Understanding Rap and Hip Hop Music

As a new way of communicating and expressing ideas, hip hop has become one of the most popular musical genres in popular music. It managed to fulfill the needs and wants of music lovers of different races and cultures in ways no one could have anticipated and became responsible for the entire electronic-based music explosion throughout the world.

Since its birth in 1970s to this date, so many styles have emerged. The electronic synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers had all contributed heavily to the emerge of these styles. There are many sub-styles of those genres in today's popular music.

Today it means much more than just music, rap and dance. It is culture, philosophy, partying, knowledge, dancing, rapping and more. It is a lifestyle, where you can experience a journey to everything with passion.

The core elements of hip hop are MC-ing, DJ-ing along with beakdancing and graffiti which are constantly being merged with the culture, slang and clothing trends.

People often use rap and hip hop interchangeably. All rap is considered to be hip-hop but the vice versa isn't true. Because rap is something we do, whereas hip-hop is something we live. They differ in three main features; musical attributes, culture and community message.

Rap includes some poetic lyric, beats and their rhyming with subjects varying from relationships to commercialism. Anything depicts the street life can be found in rappers themes such as love, violence, crime, race, social and political issues.

Rapping, which is a medium of vocal application of between talking and singing is an important element of hip hop music. Any subject is good for rap beats; in other words, there are infinite number of subjects can be selected as topics of rap music.

People, money, cars, love and hate or anything else can be a subject for rapping about. People who write rap songs use things that interest them; the favorite things they like to do, favorite sports, car, song, etc. Any person or object at any place can be a good subject for a rap song.

In short, since this new music is a way of communication and expressing feelings then the writer of the song is completely free in communication what he or she wants with the outside. This richness of feelings which can be found everywhere around the world can be the reason of the rising popularity of hip hop music culture all around the world.

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Do You Really Know Tango Music and Tango Dance

Tango music is very different to what we listen today in popular culture. In fact it has all the flavors required to make one happy because the music is lively, rhythmic and the same time soulful. Starting from soft tango there is the hard tango and also the ones where the dance becomes extremely sensual, more so because of the songs. Therefore the music as well as the dance form has become extremely popular all over the world, no matter which country you take into consideration.

As we all know, tango originated in Argentina, it was the local dance of that place. However, as time went by, more and more people got attracted to this form of dancing and singing. Actually it is one form of culture where the sheer enthusiasm and fun of dancing tango is very prominent. Therefore no wonder, tango is called the happy dance because it does make you happy and charged up. Tango music was not that well known and people usually associate it with tango dance. However, today tango can be danced to almost any song as long as you can keep up with the rhythm and dance perfectly. However, tango music was the original music for this dance. It was the soulful and high speed whirls that this music allowed which gave tango dance its popularity. Today, most people would love to believe that the songs to which tango is danced are all tango songs. However that is not true.

When you think of the word tango music what is the first image that comes to your mind? Surely you must be thinking of the varied colorful beauty of Argentina. One country which is filled with natural treasures and a culture that is so colorful and lively that it is the general impression that people out there are rather happy and contented with their lives. The country, one might say is driven by a passion, the passion of tango, the passion that is required to dance tango, the passion with which you can possibly turn your whole life around into one beautiful moment. If you want to feel some of the passion of the culture of Argentina, if you truly have a knack for tango listen to the most beautiful and fast paced tango songs available on the planet when surfing on the web.

But, how will you dance to the tango music?

Well, it is very easy and two steps is all that you need to remember. Firstly, make sure that you hold your partner properly. For dancing properly, embracing to the rule is very essential. Your embrace will determine how graceful your dance is. Secondly, you have to know about the beats and at which beat to take control of your partner. Tango is one dance where there is equal division of power between the male and the female of the couple. At one time the male leads whole at the other the woman. So basically, its from the fifth step that you should be careful to change. Dance and enjoy tango now!

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3 Tips On How To Make Your Own Hot Dance Music

We all have some things we'd like. A lot of people have things they need to achieve or do. With a few people it's something they wish to own or to have. Often it is learning how you can do something or perhaps be something which we want.

Maybe, as an example, you want to make your own dance music. A lot of people want that, and it's not hard to accomplish once you learn how to. The next few paragraphs can guide you to reach your goal and make your own dance music. If you want to find out how to make your own dance music in a few simple steps, keep reading.

The 1st step is to have the desire and want to be creative, you can even find a dance partner to make it just that much better.  You need to do this because without desire most dreams will not be pursued. It will be vital that you avoid any negative influences that may bring you down and stop the flow of creativity.

It's going to be important to finish this 1st step carefully, carrying it out completely, properly and well. If you do not then a poor effort will be the result in creating your own dance music.

Step number 2 would be you will need some music production knowledge. What you should avoid here is not taking some time to learn more about music production, You can take classes and the internet can provide you with a wealth of knowledge to get started.

Your 3rd and final step will be music production studio software. The reason this will be significant is the fact that you can create your own dance music on your computer, burn it to a CD and start producing dance music quickly. What will be important to avoid is spending a lot money to get started, Well here is the best part, There is software available that can show you how you can make your own hot dance music and the best thing about this software is it has been made for the complete beginner and for the professional. The software comes with tutorial videos to get you up and running in about 10 minutes, and is jammed pack with thousands of beats to choose from, so you will be able to make some great and unique dance tracks in a short period of time.

It's best to follow all of the 3 steps carefully. Be sure to avoid the pitfalls and potential problems mentioned. You'll be able to successfully avoid virtually all problems by carefully observing the problem warnings here.

When you set out to succeed in making your own hot dance music, by observing the above suggestions you'll have very high chances of succeeding. Then you may pat yourself on the back! And enjoy every one of the rewards and benefits gained by your effective, well-directed efforts!

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Soca and Jamoo - Totally Original Musical Styles

Soca music is a dynamic mix of Calypso and Indian music. Soca rhythm and beats are hit out on a bunch of different Indian rhythm instruments like the dholak, tabla and dhantal. It is most popular in the Caribbean, but also has fans around the world.

Garfield Blackman, more popularly known as Lord Shorty and Ras Shorty I, was the innovator of Soca music. When Shorty was a kid he always heard Calypso or Indian music being played around him. He created Soca music by combining Calypso and Indian music together-- and added lots of beats toit with a bunch of Indian rhythm instruments. Lord Shorty first called this new musical style Solca, representing the true "Soul of Calypso." Solca became popularly known as Soca. Lord Shorty wanted Soca "to uplift people's spirits".

Soca spread around the world like a hurricane after several hits by Soca performer Arrow, including Hot Hot Hot.

Soca numbers by several other performers are also very popular. Soca continues to evolve into new musical forms.

Jamoo

Jamoo is a mix of reggae and gospel, with a modest following . It was pioneered by Lord Shorty after he quit performing Soca. Jamoo spreads a message of goodness and spirituality, as Lord Shorty had originally intended Soca to do. But Lord Shorty came to feel Soca performers were spreading bad messages in sharp contrast to its original purpose: "to uplift the spirits of the people."

A Little Bit About Shorty and His Childhood

Garfield Blackman, who would become most widely known to the world as Lord Shorty then as Ras Shorty I, an extraordinary Calypso singer and composer who invented Soca Music and Jamoo Music, was born in Trinidad on October 6, 1941. During his childhood in Trinidad, Shorty was exposed to a sea of music: Caribbean Calypso music, West African Music, and East Indian music. As a young child Shorty "was inspired by his older brother George, who played the mouth organ, and he was so talented that he soon mastered the organ and the guitar," a cousin recalls. Garfield Blackman aka Lord Shorty aka Ras Short I started singing Calypso songs before he was seven.

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Hip Hop Music and the Youth Connection

Since hip hop music is such a youthful form of music, there has always been speculation about how it affects the youth of our country. So many people write so many things and talk so much about the hip hop culture. Often, it is the negative that is highlighted; the "ill-effects" are mentioned. But it all isn't as bad as it looks. I am very impressed with motivational rapper Marcus Parker's words when he explained that rap music is about everything that happens out in the streets. It portrays the life outside one's comfort zone.

The streets are no heavens. It is the hard life; the rough life and many a times the life we are not accustomed with. Most of the artists who rise to fame come from such modest backgrounds. Many of the artists face prison-time and indulge in abuses because they aren't from the well-kept, well-educated and 'fortunate' backgrounds like all those of reading this article. Yes, it is a fact that most of the rappers still live the hard life. In fact, we can understand this from the very origin of this genre; it stemmed from ghetto and gang communities of youngsters in the troubled streets of Africa, in the 1980s. Rap lyrics have content derived from people who face these circumstances and the things that are important to them. These themes may, hence, seem inappropriate to the sophisticated mind. But when you analyze this music from the writer's point of view and the listener's perception you will understand the 'connection'.

The connection between a rapper and his fan is not just the instrumental and the rhythm; but also the experience and feeling. It is the emotion that creates the strong bond and the fan-following. When a rapper raps about sexuality, it is perhaps something that the youngster can understand. Certainly the explicit content isn't the best flavor but we must wake up to the fact that physicality is an integral part of our social being. Beside, trying to apprehend what your son or daughter appreciates will help you connect with them better. There are also songs that I like although they may not represent me as a person. I like hip hop rap songs for their beats; I may not agree with the lyric but I can certainly enjoy the music.

Further exploring the genre will introduce you to various forms of music that the industry offers. There is Jazz-rap and Conscious Hip Hop music and many other forms which will uplift the spirit and inspire far beyond. Even Underground hip-hop is finding a greater audience with platforms offered by the World Wide Web today. So, why should we be intimidated or apprehensive? Music does inspire, and when it does not; it merely entertains. Negative does not influence as strongly as the positive.

As adults, it is important to be aware of what our children are going through as well as give them the space to explore their worlds. We have all passed through that phase and grown to be who we are. In the end, a healthy upbringing will always overpower any superficial influence. Let the music play because it is only music and not an instruction for life!

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All About the Hip Hop Music

Hip hop music as we all know is really popular these days. It all started in the 1970's from the South Bronx of New York City. There are a lot of sub culture music styles that are involved with Rap music. Let us know more about hip hop in the following listed details:

Brief history:

During the 1970's, New York City's African American Puerto Rican community created the Rap music genre. It is actually a style that came up while trying to add rap music and other instruments like synthesizers, drum machines in live bands. Rappers are the main subject of the hip hop though there are more to it than just rapping. It began with its simple music versions that were modernized and evolved throughout the years.

Styles and Techniques:

Hip hop music or Rap music is not just music at all. It is composed of other things, not only the music itself. If we talk about being in a hip hop culture and community, you will be in a lot of transformation and changes. For example is their fashion statement. Hip hop has brought along a new type of clothing to all artists on the rap music industry including the people listening to it. It is what the people on the Bronx have come up with, but the a little edge into it. We can see most of the artists wearing baggy clothes, with much 'blings' in their accessories. It is all part of the hip hop community transformation.

The language is also a bit different. Black people from the Bronx have a certain style or slang in their language. They are more of the baroque style of speaking, and they have added that style in their music's. Rap music are consists of songs that are written for people that wants to express their feelings in an edgy way.

Graffiti:

Even the graffiti has been transformed by the hip hop music society. It was used in the earlier years as a form of expression for the political activists. Now, hip hop people created it into a way for them to express their way of life, thoughts with the current society, and all other issues. It can be seen throughout the Bronx where it originated.

Famous artists:

1. Run-D.M.C.

2. Public Enemy

3. Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five

4. Beastie Boys

5. 2pac

6. Eric B and Rakim

7. N.W.A

8. Wu-Tang Clan

9. Jay Z

10. De La Soul

11. Outkast

12. A Tribe Called Quest

13. Notorious BIG

14. Nas

15. Eminem

17. LL Cool J

18. Boogie Down Productions

19. Dr. Dre

20. Afrikaa Bambaataa

21. Kanye West

22. The Roots

23. Gangstarr

24. Ice Cube

25. EPMD

26. Salt-N-Pepa

27. Slick Rick

28. Big Daddy Kane

29. Snoop Dog

30. Pete Rock and C.L Smooth

Those are the major information we should know about the rap music genre. Try listening to some of their songs to know more about what this type of music is all about.

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Hip Hop Music

Hip-hop music is the vehicle of hip-hop culture and contains "rapping" (superimposed with vocals) by emcees. Owing to this, hip-hop music is sometimes referred to as "rap music," However, those who dismiss hip-hop as rap music do not comprehend its rich history and the influence this genre of music has on youth culture.

Hip-hop music is a vehicle used by the singers to address racism, oppression, and poverty issues. It narrates tales of inner city African-Americans living the American dream (through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity) from the bottom up, and bitterly touches upon racial discrimination, broken homes, and overcoming adversity.

Invented by Jamaican migrant DJ Kool Herc in the early 70s in New York City, it has since then spread its tentacles across the world. Herc shifted from reggae records to funk, rock and disco. Owing to the short percussive breaks, he began extending them using an audio mixer and two records. As the unique style of music became a hit, performers (emcees) began superimposing the music with vocals; initially, they introduced themselves and others in the audience. Later, the rapping became more diverse, incorporating brief rhymes, often with a sexual or violent theme, in an attempt to entertain the audience.

In the mid-1970s, hip-hop split into two groups. One focused on getting the crowd dancing, another highlighted rapid-fire rhymes. The 1980s witnessed further diversification in hip-hop; highly metaphoric lyrics rapping over multi-layered beats replaced simple vocals. In the 90s, gangsta rap (glorified outlaw lifestyle) became mainstream. Hip-hop was soon an integral part of mainstream music, and nearly all the pop songs featured an underlying element of hip-hop.

In the 90s and into the following decade, elements of hip-hop were integrated into diverse genres of music: hip-hop soul combined hip-hop and soul music; in the Dominican Republic, a recording by Santi Y Sus Duendes and Lisa M was coined "Meren-rap," a fusion of hip-hop and meringue. In Europe, Africa, and Asia, hip-hop has undergone a transition from an underground occurrence to the mainstream market.

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