! You've Been Tagged", Time Magazine, September 10, 1990. p. 43.
- Bennet, James. "A New Arsenal of Weapons to Tag Graffiti Artists", New York Times, September 27, 1992. p. E-2.
- "Fade to Gray in Gotham", U.S. News, May 22, 1989. p. 12.
- Reichenbach, Jean. "Graffiti", Columns, March 1991. pp. 24-27.
- "Scorecard", Newsweek Magazine, August 10, 1992. p. 6.

Dedicated Press

- "Disrupt Magazine" from New Zealand
- "Mass Appeal Magazine" from New York

In literature (by country)

Germany
- "DAIM - daring to push the boundaries" Reisser, Mirko; Mwinkand, Lena; Behrend, Sarah. 2004 getting-up/reisser (Germany) ISBN 3-00-014155-3
- van Treeck, Bernhard: Das große Graffiti-Lexikon, Lexikon-Imprint-Verlag, Berlin, 2001, ISBN 3-89601-292-X
- van Treeck, Bernhard: Street Art Berlin, Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Berlin, 1999 ISBN 3-89602-191-5
- Urban Discipline 2000 - Graffiti-Art Peters/Reisser/Zahlmann. 2000 Ausstellungskatalog getting-up (Germany) ISBN 3-00-006154-1
- Graffiti Art #1 Deutschland - Germany Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf (Germany), ISBN 3-89602-028-5
- HamburgCity Graffiti, 2003, Publikat Verlag (Deutschland), ISBN 3-980-74786-7
- Swiss Graffiti, S. von Koeding, B. Suter. 1998, Edition Aragon (Germany), ISBN 3-89535-461-9
- Street Art Köln, B. van Treeck. 1996, Edition Aragon (Germany), ISBN 3-89535-434-1
- Hall of Fame, M. Todt, B. van Treeck . 1995, Edition Aragon (Germany), ISBN 3-89535-430-9
- Best of German graffiti. Band 1, Timeless-X. 2001, Verlag H. M. Hauschild (Germany), ISBN 3-89757-121-8 France
- Cope 2, True Legend, Donatien B. Orns. 2003, Righters.com (France), ISBN 2-9520-0608-6
- Le graffiti dans tous ses états, 2002, Ausstellungskatalog, Taxie Gallery (France)
- Langages de Rue #2, Graff-It!. 2004, Verlag Graf-It! (France), ISBN 2-914714-02-5 United Kingdom and Ireland
- Street Art, Tristan Manco. Thames & Hudson. 2004 (UK), ISBN 0-500-28469-5
- Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents, Nicholas Ganz. Thames & Hudson. 2004 (UK) ISBN 0-500-51170-5 United States
- Subway Art Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant. 1984, Thames and Hudson (USA), ISBN 0-80506-788-8
- Spraycan Art, Henry Chalfant & James Prigoff. 1987 Thames and Hudson (USA) ISBN 0-500-27469-X
- :(Contains art from 10 countries: USA, UK, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand)
- Broken Windows Graffiti NYC James Murray, Karla Murray. 2002, Ginko Press (USA), ISBN 1-58423-078-9
- Aerosol Kingdom: Subway Painters of New York City, Ivor Miller. 2002, University Press of Mississippi (USA), ISBN 1-57806-465-1
- Autograf: New York City's Graffiti Writers, Peter Sutherland, REVS. 2004, Powerhouse Books (USA), ISBN 1-57687-203-3 Other countries
- Graffiti Oggi Karin Dietz. 2001 Ausstellungskatalog/Exhibition catalogue, Arte Contemporanea Hirmer/M. Wiedemann (Italy)
- NYC Graffiti, Michiko Rico Nosé. 2000 Graphic-Sha Publishing (Japan) ISBN 4-7661-1177-X
- Aspects of Graffiti, Wortbüro Stefan Michel/Zürich. 2001 Ausstellungskatalog, Rote Fabrik (Switzerland)

External links

- [http://www.artcrimes.org/faq/graffiti.glossary.html A Graffiti glossary at Artcrimes.org]
- [http://www.daim.org DAIM] - Graffiti-Artist
- [http://www.http://blogmarks.net/tag/graffiti Blogmarks.net] Links with tag "graffiti"
- [http://www.keusta.net/blog Keusta] - Graffiti-Artist
- [http://www.allgraffiti.com ALLgraffiti.com] International community of graffiti writers and crews
- [http://www.artcrimes.com ArtCrimes.com] A gallery of graffiti art from cities worldwide
- [http://www.kolahstudio.com/graffiti.htm Kolahstudio.com] Murals and Graffitiz From Midle East / Iran
- [http://www.bombingscience.com Bombing Science] 10,000+ graffiti pictures
- [http://bbs.shadowpuppet.net Forum of Graffiti Writers] (bbs)
- [http://www.rooke.se/rooketime26.html A Brief History of Graffiti Research] by Staffan Jacobson (a chronologically-arranged scholarly bibliography)
- [http://the-raw-prawn.blogspot.com/2004/09/mcdonalds-uses-graffiti-to-woo-us.html Graffiti as an advertising medium]
- [http://www.graffiticreator.net/ Graffiticreator.net] Create your own graffiti
- [http://www.tenementcity.com/books_graffiti.html Graffiti Books] Books on graffiti
- [http://www.jdoodle.com/index.jsp JDoodle.com] A graffiti Wiki
- [http://www.oneeightthree.com/html/kasinomasterpaper/paper.htm How to read Graffiti] Evolutionary timeline of graffiti styles Street art and post-graffiti
- [http://c6.org C6.org] "The Original Art Wankers"
- [http://www.yourmumrang.co.uk Your Mum Rang] Street sticker campaign
- [http://www.tomgore.ca/graffiti/graffiti.htm Photographs of graffiti] from Europe and America
- [http://www.stickernation.net Stickernation] A collection of sticker graffiti from around the world
- [http://www.ekosystem.org Ekosystem] A Street-art portal
- [http://www.BARTOTAINMENT.com BARTOTAINMENT] Legal works of german artist barto
- [http://www.crcstudio.arts.ualberta.ca/scrawl Scrawl] Collection of street art from around the world
- [http://www.stencilrevolution.com Stencil Revolution] Biggest Stencil community on the web
- [http://www.stateofflux.com State Of Flux] Melbourne-based street-art site featuring stencils, stickers, pasteups and anything else on the street
- [http://www.woostercollective.com/ Wooster Collective] Updated Daily Pro-graffiti
- [http://www.rail7.com Rail7.com] International Graffiti Documentation
- [http://www.graffiti.org Graffiti.org] Art Crimes: The Writing on the Wall
- [http://www.bok.net/~jig/mural/muralprep.html Making Your Mural Last: Graffiti, Varnish and Wall Chemistry]
- [http://www.counterproductiveindustries.com/gbgc God Bless Graffiti Coalition] A pro-graffiti organization
- [http://www.woostercollective.com/ Wooster Collective: A Celebration of Street Art]
- [http://www.picturesofwalls.com/ Pictures Of Walls]
- [http://www.visualresistance.org/wordpress Visual Resistance] Political street art Anti-graffiti
- [http://www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/briefs/brief38.htm Removing Graffiti from Historic Masonry] by the National Park Service
- [http://www.encams.org Keep Britain Tidy] UK organisation, campaigns against graffiti Argentina
- [http://www.smnr.com.ar enthusiast site], a website showing and promoting stencils, graffiti and street art in general from the latin american scene. Canada
- [http://www.keelestation.com/index.html Keele Station], a website profiling graffiti in general, using examples from around the Toronto subway station.
- [http://www.sez1.com/] SEZ1.COM features Canadian street art, murals and graffiti mainly from Vancouver, with inserts from Edmonton, Toronto, USA, Belgium and Iceland. Large feature section on Skateparks. Large feature section on TRAINS. Includes rambling, "stream of consciousness" commentary with sarcastic toungue-in-cheek overtones. This site is supportive of street art & free expression. France
- [http://bleklerat.free.fr Blek le Rat], pioneering French stencillist.
- [http://www.deace.com Deace], graffiti press ressources. Germany
- [http://www.farbsucht.de Farbsucht.de] Wall, Trains, Streetart, Germany
- [http://-_-spoken-_-ARTIST.com-_-.4rtist.com 6-_-?||||||||>.4rtist.com] Streetartist from
- [http://www.hiphopdirectory.de German HipHop & Graffiti Directory] IRAN
- [http://www.kolahstudio.com/graffiti.htm Iranian Graffiti index]
- [http://irangraffiti.blogspot.com Graffiti and Urban Art report(Images and reviews] (Persian) The Netherlands
- [http://www.sal-one.com Sal One] Oldskool Dutch Graffiti artist New Zealand/Aotearoa
- [http://www.disruptiv.com/ Disruptiv], Professional graffiti crew from Auckland, New Zealand.
- [http://www.azurebell.com/graffiti/ Graffiti, straight from the streets of New Zealand] Australia
- [http://www.watarush.com/ Watarush] Large collection of street art from Perth, Western Australia
- [http://www.melbournegraffiti.com/ Melbourne Graffiti] Large collection of Graffiti from Melbourne, Victoria Spain
- [http://www.h49.org/ H49], graffiti crew from Bilbao, Spain.
- [http://www.hhdirecto.net/ HHDirecto] graffiti y hip hop desde españa. Sweden
- [http://www.capitalsthlm.com/en_index.html CapitalSTHLM], Graffiti site from Stockholm. United Kingdom and Ireland
- [http://www.bomblondon.com Bomblondon.com] Anti war graffiti from London
- [http://www.ukgraffiti.com/# UK Graffiti Artists Today]
- [http://www.schudio.co.uk CHU] UK graffiti artist and designer
- [http://www.banksy.co.uk Banksy] Stencil-artists from England
- [http://www.theartofasbestos.com asbestos] Street-artist from Dublin
- [http://www.eiresol.com Eiresol Style] Graffiti from all over Ireland
- [http://www.duncancumming.co.uk DuncanCumming] Graffiti photos from the UK and Europe
- [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/murals/index.html Murals in Northern Ireland] on the CAIN (Conflict Archive on the INternet) Web Service
- [http://hurtyoubad.com/ Hurt You Bad] an active blog linking urban culture and graffiti United States
- [http://www.at149st.com/ @149^st] New York graffiti
- [http://www.50mmlosangeles.com/ 50mm Los Angeles] Los Angeles Graffiti Archive
- [http://www.bastardartist.com Los Angeles Graffiti Art]
- [http://png.shadowpuppet.net Pacific Northwest Graffiti] Seattle Graffiti Communiti
- [http://www.snweb.org/detgraffiti.php SNWEB: Detroit] Detroit graffiti gallery
- [http://www.zephyrgraffiti.com/ Zephyr Graffiti] photo gallery and writings from a prolific NYC graf artist
- [http://www.goabove.com Above] Street artist from California
- [http://www.stanpeskett.com/archive/html/hip.html Jean-Michael Basquiat at the Canal Zone with Stan Peskett] World
- [http://www.obeymap.com OBEY GIANT ★] and related graffiti artworks sighting report with a Google Map ja:落書き Category:Crimes Category:Graffiti and unauthorised signage Category:Hip hop culture elements

Breakdancing

Breakdancing, also known as breaking and b-boying by its practitioners and followers, is a dynamic style of dance that evolved as part of the Hip Hop movement in the South Bronx of New York City during the late 20th century. Breakdancing is one of the four original elements of Hip Hop culture (the others being Rapping, DJing, and Graffiti).

Etymology

Breakdancing was never an actual term used by the original practitioners. The term was popularized in the 80's when it became more of a media phenomenon. David Toop (1991) describes breakdancing as being an adaptation of the Break, a dance popular before being replaced by the Freak, fueled by Chic's "Le Freak" in 1978, but that was revived by Crazy Legs, Frosty Freeze, and the Rock Steady Crew. He also explains, ""the word break or breaking is a music and dance term (as well as a proverb) that goes back a long way. Some tunes, like "Buck Dancer's Lament" from the early 20th century, featured a two-bar silence in every eight bars for the break - a quick showcase of improvised dance steps." However, in the documentary "The Freshest Kids" hip hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc insists that the name breaking originated in the slang term "break", meaning someone going "off" or crazy, just as the dancers seemed to do when driven by the right beat. Others claim the term originates in the break of the song, which is the best part to dance to.

B-boys

DJ Kool Herc coined the term B-boy in 1969 in New York City. During performances where Herc was DJing, he would yell out "b-boys go down!" which cued the dancers to begin breakdancing. 1969 was also the year that James Brown recorded "Get on the Good Foot," a song that promoted high-energy, acrobatic dancing and that Afrika Bambaataa (founder of the Zulu Nation) claims led to breakdancing (Toop, 1991). Many oldschool breakdancers prefer to be referred to as b-boys. "B-boy" was the original term for urban style dancers, though "breakdancer" is better known as it has been used more commonly by the media. The 'B' in b-boy doesn't correspond to a specific word, but most likely means "Boogie", "Bronx" or "Break." The "b" in b-boy probably does not stand for "Boogaloo". Boogaloo was a style developed in the West Coast and pertains more to the general Funk-style dance scene than to the b-boying and Hip Hop scene although those two cultures did end up intermingling. Funk styling, or Popping, is an entirely different dance with origins in California and the funk scene, not New York and the Hip Hop scene.

B-girls

A b-girl (breaker girl) is is the female counterpart to a b-boy in the hip hop culture. This term specifies a female who is a break-dancer and more recently, a female who represents the true hip hop culture. The term has been used since hip hop's inception during the 1970s. Notable b-girls include the late Bunny Lee (the first female member of The Rock Steady Crew), Baby Love, Roc-a-fella (not the record label), Asia-One, Suga Pop, and others. Actress Debi Mazar started out her career as a b-girl in New York City before turning to acting.

Dance

Debi Mazar In its early form, breakdancing was divided into three distinct forms: Breaking, dancing, and popping. Breakdance is commonly associated with, but distinct from, popping which is one element of the funk styles that evolved independently in California during the late 20th century. Other styles of dance associated with the funk styles include Locking, Tutting, Krumping, Boogaloo and liquid dancing. These styles are sometimes more "contortionistic" than "athletic," although they are often incorporated by breakdancers who wish to widen their expressive range. All such styles factor heavily into the breaker's movements while standing, called toprock. As opposed to toprock, footwork or downrock is performed with the body in contact with the floor. Many of the most recognizable breakdancing moves are part of downrock. Breakers usually begin by toprocking, and then continue down to the floor, often into some variation of the 6-step. The 6-step can be combined with or transitioned into certain power moves. After performing the techniques, the breakdancer will often end the dance on his feet or contorted into a freeze.

Style vs technique

One of the greatest divides in breakdancing is the give-and-take between style and technique (or power). Devotees of each aspect are commonly known as styleheads and powerheads. Styleheads focus on the dancing side of breakdance. They may look down on powerheads as hack gymnasts who have eschewed the fundamental dance aspect for flashy acrobatics. Powerheads would respond that styleheads are little different than dancers from other styles because they neglect the difficult athletic moves that make breakdancing so radically different. Others argue that style and techinque are two equally important facets of a single unified art, so looking down on either is nonsense. For some b-boys/crews, there is no such thing as a 'power set' or a 'style set', as the two are freely intermixed. Obviously this requires a fluent ease with at least some fragment of one's powermove vocabulary. Interestingly, style vs. power is somewhat mirrored in the dichotomy of Capoeira, Angola and Regional. Much of being a successful breakdancer is about having style. The constant debate between b-boys is a debate of who has the most style. Since, in theory, anyone can learn the basics of breakdance, the dancers must deviate from the set dances to use their own style. In this way they can show-up other breakdancers during battles, thus winning the battle.

Battles

Breakdancing battles are competitions in which dancers 'fight' against each other on the dance floor in a stylistic sense. They form a circle and take turns trying to show each other up through either better style, more difficult moves, and/or combinations of both. Battles can pit individuals against one another, but often take place between two opposing breakdancing crews. Examples of major crews are the Zulu Nation, Rock Steady Crew (RSC), Style Elements, Furious Styles Crew, Dynamic Rockers, Problems Kru, Ichigeki, Repstyles, Team OHH, Fireworks, Havikoro, The Furious Five, Full Force, Battle Monkeys, Knucklehead Zoo, Renegades, Killafornia, Vagabonds, Gamblers, Pockemon, and Airforce Crew. Today serious battles are usually held at organized b-boy events. The battles are usually part of a tournament-style competition with cash prizes, or they are featured showcase battles, where each crew is paid to dance. It's not uncommon that spontaneous battles will happen at events as well, when rival crews show up with most of their members. These events are called "jams," and generally consist of several hours of "cyphering" (open circles), followed by the main battle event. The largest competition each year is probably Battle of the Year (BOTY), held in Germany since

First rap record

Backlash against Disco

Punk

Minimalism

Ghetto DJs

Urban Socioeconomics

Source

Hip hop culture

Hip-hop

Emceeing

DJing

- (1999) Light, Alan, ed. The VIBE History of Hip-Hop. New York: Three Rivers Press.

Rapping

Origins

Descendents and influence

The importance of rhyme

Different types of rhymes

Importance of various techniques

Cadence

Prosody

Enunciation

Style, voice, tone, attitude, and soul

Speed

Wordplay

Other techniques

The message

Political Rap

Freestyle rap

Battle rap

Freestyle battles

Traditional forms

See also

External links

Graffiti

History of graffiti

Ancient graffiti

Modern graffiti

Terminology

Legal situation

See also

Famous artists

References and additional resources

In film

In the press

Dedicated Press

In literature (by country)

External links

Breakdancing

Etymology

B-boys

B-girls

Dance

Style vs technique

Battles