Episode 6: The 70s Roots of Hip Hop
The Bronx was literally on fire in 1977 (note the burned out buildings in the background.) This type of neglect by city officials, “fueled by white flight,” led to a new form of musical expression: Hip Hop. (Photo by Alain Le Garsmeur—Getty Images.)
PLAYLIST
“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron (1970)
“Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose” by James Brown (1969)
“Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band (1973)
“Think (About It) by Lyn Collins (1972)
“Good Times” by Chic (1979)
“Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang (1979)
SHOW NOTES
This episode examines the 70s roots of hip hop, beginning with Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken word precursor to rap. The funk of James Brown, who has had his songs be sampled over 8,000 times, as well as the often-sampled “Think (About It) by Lyn Collins are obvious influences on hip hop, too. Michelangelo Matos made the argument in 2005 that the national anthem of hip hop is The Incredible Bongo Band cover of “Apache,” although commercial hip hop owes a tremendous debt to Chic’s “Good Times.” The first mainstream hip hop single, “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang, is, at its heart, simply rapping over “Good Times.”
SOURCES
“A Walk through the Bronx.” Thirteen. https://www.thirteen.org/bronx/history.html
Bayer Mack. “Sylva Robinson: Mother of Hip Hop, Sugar Hill Records.” February 28, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owh00ZappTU
Bronson, Fred. “Good Times.” The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. New York: Billboard Productions. 1985.
Daly, Steven. “Hip Hop Happens.” Vanity Fair. October 10, 2006. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2005/11/hiphop200511
Hip Hop Revolution, Season 1, Episode 1. Netflix. 2016.
Lester, Paul. “Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Lives On.” August 26, 2015. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/26/gil-scott-heron-the-revolution-will-not-be-televised
“Nile Rodgers Talks Chic, David Bowie, and his Diverse Career.” Red Bull Music Academy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTDAa8KT37w. March 6, 2018.
Questlove. “Questlove: Disco and the Return of the Repressed — How Hip-Hop Failed Black America Part IV.” Vulture.com. May 13, 2004. https://www.vulture.com/2014/05/questlove-how-hip-hop-has-become-the-new-disco.htm
Reese, Eric. “Rapper’s Delight.” Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/RappersDelight.pdf 2011.
Rowlands, Marc. “Andy Smith Explores Hip-Hop’s Disco Roots.” WaxPoetics.com http://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/features/articles/andy-smith-explores-hip-hops-disco-roots/
Scott-Heron, Gil. The Last Holiday. New York: Grove Press. 2012.
Ulaby, Neda. “Sylvia Robinson, Who Helped Make ‘Rapper’s Delight,” Has Died. NPR. September 29, 2011. https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2011/09/29/140927061/sylvia-robinson-who-helped-make-rappers-delight-has-died
Wang, Oliver. “All Roads Lead to Apache.” Soul Sides. https://soul-sides.com/2005/04/all-roads-lead-to-apache.html. 2005.
White, Maury. “Kenny’s Delightful Music Irritates a Few Ears.” The Des Moines Register. March 21, 1980.