Hip Hop Basics Flashcards

Learn the basics of the Hip Hop Nation: its history, its leaders, and its significance as a cultural movement.

1
Q

What is the New York City neighborhood credited for the origins of hip-hop?

A

the South Bronx

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2
Q

The first rap song to reach the Bilboard Top 40 pop charts was…

A

“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang

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3
Q

Who is DJ known as the founder of hip-hop who spun breakbeats at parties in the South Bronx in 1972?

A

DJ Kool Herc

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4
Q

What is a “breakbeat” in hip-hop?

A
  • spinning two of the same records and cutting back and forth in between them to prolong a beat
  • the breakbeat is the origin of hip-hop instrumentals
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5
Q

What are the four elements of hip-hop culture?

A
  • breaking (breakdancing)
  • graffing (graffiti writing)
  • MCing (rapping)
  • DJing (working turntables)
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6
Q

What are two hip-hop terms for breakdancing?

A
  • breaking
  • BBoying
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7
Q

Name the competitive dance associated with hip-hop, developed in 1968 by Rubberband Man and Apache of Bushwick, Brooklyn.

A

uprocking

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8
Q

Name the style of breaking that incorporates the six-step and four-step combination moves.

A

footwork

or

downrocking

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9
Q

Name the two major dance techniques used in toprocking.

A
  • uprocking
  • popping and locking
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10
Q

What is the generic name for the breakdancing moves known as freezes, headspins, and windmills?

A

power moves

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11
Q

What does MC (“emcee”) stand for and who was the first MC?

A
  • master of ceremonies
  • Melle Mel of The Furious Five was the first rapper to identify as an MC
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12
Q

What is freestyling?

A
  • improvisational rap
  • often described as “off the top of the dome” (off the top of the head)
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13
Q

What is an MC battle?

A
  • competitive rapping
  • written or freestyle
  • opponents undermine each other through words
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14
Q

Who was the MC of Boogie Down Productions and founder of the Temple of Hip Hop?

A

KRS-One

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15
Q

Who are the two members of The Juice Crew who created the song “The Bridge?”

A
  • MC Shan
  • Marley Marl
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16
Q

Who is credited with coining the term “hip-hop?”

A

Keith Cowboy (of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)

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17
Q

What is beatboxing?

A
  • mix of vocal percussion, verbal samples, and turntable emulation
  • establishes a hip-hop instrumental background through voice
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18
Q

What is the name of an important peace gang in New York City established by Afrika Bambaata?

A

Universal Zulu Nation

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19
Q

Who were the founding members or groups of the hip- hop collective Native Tongues?

A
  • Jungle Brothers
  • De La Soul
  • A Tribe Called Quest
  • Prince Paul
  • Kool DJ Red Alert
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20
Q

Doug E. Fresh, Rahzel, and Biz Markie are legends of what musical “instrument?”

A

beatboxing

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21
Q

What rap group’s distinctive dress and hit single “Walk This Way” first established a place for hip-hop in popular music?

A

Run-D.M.C.

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22
Q

What is the name of the major hip-hop recording label propelled to success by LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy?

A

Def Jam Recordings

23
Q

What was Juice, and what was its significance to hip-hop?

A
  • crime drama
  • shot on location in Harlem, New York City
  • starred Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps
  • showcases DJing by including a DJ contest in the plot
24
Q

Who were two rap legends whose lives were intertwined as best friends, arch enemies, and the leaders of a media war between East and West Coast hip-hop?

A
  • Tupac Shakur
  • Notorious B.I.G.
25
Who was the performer of the hit single "How to Rob" (1999), a prodigious fantasy about robbing all the biggest performers in hip-hop?
50 Cent
26
What is gangsta rap?
* genre of hip-hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of some inner-city youths * pioneered in the mid-1980s * now the most lucrative subgenre of hip-hop
27
Who created gansta rap?
* Schooly D * Ice-T * popularized in the late-1980s by groups like N.W.A.
28
What hip-hop artist recorded "Cop Killer," a heavy metal song in reaction to police brutality in the 1992 Rodney King case?
Ice-T's heavy metal band, Body Count
29
Name the members of New York-based swing hip-hop group Gang Starr.
* DJ Premier * DJ Guru
30
Who is Snoop Doggy Dog?
* West Coast MC * former Crips gang member * mentored by Dr. Dre * hit singles include "What's My Name?" and "Gin and Juice" * popularized "izzle" in vernacular speech, e.g., "for shizzle" ("for sure")
31
Who is Master P?
* New Orleans rapper and entrepreneur * founded No Limit Records (reorganized into New No Limit) * paved the way for the new "Southern rap" style * distributed several prominent artists, such as Snoop Dogg
32
Who are Outkast?
* composed of rappers Big Boi andAndre 3000 * hip-hop legends based near Atlanta, GA * fused psychedelic funk with their Southern roots * among most successful acts in history * won six Grammy Awards
33
Who is Dr. Dre?
* West-Coast rapper and producer * member of World Class Wreckin' Cru and N.W.A. * pioneered G-funk (gangsta funk) * launched the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and 50 Cent * almost exclusively produces others * recorded two albums (*The Chronic* and *2001*, collaborating with Snoop Dogg) to wide acclaim
34
Who is Public Enemy?
* Long Island-based hip-hop group * songs included social commentary, accusations of racist politics * "Fight the Power" (1989) became an anthem for the hip-hop community
35
Who was Big Pun?
* Bronx-based Latino rapper * member of Terror Squad (led by Fat Joe) * released *Capital Punishment* (1998), which went platinum and was nominated for a Grammy Award
36
Who is Jay-Z?
* Brooklyn-based rapper * co-founded Roc-A-Fella records * CEO of Def Jam Records * one of rap's most financially successful artists in history
37
What famous rap artists starred in the film Belly (1998)?
* DMX * Nas * Method Man
38
Who are the Wu Tang Clan?
* Staten Island, New York, hip-hop group * founded by RZA, GZA, SUPREME, and Ol' Dirty Bastard * frequently sampled traditional Kung Fu movies
39
Name the original members of the Wu Tang Clan.
* RZA * GZA * Raekwon * U-God * Ghostface Killah * Inspectah Deck * Method Man * Masta Killa * Ol' Dirty Bastard
40
Who is Redman?
* East Coast rapper * was member of Def Squad in early-1990s * part of a duo with Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man * alias: Funk Doctor Spock
41
What city is Redman referring to when he mentions the Brick City in his rhymes?
Newark, NJ
42
Who was The Fresh Prince?
* Will Smith's stage name at the start of his rapping career * member of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince * won a Grammy Award in 1989 for "Parents Just Don't Understand"
43
What is uprocking?
* competitive dance associated with hip-hop * developed in 1968 by Rubberband Man and Apache of Buschwick, Brooklyn * also incorporated funk, rock, and soul * opponents non-violently "battle" through shuffles, turns, spins, "jerks," and "burns"
44
What is footwork (or downrocking)?
a style of breaking in which the six-step and four-step are combination moves used to transition to "power moves"
45
What are uprocking and popping and locking?
* two major toprocking techniques * drew on funk, rock, soul, and disco influences
46
What are three types of breakdancing power moves?
* freezes * headspins * windmills
47
Who is KRS-One?
* MC of Boogie Down Productions * founder of the Temple of Hip Hop * advocated the recognition of hip-hop by the UN as a cultural movement
48
Who were The Juice Crew?
* a collective of (mostly Queensbridge-based) musicians * creators of "The Bridge," a song that ignited historic feuds with KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions
49
Who is Afrika Bambaata?
* founder of Universal Zulu Nation, a peace gang in New York City * famous for futuristic, techno-influenced hip-hop such as the single "Planet Rock"
50
Name three legends of beatboxing.
* Doug E. Fresh * Rahzel * Biz Markie
51
What did Run-D.M.C. frequently wear during performances?
* black leather jackets * turtlenecks * Cazal glasses * fedoras * fat gold chains * Adidas Shelltoe sneakers
52
Name three acts (musicians or groups) that catapulted Def Jam Recordings to success.
* LL Cool J * The Beastie Boys * Public Enemy
53
Who is 50 Cent?
* an MC from Jamaica (Queens), New York * brazenly challanged the biggest established performers in first single, "How To Rob" turning the hip-hop establishment on its ear * 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin' was a huge commercial success
54
What group and front vocalist provoked a backlash from law enforcement and even President Bush against their violent "protest" song, "Cop Killer," in 1992?
Ice-T's Body Count