Hip-hop started as a neighborhood activity in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s. DJs would make an extemporaneous beat with the use of two turntables, a crate full of vinyls and a lot of scratching. Emcees, decked in Adidas wear from head to toe, would freestyle over these beats using any subject matter that happened to come into their heads at the time. Back then, hip-hop was all about having fun.
Since that period, hip-hop has been expanding at an exponentially large rate. The gangsta rap movement of the early 1990s saw hip-hop expand from New York and split into two separate forms; underground hip-hop and commercial rap. Commercial rap was unleashed and exploited by large record labels because of its potential of making money. Basically, rap music has evolved into hip-hop minus the intellectualism and plus the mainstream appeal. Commercial rap artists such as Jay-Z and Nelly have sold millions of albums and are widely recognized throughout the country and world.
The original genre of hip-hop, though, never went commercial. Although hip-hop albums rarely went multi-platinum, there was still enough of a fan base to keep the music playing. Groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Gangstarr had a multitude of fans supporting their music. Many of these fans, who exist all over the world, were so influenced by early hip-hop that they decided to make their own hip-hop music. Now hip-hop crews are sprouting up all over the place, from the Midwest to Canada to the UK and even to non-English speaking countries, such as France and Japan.
This is the home of the group that is synonymous with underground hip-hop, The Roots. Made up of Black Thought, Malik B., Rahzel, Questlove and a host of musicians, The Roots are generally the group that sets the curve in hip-hop. Their albums include Do You Want More, Illadelph Halflife and the commercially successful Things Fall Apart. The pride and joy of The Roots, though, is the live show. They invest heavily in their performances as they are on the road for over half the year, year in and year out. This is illustrated by their fantastic live album, The Roots Come Alive, and the great job that The Roots band did on Jay-Z's unplugged album.
The most well-known emcee to ever come out of Boston is Guru, who, along with DJ Premier, form the legendary group Gangstarr. They have been making great music since the '80s, but their crowning achievement is probably 1998s Moment of Truth. Guru's smooth flow and edifying lyrics coupled with amazing beats from Premier form one of the best sounds in hip-hop.
The Motor City is home to one of the most well-known and respected groups of 21st century hip-hop, Slum Village. The group consists of T3, Baatin and emcee/producer Jay Dee, whose minimalist beats have taken all of hip-hop by storm. Jay Dee, besides producing his group's album, has done a lot of outside work with other artists, such as Common and Busta Rhymes. Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. 2 LP is one CD that virtually every hip-hop fan has as part of their collection.
One of the best current producers in hip-hop, DJ Hi-Tek, claims Ohio as his place of residence. Hi-Tek started with the group Mood and then moved on to Rawkus Records where he hooked up with Talib Kweli. Hi-Tek produced much of the Blackstar album and, along with Talib, made the highly successful Reflection Eternal album. In 2001, Hi-Tek went on his own to produce the compilation Hi-Teknology.
The Swollen Members are considered to be Canada's version of Dilated Peoples, who themselves hail from California. Comprised of Madchild and Prevail, the Swollen Members feature a more laid back form of hip-hop than the mainstream. They followed up their exceptional 2000 release Balance with 2001's Bad Dreams.
A British invasion of sorts is hitting the hip-hop community. At the forefront is The Creators, a production group whose 2000 CD, The Weight, is one of the best hip-hop compilations in the last five years. Featuring many UK artists as well as American super-emcees Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Evidence of The Dilated Peoples, The Weight is a perfect collection of magnificent beats and supreme mic talent.
