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44th Anniversary of the Birth of Hip Hop
- On August 11, 1973, an 18-year-old, Jamaican-American DJ who went by the name of Kool Herc threw a back-to-school jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York. During his set, he decided to do something different. Instead of playing the songs in full, he played only their instrumental sections, or “breaks” - sections where he noticed the crowd went wild. During these “breaks” his friend Coke La Rock hyped up the crowd with a microphone. And with that, Hip Hop was born.Today, we celebrate the 44th anniversary of that very moment with a first-of-its-kind Doodle featuring a custom logo graphic by famed graffiti artist Cey Adams, interactive turntables on which users can mix samples from legendary tracks, and a serving of Hip Hop history - with an emphasis on its founding pioneers. What’s more, the whole experience is narrated by Hip Hop icon Fab 5 Freddy, former host of “Yo! MTV Raps.”To dig deeper into the significance of this moment and culture from a personal perspective, we invited the project’s executive consultant and partner, YouTube’s Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen (and former head of Def Jam Records), to share his thoughts:“Yes, yes y'all! And it don't stop!” Today we acknowledge and celebrate a cultural revolution that's spanned 44 years and counting. It all started in the NYC Bronx, more commonly known as the Boogie Down Bronx. Following the fallout from the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway in 1972 that demolished a lot of the neighborhood, times were particularly tough. The youth needed an outlet - a unifying sound, a beat, a voice to call their own. The Bronx DJ’s and MC’s rose to the task and the city loved them for it.Hip Hop was accessible. A kid with little means and hard work could transform their turntable into a powerful instrument of expression (also illustrating hip hop’s technical innovation). Starting with folks like DJ Kool Herc, DJ Hollywood, and Grandmaster Flash, the grassroots movement created a new culture of music, art, and dance available to the 5 boroughs of the city and beyond.Hip Hop was also rebellion against several norms of the time, including the overwhelming popularity of disco, which many in the community felt had unjustly overshadowed the recent groundbreaking works of James Brown and other soul impresarios from the 60’s. Specifically, they felt that the relatable storytelling and emotional truths shared in soul and blues had been lost in the pop-centric sounds of Disco. So Hip Hop recaptured that connection, beginning with the pioneers who brought back the evocative BOOM! BAP! rhythms of James Brown's drummer, Clyde Stubblefield.It should be noted that early Hip Hop stood against the violence and drug culture that pervaded the time. My dear friend & first client Kurtis Blow once said “On one side of the street, big buildings would be burning down…while kids on the other side would be putting up graffiti messages like, 'Up with Hope. Down with Dope,' 'I Will Survive' and 'Lord, Show Me the Way!’”. The messages of resilience unified a community of people and were the backdrop of hip hop’s beginnings.I won’t pretend I was present when Hip Hop began. I first engaged with Hip Hop music about ten years after its birth, when the culture was still a kid. I’d graduated from college and was working at a bank in Los Angeles. A year later, bored as hell, I quit. On a whim, I rented an abandoned hall and started booking shows. My policy was to provide a stage for the music that promoters were ignoring: punk-rock, reggae, and rap. It turned out to be a winning strategy. One of my very first shows included RUN DMC, and they absolutely KILLED IT. Following the success of those shows, I left LA for NYC and started working for Russell Simmons, who appointed me road manager for RUN DMC just as they were embarking on a European tour. It was December of 1984 and they found nothing but love on both sides of the English Channel. A month later, RUN DMC, along with Kurtis Blow, the Fat Boys, and Whodini, started touring massive arenas across the U.S.. To the rock establishment and corporate music business, hip hop was little more than a fad. But with acts selling out shows around the globe night after night, it was obvious that something bigger was brewing...Hip Hop was disruptive. Ultimately, to me, it shows that people in any situation have the ability to create something powerful and meaningful. The progression of this culture and sound - from Kool Herc spinning James Brown breaks at a block party to Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake being some of the biggest forces in music 44 years later - is something that few people at that first party could have anticipated.Hip Hop has done exactly what its founders set out to do, whether wittingly or unwittingly. It placed an accessible culture, relatable to any marginalized group in the world, at the forefront of music. In that spirit, here’s to BILLIONS of people getting a brief reminder that “Yes, yes y’all! And it WON’T stop!”Early explorations & a behind-the-scenes look at the DoodleEarly motion study & prototypes of the turntablesEarly animation explorationsEarly logo design sketch by Cey AdamsCharacter concepts for Fab 5 FreddyEarly intro storyboardDoodle team in front of 1520 Sedgwick Ave in the Bronx (From L to R: Perla, Kevin, Pedro, David)With Cey Adams in his NYC studio (From L to R: Perla, Ryan, Cey, Pedro)In the recording studio with Fab 5 Freddy (From L to R: Perla, Fab, Kevin, Ryan, Pedro)Doodle team doing some serious Hip Hop research in NYC (Pedro & David soaking in the art of NYC, Perla brushing up on her breakdancing skills thanks to HUSH tours, & the team getting a hip hop history lesson from Sal Abbatiello & fam)CreditsCore Hip Hop TeamUX/Art
Creative/UX Lead, Animator, Musician - Kevin Burke
Art/Animation Lead - Pedro Vergani
Designer, Animator - Hélène Leroux
Team Lead - Ryan GermickEngineering
Eng Lead - David Lu
Eng Support - Jordan Thompson, Mark Ivey, Kris Hom, Chris Wilson
Eng Manager - Ben McMahanProduction
Partnerships, Marketing, & Licensing Lead - Perla Campos
Program Manager & User Testing Lead - Gregory CapuanoSpecial thanks toSupport
Writing support - Jorteh Senah, Matthue Roth
Licensing/Agency support - Jay Komas, Jill Trainor, Joy Edgar, Jen Rosen, Thomas Breslin
UX Research - Melinda Klayman
Music support, Sound Engineer - Nick Zammuto
PR support - Susan Cadrecha, Marni Greenberg
Web audio support - Yotam Mann, Chris Wilson
Design/Animation support - Matt Cruickshank
Animation support - Olivia Huynh
Art support - Brian KaasPartners
Executive Consultant - Lyor Cohen
Guest artist - Cey Adams
Host - Fab 5 Freddy
Guest Musician - Prince Paul
Consultants - Sal Abbatiello, Mickey Abbatiello, Steve Stoute
Agency partners - Mass Appeal, DMG Clearances, TranslationHip Hop Pioneer Participants
DJ Kool Herc
Grand Wizzard Theodore
The Sequence
Grandmaster Caz
Richard Colón (AKA Crazy Legs)
Roxanne Shanté
Grandmaster Flash
RUN DMC
Sylvia Robinson estateIntro Content Credits
A Tribe Called Quest footage - courtesy of Video Music Box Licensing/Getty
Bronx Rap contest footage - courtesy of Louis Alvarez and Andrew Kolker/Getty
Style Wars footage - courtesy of Public Art Films, Inc.
Salt N Pepa image - courtesy of Janette Beckman This day in history
From the start, hip-hop was about storytelling. Just as the sound of the movement was created by the creative repurposing of music that already existed, the success of the genre’s MCs was based on their willingness to shatter old forms and wield the shards to create a new style of self-expression. Male and female rappers alike used wordplay, repetition and extended metaphor to relate experiences that were dark, violent, romantic or hopeful, casting themselves as hero, witness or seer.
But given the music industry’s history of marginalising the contributions of women, it’s easy to see hip-hop as a boys’ club. Braggadocious lyrics about violence, sex, swagger and masculinity reign in a space where women, in most cases, are cast as either conquests or a faceless Greek chorus, their own stories largely ignored. But in the early days of the genre, while critics were still deriding hip-hop as a passing fad, female rappers were beginning to make up a formidable piece of the genre’s biology, unapologetically detailing their interpretations and experiences of the world they lived in. They all had distinct variations in style, flow and lyrical content, but what each woman had in common was a fiercely independent voice and the power to remain consistently and resoundingly herself.
MC Lyte
The first solo rapper to release her own, full-length album, MC Lyte’s Lyte As A Rock dropped in 1988. Lyte’s flow, lyrical precision and refusal to self-censor gained her industry attention quickly. She has described the scene in its early days as competitive and skill-based, but not without a gender bias. “There may have been times when promoters didn’t want to pay me what I deserved. In a line-up they didn’t want to put me where my songs warranted me going. But none of it affected me to a degree to where it mattered. There may have been setbacks but I never let get to me.”
In 1993, ‘Ruffneck’ was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Single, making MC Lyte the first female MC nominated for a Grammy. In recent years, Lyte herself has called for the Female Rap Solo category to be reinstated, saying “it destroys [hip-hop] culture to not have the perspective of a woman”.
Queen Latifah
Part of the New York area’s storied Native Tongues crew, along with the likes of Jungle Brothers, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah was one of the earliest female rappers in hip-hop. The Native Tongues collective were known for their socially-conscious, largely positive lyrical content, but Latifah made a name for herself talking about issues in the lives of black women. Songs like ‘Ladies First’ and ‘UNITY’, which discussed domestic violence, street harassment and the need for coalition-building between females, made the New Jersey native a powerful voice for change.
Monie Love
One of the only other female rappers in Native Tongues, Monie Love and Queen Latifah struck up a fast friendship after Latifah and Native Tongues travelled to the UK, where, at a show, they met the British rapper, who had been making noise in the underground scene there for years. Love eventually joined Native Tongues in New York, where she collaborated with Latifah on ‘Ladies First’, and released her own album, produced by Afrika Baby Bam. Songs such as ‘Monie In The Middle’ and ‘RU Single’ both slyly and cleverly struck back at expectations and assumptions about black women in relationships without sacrificing the flow.
Salt-N-Pepa
When Cheryl James and Sandra Denton joined forces in 1985, much of the record industry still believed hip-hop was a fad. Calling themselves Salt-N-Pepa, the two put out ‘The Showstopper’, a response to Doug E Fresh’s hit ‘The Show’. Clad in short shorts and tight midriff-baring shirts, this duo ruled the sex-positive revolution of the 90s. With songs such as ‘Push It’, ‘Do You Really Want Me’, ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’, and ‘Shoop’, Salt-N-Pepa were frank and outspoken about their desires and their sexuality, while simultaneously demanding respect, preaching feminist values and speaking out against assault and discrimination.
Bahamadia
One of Philadelphia’s first prominent MCs, Bahamadia, a former producer, was moved to join the rap game after being inspired by the likes of female rappers Salt-N-Pepa and Lady B. Lyrically dexterous with a smooth, unflappable flow, Bahamadia’s verses serve less bombast than her contemporaries, but are no less verbally crafty. Her debut album, 1996’s Kollage was an instant classic, and the very first LP to be co-produced and entirely written by a female MC. Loaded with deceptively simple beats that reveal their complexity as they weave over, under, around and through textured melodies, the album is both warm and fresh, full of the jazz and soul influences that have become synonymous with the Philadelphia sound.
Foxy Brown
One of the most distinctive voices in rap, Foxy Brown entered the scene at a mere 15 years old, and first appeared on LL Cool J’s album Mr Smith , rapping over the remix for ‘I Shot Ya’. She was signed to Def Jam in ’96, the same year she appeared with Lil’ Kim, Total, and Da Brat on the Bad Boy Remix of ‘No One Else’. It was also the year her debut album, Ill Na Na, dropped. Critical reviews were mixed but Foxy’s sales were strong, and ‘Get Me Home’ was that rare radio banger with decades of staying power. Like Lil’ Kim, Foxy was frank and outspoken about her sexuality and her desire while still commanding – and demanding – respect.
Lauryn Hill
From the moment critics got their first taste of Lauryn Hill on the 1994 Fugees album, Blunted On Reality, she was hailed as a star. Fellow Fugee Wyclef Jean acknowledged it himself in a verse on 1996’s The Score: “The magazine said the girl shoulda went solo/The guys should stop rapping/Vanish like Menudo.” Hill did go solo, releasing The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill in 1998 to public and critical acclaim. Mixing neo-soul sounds with powerful feminist lyrics, Hill delved deep into the complications inherent in womanhood, motherhood, black femininity and the music business. Hits like ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’, ‘Everything is Everything’, ‘Lost Ones’ and ‘Ex-Factor’ still sound as fresh and compelling today as they did at the time of their release. Hill hasn’t released an album since a compilation in 2007, but remains an irreplaceable voice in the canon of female rappers.
Lil’ Kim
The woman who rapped “got buffoons eatin’ my pu__y while I watch cartoons” needs no introduction. She hasn’t released a major studio album since 2003, but Kim remains in the canon as one of the most gifted MCs of either gender. Flipping sexual mores on their head, Lil’ Kim twisted the paradigm that said a female MC had to come with masculine swagger. Draped in mink and diamonds, lace and lingerie, Kim embraced the feminine sexual aesthetic that kept many women in the genre locked in the role of “video vixen”. “I’ve always been super sexy and feminine,” Kim told Billboard in 2014. “My record company didn’t understand a female rapper being sexy. They thought I needed to look like MC Lyte, wear sweat suits and all that.” Instead of changing to fit the mould of female rappers, Lil’ Kim doubled down on her sexuality and used it to unapologetically empower herself in a world of men, whom, in many ways, she still needed in order to access power.
Missy Elliot
With a visual and sonic vocabulary that’s one of a kind, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the southern-born Missy Elliot changed the game. After years of collaboration with the likes of Jodeci, Ginuwine and Aaliyah, Elliott headed into the studio with childhood friend and longtime collaborator Timbaland to work on her debut album. The result, which took only two weeks, was Supa Dupa Fly, which yielded the radio hit ‘The Rain’. Laced with inventive wordplay (“I sit on hills like Lauryn”) that sampled Ann Peebles’ 1973 single and with one of the most inventive videos in the history of the medium, ‘The Rain’ was a surprise and a smash.
Elliott’s next album, Da Real World, was equally successful, and her third album, Miss E… So Addictive, gave the world ‘Get Ur Freak On’, one of the most enduring hits of the decade. Missy’s look – baggy pants, cartoonish silhouettes and bright colors – added comedy to an often hyper-serious musical genre. She was in stark contrast to many of the newer commercial female rappers who were scantily dressed and hypersexualised, working hard to appeal to a fanbase of young men. Through her unique vision, Missy created a body of work that has cemented her position as one of the legends of modern music.
Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu glided so smoothly onto the scene with 1997’s Baduizmthat you could be forgiven for failing to realise she was about to change the game. Cleverly barbed and artfully built lyrical structures and a jazzy funk-tinged bluesy sound got her branded as the first lady of “neo soul”, a label that makes feeble attempts to describe her sound. It’s exceptionally difficult to describe Badu’s music without resorting to 70s-sounding expressions like “tapestry” or “potpourri”, but it’s even tougher to recall another artist from any era who infused a distinct, modern sensibility with the level of historical richness and references that Badu brings to every project.
Elements of soul, funk and R&B are brilliantly deployed through rap rhymes and references to hip-hop culture. There’s rarely a genre that can’t find a home on one of her tracks. The music is as layered and polychromatic as the woman herself. If she’s sly and knowing (‘You Loving Me’), she’s also vulnerable and seeking (‘Out My Mind’, ‘Just in Time’). She’s the lady who wrote ‘Tyrone’, perhaps the most poignant song about being done with a dude’s bulls__t ever sung, while ‘Green Eyes’ remains a timorous ballad about the danger of an open heart.
Nicki Minaj
If you want to know what the soil’s like, look at what’s grown on it: Nicki Minaj, Queens native. She’s what happens when 90s predecessors feed your already-sharp tongue, drawling delivery and the kind of syllable-stacking honed-blade verbal dexterity that forces Kanye to let you show him up on his own track. Her domination of the verse is absolute, and her aesthetic sensibilities are one of a kind. If her talent weren’t enough, her insight makes her additionally formidable. Her off-the-cuff remarks on the now viral video known as “the pickle juice clip” were an astute and poignant distillation of the absurdity of double standards in the music industry – but really in any workplace – and her comments about a culture that chastised women for the same behaviour it encourages in men feels eerily prescient. Her early works have been a proving ground and, with a new batch of singles under her belt (‘Changed It’, ‘No Frauds’, ‘Regret In Your Tears’), Minaj seems in every way to be poised for long-term success.
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