Reggae, disco, hip hop origins

Question 1

Describe the historical events underpinning Reggae.

Answer 1

It originated in Jamaica, which was colonized by the Spanish and the English. After Jamaica became independent, it mainly traded with the US. So, it was part of the Western nexus but with African roots, which created cross-cultural currents through patterns of migration.

Question 2

What two genres ended up turning into reggae?

Answer 2

Ska and rocksteady.

Question 3

What is ska?

Answer 3

It is Jamaica popular music incorporating elements of traditional styles, R&B, and Rock n’ Roll.

Question 4

What is rocksteady?

Answer 4

It included the signature off-beat rhythm that came to be known from Reggae, a slower tempo than ska, and less brass.

Question 5

What is rastafarianism?

Answer 5

It was a belief system in Jamaica that incorporated elements of Christianity and African spiritualism. The smoking of Marijuana was considered religious.

Question 6

What were sound systems and how did they contribute to reggae?

Answer 6

People would gather in the streets and listen to rocksteady or ska music with huge speakers. The tradition of portable sound systems and playing music to a group in an external venue contributed to the rise of reggae.

Question 7

What are the major characteristics of Reggae?

Answer 7

It has off-beat accents, a slow tempo, political lyrics, reference to the Rastafarian faith, active basslines influenced by American soul and funk, African-inspired drumming patterns, and the interlocking of bass and rums (called the “riddim”)

Question 8

Name the major Reggae artist discussed.

Answer 8

Bob Marley

Question 9

What media boosted Bob Marley’s popularity?

Answer 9

The international acclaim of the movie The Harder They Come, and also covers of Marley by British artists, which was quite common and contributed to the cultural exchange.

Question 10

When was disco’s heyday?

Answer 10

From the mid to late 1970s.

Question 11

What were the major characteristics of the culture surrounding disco?

Answer 11

Music for dance transmitted mainly in clubs rather than on the radio or in record stores. It came out of black, latinx, and gay club cultures before entering the mainstream. There was also an emphasis on the singers, producers, and DJs as glamorous figures rather than the band.

Question 12

What are the major musical features of disco?

Answer 12

• Four on the floor steady beat
• Interlocking rhythms
• Long forms meant for nights and dancing
• Synthesizers, slick production
• Lyrics about pleasure, dancing, love

Question 13

What are the 3 subgenres of disco?

Answer 13

Eurodisco, pop disco, R&B disco

Question 14

What are the major characteristics of eurodisco?

Answer 14

Simple, chant-like vocals, less syncopated bass, thick orchestrations with strings and synths, dense musical textures

Question 15

What are the major characteristics of pop disco?

Answer 15

Conventional/shorter song forms, influence from European pop (such as ABBA), simpler bass lines than R&B disco, memorable hooks and choruses, less emphasis on interlocking grooves

Question 16

What are the major characteristics of R&B disco?

Answer 16

Gospel-influenced vocals, syncopated guitar and bass, stylistic overlap with funk, straightforward verse-chorus song forms, limited harmonic vocabulary (few chords)

Question 17

In what way did disco interact with revolt/resistance?

Answer 17

It was seen as a revolt against rock n’ roll in its embrace of queerness and blackness as well as artificiality, which drew a lot of criticism from rock fans.

Question 18

Describe what happened on disco demolition night.

Answer 18

This was a night in 1979 where there was a mass burning of disco records and paraphernalia organized during the intermission of a baseball game. It has been interpreted as an expression of racism and homophobia given disco’s roots.

Question 19

When did hip hop first emerge and where?

Answer 19

It first emerged in the Bronx in the 1970s, as this was the most economically devastated area of NYC.

Question 20

Describe the characteristics of early hip hop.

Answer 20

It emcompassed elements including rap, DJing, graffiti art, and street dancing, all rooted in Afro-diasporic and Latinx origins. DJ techniques and Afro-diasporic poetic traditions were key inspirations.

Question 21

Describe the DJ techniques utilized in early hip hop.

Answer 21

Mixing between records to isolate parts of popular records and mix them together, use of the turntable as an instrument, use of backspin technique to repeat break over and over.

Question 22

What are the two distinct roles in early hip hop?

Answer 22

DJs, who mixed the tracks, and the MCs, who commented on the music and excited the partygoers by rapping over the track.

Question 23

What was the first significant hip hop record?

Answer 23

Rapper’s delight by Sugarhill Gang

Question 24

What song did Rapper’s delight base itself on?

Answer 24

Chic’s disco hit “Good Times”

Question 25

What is old school flow?

Answer 25

It consists of square, four-bar phrasing, end rhymes, and melodic delivery.