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Early Pioneers

Hip-Hop

Originating in 1970, hip-hop is marked by its strong beats and rhythmic, rhyming speech, becoming an iconic style and a lasting art form of its own. Not only a musical genre, hip-hop has become a cultural movement that has become synonymous with DJing, rapping, breakdancing, and street art. Hip-hop has traditionally provided a platform for artists to highlight issues of racism, poverty, and political injustice.

MUSIC THEORY

The primary meter in which hip-hop is written in is a simple quadruple or duple. In more recent years the triplet flow meter style has become more common.

 

Hip-hop is set at a 60-120 bpm, but the tempo of the beat is usually set based on the intent or mood. Many sub-genres of hip-hop have their own distinctive tempo - old-school east hip-hop is set at 100-120 bpm and southern hip-hop could be 90-120 bpm. A fast-moving tempo, 120-140 bpm, can give an uplifting anthem while a slower tempo, 70-90 bpm, could convey a moodier feel; although more modern hip-hop defies this pattern.

Much of the vocal styles of hip-hop is rap, but some artists might sing the chorus or bridge, especially in more modern songs

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