HIP-HOP

Originally a product of block parties thrown by pioneers such as Kool Herc, the Black Spades and Grandmaster Flash in 1970s New York, hip-hop became a cultural and musical phenomenon worldwide during the 1980s and 90s. To start with, hip-hop music was created live at parties by the process of cutting together two copies of the same breakbeat record using turntables and a DJ mixer, making a danceable beat out of a short loop. Rappers would then add their lyrics over the music, telling stories while getting the crowd involved through toasting and shout-outs.

Hip-hop quickly caught on, and it didn’t take long for artists to start creating this music in the studio, using early sampling equipment from the likes of Akai or E-mu to take breakbeat or instrumental sections of other records from a multitude of genres, and make them into a new composition, often with additionally layered synths or drum machines in the mix. The increasing affordability of sampling and sequencing gear during this period made hip-hop