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Blasphemy! Ripping LPs to CD
When it comes to LPs, we all know how awesome they are. They sound great, and are much more fun to listen to. The problem is that records are not very portable. Digital audio is much more convenient and portable, and thanks to modern technology, pretty easy to create.
I own several LPs that I don’t have digital copies of, whether MP3 or CD. This music is stranded at home, and I can never listen to it in my car or on my iPod. In order to make my vinyl portable, it is essential to rip it to a digital format.
First up, a caveat. Ripping LPs to CDs is not really a quick, straightforward process (Unless you have a special turntable with a USB-out or iPod dock built in). As such, there are several considerations that you have to make. Of course, with some extra time and some extra care, you will be enjoying your LPs on the go, and score tons of hot chicks too.
Part 1. The Prep:
Before getting going on this, here is a list of equipment that you’ll need.
- Turntable
- Receiver
- Y-Cable (RCA to phono mini jack)
- A computer with a line-in jack
- Sound recording software (I recommend Audacity…It’s free and cross-platform)
Next, you’ll need to clean your system, stylus and record:
Before doing anything, you should give your system a bit of a cleaning. It may be a bit anal to clean all of your audio cable plugs, but if they have never been cleaned, now is a good time.
Next up, you need to ensure that the LP you are going to rip is clean. Clean off any fingerprints, grease, etc. using a wet cleaning method. After that, use a carbon fiber brush to clean any dust, lint and hair from your vinyl. This will ensure a more “quiet” recording. For details, see my post about how to clean vinyl records.
While you’re at it, it might not be a bad idea to clean your stylus (needle). This will also help to ensure a high-quality recording. For details on this, read about how to clean your stylus.
Once you have cleaned your vinyl, you’ll need to set everything up. Here’s what you need to do.
- Make sure that your turntable is connected to your receiver through the PHONO input.
- Connect your computer’s line-in (NOT Mic) to a RECORD OUT or MONITOR OUT jack on your receiver with the RCA to mini phono cable.
Believe it or not, but vinyl records are EQ’d before pressing. I don’t want to go into it here, but basically to fit all of the musical data on a record, some of the frequencies have to be shaved off the actual record, and added back to the music during playback. This is accomplished through your receiver, so the important thing to note is that you should not hook your turntable directly into your computer, but into your receiver as normal, then hook your receiver to your computer. If you don’t, however, you can fix your recording in Audacity, so don’t fret if you did a recording and it sounds weird. I’ll explain how to fix it later.
Once you have your computer and turntable all set up, it’s time to do some testing.
Fire up your sound recording program, get it all ready to go, and get your turntable ready. Begin playing the record, then begin recording. If possible, record an entire song that has a good mixture of quiet and loud parts. Once the song is over, stop the recording and stop the record.
Have a look at the diagram of the recording. See if the sound waves “clip” at any point. Please excuse my very crude explanation of what this is…Clipping is when the sound waves exceed the bandwidth? level?? of the recording or something, and are “clipped”. So, in other words the “peaks” in the audio get their tips cut off (or clipped). Here’s a picture since I don’t really know what I am talking about. The red exclamation points refer to the emotions you’ll feel when you see this in your recording!
Clipped sound is really bad. It sounds bad, and it can damage your speakers. If you see clipping in your recording, you need to lower the volume of the receiver. In general, I like to have my volume about 2/3 to 3/4 up. This allows a nice, loud recording with no clipping. I don’t guarantee that this will be right for you, that’s why you need to test.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is a possibility that a recording can be too quiet. If you look at the graphical representation of your music, you might notice that the sound waves look “small”. If this is the case, you’ll probably need to turn the volume on your receiver up. Here’s a picture of a recording that is about right..although maybe a bit on the quiet side.
Part 2. The Rip:
OK, now that we have gone through all of the tedious and annoying testing, it is time to do the recording for real. Before recording, be sure your sound recording software is all set up.
I am going to explain how I use Audacity, but I am sure that most of the other audio recording software titles offer the same functionality and similar setup procedures.
Alright! So, I open my preferences in Audacity, and I go to I/O. I make sure that my software knows that the audio source will come through my line in, not my microphone. Next, I go to quality. Since we are recording an analog source, I want to get the highest quality digital reproduction of that. Audacity allows me to record at quality levels that are well beyond the CD, and I believe that you should record at this higher quality, even if you can’t hear the difference between an LP and CD, and even if you are eventually going to transfer the recording to a CD. Now, CDs are 16-bits with a 44.1khz sample rate. Audacity allows me to record at 32-bits with a 96khz sample rate. I’ll do that. Bear in mind that this is a very intense recording, so your computer needs to be able to handle the load. A single LP side could take up over 1Gb of space on your hard drive, and require much processing power, so quit any applications you’re running before doing this. Those are all of the options I care about right now, so I will click OK, and go back to the main window.
Finally! Time to record…
Open a new file, and click record. Start your turntable, and let the record play all the way through.
A few tips:
- I usually unplug my speakers with the theory being that the sound waves produced by the speakers could interfere with the stylus and cause some (subtle) coloration of the sound. Would it be noticable? Probably not, but I am looking for a very pure recording, and this will help ensure it. ** NOTE: AS YOU’LL SEE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW, SOME PEOPLE HAVE NOTED THAT THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR YOUR RECEIVER. DO AT YOUR OWN RISK **
- I usually leave the room while the recording is being done so my heavy foot doesn’t shake the turntable causing a vibrato-ish sound being introduced to the recording. It happens easier than you might think.
- Try to record in a quiet room, and tell your housemates to stay away until the recording is done.
After the record stops, I stop recording. I save the file immediately. Once I have the saved file, I’ll usually just close it, then record the next side of the LP. I usually do all of my steps in a batch. So, if I have 5 records I want to record, I’ll record all of them before I edit and burn them. It’s just a little faster that way.
Part 3: The Editing
Alright! Now that the long, boring, and hard parts are over, it’s time to edit your recordings.
First of all, if you could not record through a receiver (In other words, you connected your turntable directly to your computer), your recording probably sounds a little funny. That’s because of something called “RIAA Equalization”. To fit all of the audio data on a record, it has to be EQ’d, then added back to the sound during playback. Receivers automatically do this, but not turntables. To fix a recording that was not recorded through a receiver, simply select all of the audio data (ctrl+a or command+a), then go to effect > equalization. Select “RIAA”, and click OK. How does it sound now? Normal? Good. If you did record your LP through the receiver, it should probably sound normal, so you don’t need to worry about this.
The next thing I do is listen to the recording to see how noisy it is. If it’s pretty clean sounding (and it should be if you used a clean LP with a clean stylus), then I just let it go–even if there is some noise. If there is some hiss and pop that is annoying, I will try to edit it out. In Audacity, you can do this by selecting a quiet portion of the recording (like before the first song starts), then clicking Effect > Noise Removal. The first step is to click the get noise profile button. From there, select the entire track, then go back to Effect > Noise Removal. You will be able to select more or less noise removal, preview what it sounds like, then make the change. I generally prefer to err on the side of less noise removal. Too much and the recording sounds flat. Just get the recording down to an acceptable noise level rather than trying to cut it all out.
The next thing I do when I am looking at the audio data from an entire LP is cut out the empty space at the beginning and end of the recording. I simply select the audio data that I want to cut by clicking and dragging, then selecting Edit > Cut.
From here, I need to cut the recording up into the individual songs. This is not mandatory, but most people prefer to maintain separate tracks for each song. Cut each song, then paste it into a new Audacity file. Save the file.
Once you have done all of your tracks, it is time to do some more minor editing. Cut out any long spaces with no sound at the beginning and end of each track. I also like to do fade-ins and fade-outs so the analog “hiss” is less noticable at the beginning and end of the tracks. To fade in, I select the space from the beginning of the track up to the exact moment that the music begins, and click Effect > Fade In. I do the exact same thing at the end of each track, except that I like to let the last moment of music ring out until it is almost completely quiet before I apply the fade out effect. Same deal: Select the audio, click Effect > Fade Out.
Repeat for every track. Save every track.
Part 4. The burning.
You’re almost done! Once you’re satisfied with the recording of your vinyl, and it has been edited and cut, it’s time to burn. This is the easiest phase of everything.
In Audacity, open the track that you want to export. I usually export it twice: Once as a standard WAV file, and once as a high quality MP3 file. I can use the WAV file as an archival quality “Master” copy for burning CDs. The MP3 version will be transferred to my iPod.
Before exporting, I’ll go back into my Audacity preferences, and go to “file formats”. For my “uncompressed export format”, I will choose WAV Microsoft 16-bit PCM. PCM is the format used on audio CDs, and is considered an exact copy of CD-Audio data. For my MP3 export setup, I will choose the 256 bit rate. If you’re file size conscious, you can go for a 160 or 192 bit rate, but I wouldn’t go lower than a 128 bit rate because the sound is noticbly worse.
Note: If your MP3 Export Setup doesn’t appear to be working, you need to download the LAME MP3 encoder. Don’t worry, it’s free too! Have a look here.
Anyway, now that you have set your export preferences, it’s time to export the files!
To export, go to File > Export Project As (WAV or MP3). That’s it. Audacity will take a minute or two to do the MP3, and possibly 30 seconds to do the WAV. Please note, you have to do this once for each file you want to export. Audacity won’t export both a WAV and MP3 at the same time. When you export your MP3 files, Audacity will allow you to input the text data for the song such as the title, artist, and genre.
Once you have exported the WAV file(s), you should burn them to a CD. You can either record it as an audio CD that will play in your CD player, or you can burn them to a data CD so you have the actual WAV files available that you can use to burn audio CDs. This is your “master” CD. You should treat it well so you won’t lose all of the hard work you’ve put into it!
As for the MP3 files, I just open up iTunes (Or whatever other MP3 software), add them to my library, then transfer them to my iPod.
…And that is it! Overall, this method works very well, and I have been quite impressed with my results. The CDs I have recorded sound great (although I don’t have purchased CDs to compare them to), but still, they do sound pretty awesome. As for the MP3 files, they sound very nice as well. In addition to the fact that they used a high bit rate (256kbps), I encoded them at a 48khz sample rate which is actually higher than the sample rate of a CD (44.1khz). I think these particular MP3 files rival the sound of even a purchased CD!
This is a worthwhile project for people with lots of music on vinyl, but it certainly isn’t as quick or easy as ripping a new CD to your computer. But, on the other hand, with an hour or so of work, you can enjoy the music (on the go) for a lifetime. Have fun!
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Topics: Music, Vinyl Info | 11 Comments »
Jazz Fusion: A Primer
My current music obsession is jazz fusion. This genre got its start in the late 1960’s; many cite Miles Davis’ “In a Silent Way” as the first “fusion” album. So, what is it? In short, jazz mixed with a little rock and a little funk. Of course, there are variations. Some say fusion is “electric” jazz: In other words, electric pianos, electric guitars, and even in the case of Miles Davis, his horn amplified through a wah-wah pedal. All of these descriptions are true.
Unfortunately, jazz fusion is pretty much dead. The golden years of this genre happened between 1969ish-1975ish. Most of what poeple refer to as jazz fusion these days is what most people call “Elevator music”. We’re talking boring, soulless, Kenny G bullsh*t. This wasn’t the fiery fusion of the early 70’s, by any stretch.
Let’s take a look at some of the classics for your listening enjoyment. Feel free to chime in with your favorites in the comments section!
Miles Davis
OK, let’s start with the innovator: Miles Davis. Did Miles invent fusion? Probably. His musical vision is legendary, as he has been on the cutting edge of most innovations in jazz since bebop in the 1940’s. Of course, he couldn’t have done it without the efforts of his bandmates such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, and John McLaughlin…Pretty much all of these guys went on to become giants in the fusion scene in the 1970’s.
Here’s what you need to hear:
In A Slient Way: This album started it all. A fully electric approach to jazz. It isn’t quite rock, and it isn’t really funk, but it is jazz. I guess I would classify this as an ambient sort of sound. The sounds introduced here would go on to make a huge wave in the jazz world. The sound of Joe Zawinul’s electric keyboards to John McLaughlin’s electric guitar are a treat for the ears. This is a must-have album that I have on both CD and 180 gram LP.
Bitches Brew: After In A Silent Way, Miles Davis dropped this bomb on the jazz world. If you’ve read my top 10 essential jazz albums post, this is #10. Bitches Brew has more of a rock flair than In A Silent Way, and is definitely a bit more far-out, but you can’t deny that this is a great album. It is electric, moody, loud, and trippy. I love it.
On The Corner: So, In A Silent Way was a rather mild album, then Bitches Brew blew it out of the water. On The Corner was the album that many people say is Miles’ F*ck you to the jazz world. This album is in your face. Forget restraint, forget the ambience of In A Silent Way. On The Corner is a bold album from a bold artist. While many referred to this album as “anti-jazz”, I refer to it as a breath of fresh air. It is loud, funky, and completely unapologetic. I love this album, especially the intense, yet mesmerizing beats laid out by Jack DeJohnette.
No one will deny Miles’ unmatched musical vision. Also, of equal significance was his ability to put together the best bands ever assembled in jazz. Many of the members of Miles’ fusion groups went on to massive success in their own fusion bands. Let’s take a look at the work of these other greats.
Herbie Hancock
Next in line is one of the most successful jazz musicians ever: Herbie Hancock. Herbie got his start with Miles Davis in the early 1960’s, and has not rested since. He has had amazing influence in many worlds, including jazz, folk, rock, and hip-hop. When he went off on his own in the 70’s, Herbie Hancock ended up being the biggest fusion act in the world. Here’s what you need to hear:
Headhunters: This is pretty much the most famous fusion album ever recorded, and is often reported as the biggest selling jazz album in history (although, Kind of Blue is the actual biggest seller). Headhunters is in your face funky. The intro bassline from Chameleon (the opening track) is classic. This album is funky, funky, funky, and just about everyone who hears it loves it. My favorite song on the album is “Sly” which is a nod to Sly Stone, and it just blows my mind every time I hear it–especially the 3rd part of the song. I also own this album on both CD and LP. It belongs in every music lover’s collection, whether your love is rock, jazz, or r&b.
Thrust: The follow up to Headhunters, Thrust is another classic fusion album. While it is not as hard-hitting as Headhunters, this album is a must-hear for people who enjoy funky music. The most famous piece on the album is “Actual Proof”, which is a classic, funky, “urban-ish” composition. In fact, I love it so much that it was played at my wedding! Of course, the standout piece on the album is “Butterfly” which is a mellow, beautiful composition that is somewhat in the same vein as the stuff on In A Silent Way, but more heavenly. Butterfly is one of my favorite songs ever.
Man-Child: Herbie Hancock did many fusion albums in the 1970’s, and Man-Child is one of his funkier efforts. This album featured electric guitars, electric pianos, and plenty of bass grooves and beats. It is less jazzy in that the music is less improvised than music he did in the past, and the songs are definitely shorter. This is a great album that will introduce people in a more gentle way to the full-on jazz funk fusion done by Hancock in his earlier fusion albums.
Weather Report
Moving on. Let’s talk about two musical visionaries from Miles Davis’ band that went on to form the biggest band in jazz fusion history: Weather Report. The two musicians are Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. Joe plays piano, Wayne plays sax. Another notable member of Weather Report is Jaco Pastorius, voted the best bass player who ever lived. Weather Report evolved heavily during their career. At first, they were more ambient, more improvisational, and more jam-oriented. As they continued, they brought in more rock and pop elements, shortened their songs, and improvised less. They achieved massive success with this formula. Here are the essentials:
Weather Report: This was Weather Report’s debut album, and it won Down Beat Magazine’s album of the year in 1971. This album is considered a classic early fusion album, with similar sounds to Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew and In A Silent Way.
Heavy Weather: This is Weather Report’s most successful album, featuring the hit “Birdland”. In addition to being Weather Report’s best-selling album, it remains one of the best selling jazz fusion albums ever. This album is the first that prominently features bassist extraordinaire Jaco Pastorius. It is much more rock and pop oriented than their debut.
Weather Report is probably the most commercial and accessible jazz fusion group, and many of their albums are notable for an eclectic blend of several musical genres and overall musical complexity. Check them out!
Jaco Pastorius
Speaking of Weather Report…I wanted to talk about Jaco for a minute. Widely regarded as the greatest bass player who ever lived, coupled with a heavy case of mental and emotional instability, and utimately a premature and tragic death, Jaco Pastorius is always an interesting topic. While Jaco Pastorius was highly successful as a member of Weather Report, his debut album is what dropped the bomb on the jazz and music world.
This album will blow your mind, and it still blows my mind every time I hear it. If you play bass, drop what you’re doing right now and buy this album. In addition to showing off Jaco’s amazing skill with the bass, it also showcases his talent as a composer. Every track on this album is a standout; from the re-interpretation of the bebop standard “Donna Lee” to the r&b song “Come On Come Over”, to the orchestral and grandiose “Kuru/Speak Like a Child”, all the way to the beautiful “Portrait of Tracy”, this album is a must-have.
Chick Corea and Return to Forever
Moving on, let’s talk about more of Miles Davis’ bandmates who were part of the fusion movement. Next up is Chick Corea. Chick Corea is a piano/keyboard player who has performed on many of Miles Davis’s albums from the late 1960’s and early 70’s. In the early 1970’s, he put together a group called Return to Forever. This group started off as a more latin-American mix with jazz, and later became a more rock-oriented group. Here are the essentials:
Light as a Feather: This is the second Return to Forever album, and has a strong Brazillian, Latin-American sound, with electric instrumentation. It also features vocals from the Brazillian jazz singer, Flora Purim. This is a great album that I listen to often. It features many long and exciting improvisations and solos, with Purim’s vocals mixed in. The standout piece on the album is the classic song “Spain”, which has been covered and recorded several times. This is an essential album for lovers of latin-tinged jazz.
No Mystery: This album is very different from Light as a Feather. For starters, it has no vocals, and features a very different band. The music has much less of a latin influence, and instead is more rock and funk oriented. It also features guitar virtuoso Al DiMeola. This album won a grammy in 1975 for best jazz performance by a group. Admittedly, I first heard this album only a month ago, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Return to Forever had a few years of great music, but soon enough the band members moved on to new things. Al DiMeola is one of the more famous members, especially amongst guitar players. Bassist Stanley Clarke has also made a long and varied career in music, with several notable albums under his belt.
John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra
Moving on…Let’s talk about another pupil of Miles Davis: John McLaughlin. John McLaughlin was brought into Miles’ band during the late 60’s and early 70’s for his skills on the electric guitar. McLaughlin can be heard on In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew, among other Miles Davis albums from that era. His work during this time took a new direction when he founded the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1971. The Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of the heavier fusion acts, featuring an eclectic blend of guitar rock, Indian instrumentation, funk, as well as Western and Eastern classic music. Here are the essentials:
The Inner Mounting Flame: This was the debut album from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and is an eclectic blend of rock, funk, as well as Western classical music and traditional Indian music. What stands out on this album are the rock elements that are direct references to the playing of Jimi Hendrix. This album, while being considered a jazz fusion album is right at home next to the great rock guitar albums, and is a highly influential album for guitar players everywhere.
Birds of Fire: The follow-up album to The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire is another rock-oriented auditory assault. The mood is heavy and the guitars are furious. This album will delight lovers of virtuoso guitar playing and heavy jazz.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a relatively short-lived group, but their influence is major and far-reaching. This is probably the heaviest jazz fusion act, and is right at home with both jazz and rock fans.
Tony Williams and Lifetime
Miles Davis seems to have dominated the entire concept of fusion. Another of his bandmates, Tony Williams, put together Lifetime, another major fusion group. While not achieving the same level of success as other fusion acts such as Weather Report and Return to Forever, Tony Williams Lifetime is considered a highly-influential fusion group, and has spanwned several tribute bands and tours. Here are the essentials:
Emergency!: This is one of the pioneering fusion albums, along with In A Silent Way. Tony Williams had been playing with Miles Davis for several years at this point, and was clearly heavily influenced by and influential to Miles’ electric direction. Featuring Tony on drums, John McLaughlin on guitar, and Larry Young on organ, this album is a fusion classic.
Turn it Over: This album is the follow-up to Emergency! and features slightly more restrained improvisation and soloing, yet is still a fiery and intense experience. This album is definitely more rock-oriented than Emergency.
Tony Williams has proven himself again and again to not only be a top-notch drummer, but a talented musician and composer. I first started paying attention to him after reading Miles’ autobiography, where Miles constantly emphasizes the amazing talent possessed by Tony Williams.
Did you read this far? I’m amazed! I can’t believe I wrote this much. Anyway, Jazz fusion is great because it combines so many different musical elements, and draws inspiration from many sources. I find it exciting and unique, and I would love to discover this music further. Hopefully this primer has given you some new music to take in. Enjoy the music!
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Topics: jazz, Music | 5 Comments »
What Am I listening to Today?
Howdy everyone, I think it might be fun to chime in from time to time to share what music I am listening to. Here goes…
In the Car:
I am enjoying John Coltrane’s “Lush Life“, which was the first album he released as a bandleader.
On the iPod:
I have enjoyed a few albums so far today, including:
- Return to Forever – No Mystery
- Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto
- Al DiMeola/John McLaughlin/Paco DeLucia – Friday Night In San Francisco
Return to Forever is a fusion band from the 70’s put together by Chick Corea, a jazz pianist who has worked with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. This album is more funky and rocky, and includes the guitar playing of Al DiMeola.
Getz/Gilberto is one of the most famous “latin” jazz albums ever released, and includes the blockbuster hit “Girl from Ipanema”.
Friday Night in San Francisco is arguably the greatest guitar album ever released. It is a live album featuring fusion guitar greats Al DiMeola and John McLaughlin, and flamenco virtuoso Paco DeLucia. This album is not to be missed if you love shredding.
On the Turntable:
Hasn’t seen any use today, but I was last listening to Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas Special Album. Classic holiday album with a jazzy feel.
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Topics: jazz, Music, Musicians I Like | No Comments »
New Year, New Music
New year, new you!
Gotta love this rhetoric that we are always hearing from marketers this time of the year. If you’ve been around the sun a few times, you know that most new year’s resolutions don’t last more than a few weeks. People always have grandiose ideas about how they’re going to make their lives better; from losing weight to quitting smoking to managing money better, to spending more time with the family. It’s all well and good, and it all comes from good intentions, but the reality is that it is always more difficult than you can anticipate. You start out doing really well, but as time goes on, you realize that in order to make life-changes, you have to change your life. Not easy.
Sorry to sound so morose…Here’s some quick advice, then I am off to the fun part of the post! If you want to make life changes, you have to do something that few people actually do, and that thing is COMMIT. Committing to something is deeper than just saying what you want to do. Committing is all about putting a serious effort into making sure that you do what you set out to do. That is the hard part, and that is why people quit the gym in mid February, and head to off to the local hamburger joint and order up a double cheeseburger. One thing I have found that is very effective, and helps me commit, and stay committed to something is setting a schedule. People will make fun of you, and they’ll call you anal, but if you are serious about making changes, you are much more likely to succeed this way. Commit to it, schedule it, and most importantly, DO IT. It is never too late.
Now, here’s a fun new year’s resolution that should be fun for the music lover: Try out some new music. I’m not talking about picking up the latest album from your favorite artist, I am talking about going outside of your comfort zone, and trying something totally new. If you’ve got friends that enjoy different music from you, have them burn you a CD. Go to Wikipedia, and read about a music style that is unfamiliar to you. It could be Turkish folk music, Country, Motown, or even Rock. You’ll be amazed at how interesting it is to learn about new stuff. Read about some of the major artists within your new music. Head over to your local library, and see if they have any CDs from your newly discovered artists. Give them a listen. Rummage through used vinyl at your local record shop, see what you dig up.
You may not always like what you hear initially, but what you need to do is free yourself from preconceived notions, and really get into what the artist is trying to communicate. Think of what the music reminds you of, and get into that state of mind. I have always found it easy to enjoy new music right before I go to bed. I just lie back, relax, and listen.
This year, make a resolution that you can keep: Try some new music, and let the adventure begin.
Peace, love, enjoy the music.
-Alan
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Topics: Music | No Comments »
In Defense of Hip Hop and Rap
It’s very fashionable to dislike hip hop and rap and make it known. I hear this rhetoric all the time, usually from older folks, and a surprising number of younger folks too. People say that hip hop is not music, that it’s offensive, that it’s not a useful medium. Hip hop is probably the most heavily criticized music in the world. Why is this the case?
Well, interestingly enough, many of the people who say they dislike hip hop are white. My intent is not to turn this blog into a discussion of social issues; this blog is about music, first and foremost, but I also believe it’s difficult to talk about hip hop without talking about race. Anyway, before I offend anybody, let me make it clear that disliking hip hop does not make you a racist. However, I do want to make it clear that there is a very clear racial line between people who like hip hop and people who dislike hip hop.
For most people, this is probably due to upbringing. Many white kids are raised on classical, pop, and rock music–genres which are mostly dominated by white musicians, while many black kids are often raised on R&B–which is mostly dominated by black musicians. When you expose someone to something that they are not used to, it is completely human to be cautious. Many white people don’t like hip hop since it is simply new and unlike anything that they’re used to. On the flip side of the coin, it also seems true that black people aren’t into rock music. So, many people don’t like hip hop simply because it’s not within their comfort zone. Fair enough, but what about the criticisms of hip hop?
Let’s start at the top. Many people say “Hip Hop is not music”. Ok, people. It is music. Hip hop is music. Get over it. There is rhythm, melody, harmony, instrumentation, vocals, and so on. I don’t understand how you can say it is not music.
Some people might say “Well, what about instrumentalists? There are no instruments in hip hop”. First of all, this is a stereotype, and not rooted in reality. You see, many people associate the instrumentation in hip hop and rap with record scratching. And it’s true, hip hop does contain record scratching, but that’s not all it contains. Most hip hop has a wide variety of instrumentation ranging from keyboards to guitar to horns to computer generated sounds. And even if it only included the sound of a record scratching, making those sounds is a skill that takes practice and finesse, just like playing any other instrument. Sure, anyone can scratch a record, but anyone can also pluck a string on a guitar. That doesn’t mean it will sound good. Besides, most people have no trouble calling Britney Spears music, even though she doesn’t really produce, perform, or write her melodies, she just shows up and sings.
Hip hop truly is a form of artistic expression, and it is musical. It takes a good ear to put together good hip hop. Even if you’re using samples and loops and sounds, and all sorts of other things, it still takes hours of time, and a clear artistic vision to put all of the pieces together to make something interesting to the ears. Composers do it all the time, they simply use different instruments. Repeat after me, hip hop is music.
OK, next many people talk about hip hop being offensive. It’s not all offensive, in fact, a pretty small percentage of it is offensive. Sure, we all know about violent and misogynistic “gangsta rap”, but this style is not really the dominant force in hip hop. But, on the other hand, how can you completely dismiss it? When you listen to a group like NWA, there are some very revolutionary things being said, and quite honestly, if I was “Straight Outta Compton”, I’d probably write a song like “Fuck Tha Police” or “Cop Killa” too. This early gangsta rap brought important issues of police brutality, racial profiling, gang violence, drug abuse, and other ills of society to national attention. This music brought the hard realities of the ghetto life into the public knowledge. It may not be pretty, but now that we’re confronted with these problems, we are in a better position to address them. Reality isn’t always pretty. Reality can be offensive. That doesn’t mean we should hide from it.
Let’s take a look at the majority of hip hop now. Most of it is not very offensive. Much hip hop has deep roots in old-school and modern R&B, as well as jazz and electronic music. A lot of this music is about peace, love, happiness, finding a better life, and other good things. Sure, there are some prudish people that are offended by the sometimes explicit descriptions of sexual acts in hip hop, but hey, at least they’re not talking about killing people. Instead, they’re talking about love, pleasure, making someone feel good, and so on.
**Quick soapbox: Why can they show violent movies on TV, with people getting shot and stabbed, and murdered, and beaten, and other violent, anti-social behavior, yet you’d better not show Janet Jackson’s nipple, or two people making love? Just saying…**
Another attribute of hip hop is a keen awareness of social issues. Many great hip hop acts talk about racism, poverty, and violence in a negative way. Much of this music expresses a deep lament for the world in which many children have to grow up in. This is music with a deep consciousness, and while it is sometimes offensive, it does have meaningful things to say. This is a social music that is truly for the people. For the people who have lived it, and for the people who want to know more about it.
Many people also take offense to the language used by many hip hop artists. Of course, when you can look at this slang from a more rational perspective, you can see some more interesting things going on. First of all, much of the language used by hip hop is slang. These words have the same meanings of other phrases that people use all the time, but since they’re in hip hop, they’re considered more offensive. Bitch, for example. Many people like to say that rappers use the term to describe women. They’re not really. They’re using it the same way that everyone else does: To describe an unsavory woman. When a rapper says “nigga”, he’s saying “person”. They’re reclaiming the word and making it their own. They’re taking power from white people who use it as a slur. It’s genius and revolutionary. Also, people criticize hip hop because they don’t use “proper English”. Guess what people? Language evolves. Otherwise, we’d still be speaking middle English. Rappers don’t feel supported by the English language, so they’ve created their own version of it. That is a radical and revolutionary act, and more power to them.
Finally, people say that hip hop has nothing to offer, that it is not a useful medium. I think if you can agree with some of the statements I made above, you can see that this is not true at all. Music serves an important purpose in humanity, and hip hop is music. In addition, hip hop has a lot to say about society and the world. It isn’t always pretty, but it is always relevant. You don’t have to like hip hop or listen to hip hop, but it does deserve the same artistic credibility as every other type of music.
“Peace and I’m out.” -Chuck D.
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Artist Profile: Herbie Hancock
One of my favorite musical artists of all time is the jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. Herbie began his music career in the early 1960’s when Miles Davis was putting together his “Second great quintet”. Prior to working with Miles Davis, Herbie was a piano prodigy with a good amount of playing and performance experience under his belt. Working with Miles Davis earned Herbie Hancock instant fame and notoriety. While Hancock spent much time in the 1960’s performing and recording with Miles Davis, he also recorded and performed several of his own albums with his own bands. One composition of his, “Riot” was recorded for the Miles Davis album “Nefertiti“, and a different version was released on Herbie Hancock’s “Speak Like a Child” album.
Working with Miles Davis in the 60’s proved to be an extremely productive milestone in Herbie Hancock’s career. With his work in the early 1960’s, Herbie Hancock was regarded as one of the forefathers of the “Post-bop” sound: A style of jazz that is a blend of bebop, modal, and hard bop styles. Herbie Hancock’s greatest achievement during this time was his masterpiece “Maiden Voyage“, which is considered the quintessential post-bop recording. Other notable albums released during the 1960’s are “Takin’ Off“, “My Point of View“, “Inventions and Dimensions“, “Empyrean Isles“, “Speak Like a Child“, “Fat Albert Rotunda“, and “The Prisoner“.
As the decade came close to an end, jazz was beginning to go electric. People like Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix were a huge influence on forward-thinking jazz musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. Jazz musicians began to introduce electric instruments such as the Rhodes piano and electric guitars to their music, which in a few years would be known as “fusion”.
In 1969, Miles Davis recorded “In a Silent Way” with Herbie Hancock on piano. This is considered one of the first fusion albums ever, and gave way to future Miles Davis projects such as “Bitches Brew” and “On the Corner”. Being in the presence of a musical visionary like Miles Davis proved to be magical for Herbie Hancock’s musical vision and career. In the early 1970’s, he composed and recorded a series of musically complex and highly eclectic albums known as the “Mwandishi” albums. The three albums are “Mwandishi“, “Crossings“, and “Sextant“. On these albums, Herbie places a soundscape before the listener. This type of music was not very approachable or easy to like, but these albums formed the basis for Herbie Hancock’s next project, which would go on to become one of the greatest selling jazz albums of all time.
After the Mwandishi albums, Herbie Hancock put together a new band known as the Headhunters. In 1974, he released an album of the same name, which went on to become the greatest and most important fusion album of all time. Headhunters is a funky album with great melodies and beats, and has an amazingly wide appeal. Jazz people, R&B people, and Rock n’ Roll people will all appreciate the music on this album. The success from Headhunters gave way to a few more funky fusion albums including “Thrust“, “Man-Child” and “Secrets“. Later on in the 70’s, Herbie Hancock would produce more danceable, poppy, disco-y albums such as “Sunlight” and “Feets, Don’t Fail Me Now“. Unfortunately, many of these albums were not received well, but Herbie continued to write, record and tour.
The early 1980’s brought another hit for Herbie, the classic song “Rockit” from his album “Future Shock“. Part of what made this song so famous was MTV. It was a favorite video for its innovative cinematography, and use of the record scratching sound. Of course, within the next few years, the record scratch sound would be prominently used in hip hop and rap. Again, Herbie Hancock proved to be ahead of his time, and a major musical innovator. During the mid to late 80’s, Herbie Hancock produced several more albums, played with many more musicians, and toured heavily. He even did some music for commercials.
Being as famous as Herbie Hancock was, he continued to perform and record in the 90’s and 2000’s. He collaborated with many different artists during this period, including old bandmate Wayne Shorter, and longtime friends Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder. In the mid 2000’s, he released “Possibilities” which featured his collaborations with other famous pop and rock musicians. In 2008, his tribute to Joni Mitchell “River: The Joni Letters” earned him a grammy for album of the year, only the second jazz album ever to receive that honor.
I had the pleasure of seeing Herbie Hancock perform in November 2007 in San Francisco, and I must say, he’s still got it! I remember in one song, he had 2 or 3 keyboards set up in front of him, and he was playing them all! He also did a great performance of “Actual Proof” from his fusion masterpiece “Thrust”, and it was as funky as ever. The bass was turned up so high, I could hear all sorts of things rattling in the auditorium. I remember him also using a keytar to perform. It was awesome!
One of the most accomplished musicians in jazz, as well as one of its key innovators in the second half of the 20th century, Herbie Hancock is truly a musical legend. He has produced so much music that he definitely has something for everyone. I highly recommend checking him out if you haven’t already.
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