How to listen to Hip Hop Music...
As the youngest of all the musical genres, it is no wonder why some people find it hard to listen to hip hop music. Since Hip hop music is like your youngest brother annoying you for attention, appreciating it does take time and effort especially if you got no patience for the little runt. Having only about 4 decades under its belt, expect to see hip hop flourish right in front of your eyes.
But to get things started, how should one approach or even attempt to listen to hip hop music? First thing to do is to research to understand the different elements of hip hop. There are 4 basic elements which comprise of Dj-ing, Emceeing, Break dancing and graffiti. Once you get these 4 down, now it’s time to read up on the rich history of hip hop. You might be surprised to find out that hip hop is actually not a trend but a movement, a life style per se that refers to the urban youth artistically expressing the self through music, dance and words.
After this, it might be fun to watch classic hip hop movies that explore the trials and tribulations of the young hip hop head. Films like Beat Street, Wild Style and any other documentaries will give you an inkling as to how and why hip hop music has become the way it is. After that, delve into old school hip hop and slowly make your way to the present hip hop music. I’m guessin’ it would be better if you start out with Grandmaster Flash’s The Message (as its light on the ears and pretty chillax) and ease yourself into some East coast vs. West coast rap. Here you might see some beef going on between the 2 coasts but since you did your thing with the research, you mos def will be on top of things. From then on, move to rappers like Lil Wayne to see the variation in each one.
During your lyrical journey while listening to hip hop music, you probably realize how much it has grown in terms of lyrical prowess, samples used and subject matter. From rapping about random every day stuff to socially conscious hip hop anthems; there and then you might appreciate what hip hop music is all about. An artistic movement taking on a life form in itself through words and rhymes from the pits of one’s soul. Amen.
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