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Sampling From the Past: A Look at Using Old Records to Create New Music
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010The phrase “There’s nothing new under the sun” is just as applicable to music as it is anything else. And while many scholars have defined originality as something new and never seen before, allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. Consider the U.S. patent system and their methods for determining whether an item […]
18 Musical Innovations We Can Thank African Americans For
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010Without African Americans, there is no American music. Some of the most raw, energetic, complex, and groundbreaking music that has ever been played was played by African Americans from the US. Everything we listen to today, in some way or another, was influenced by their musical vision and innovation. Here are 18 musical innovations that […]
The Life and Death of Hiphop Beatdigging
Monday, February 1st, 2010Early Hiphop: The Inception The place: Bronx, NY. The year: 1973. Gang wars were in full swing, crime was rampant, and a man named Kevin Donovan, member of the Black Spades gang, made somewhat of a mecca to the nation of Africa.
In Defense of Hip Hop and Rap
Thursday, December 18th, 2008It’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 […]