Sugarhill Gang\'s \"Rapper\'s Delight\" Reveals

Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" reveals how hip-hop evolved from its roots in funk. "Rapper's Delight" opens with cowbell, a complex instrumental (not synthesized) bass line, and a splash of synthesized piano. The first few bars of the song resemble the soundtrack of a Blaxsploitation film. However, when Wonder Mike begins rapping "what you hear is real…I'm rapping to the beat," hip-hop is born. The three rappers of the Sugar Hill Gang then refer directly about hip-hop music and street culture. Clapping adds rhythm to the song, which uses no drum machine. Later, rhythm guitar comes in with a characteristic funk style and tone. Some synthesized piano adds texture, just as having three different vocalists do. The theme of the lyrics includes dance, music and the "beat," and has a joyful feel. "Rapper's Delight" shows how hip-hop sprouted out of New York street culture and blended prior genres like funk and soul with a novel, rhythmic approach to vocals.

Afrika Bambaataa draws from electronic music, disco, rock, and funk in "Planet Rock." The song also combines multiple genres with rap-style vocals and elements of African vocal styles such as call-and-response. The space age sounds of the opening synthesizer are fresh. The rhythm is comprised almost entirely of synthetic drum sounds including high hats and kick drum. Contributing to the characteristic electro sound in "Planet Rock" is the keyboard choral melody. A call and response session with what sounds like a crowd draws in elements from African music. The vocals are deep, layered, and with rich background vocals. "Planet Rock" also shows how early hip-hop developed a sophisticated production value early in the 1980s, as the song is recorded mixed with professional prowess.

3. Kurtis Blow "The Breaks" is another seminal hip-hop song that draws from funk and roots African music. Funk style guitar and bass and real drum sounds are combined with clapping for an organic, instrumental sound. The song is uplifting and happy with positive messages about "these are the breaks" and "just do it" characterizing the song. Background vocals are like a community chanting, and Blow raps about "the breaks" in a number of different contexts including dancing.

4. In "Jam on It," Newcleus creates a unique ambiance. The opening includes a synthesized bass line, evil laughter, and a sinister-sounding modulated voice. The rhythm comes purely from drum machine and the song epitomizes the genre of electro hip-hop. Although the song uses electro instrumentation, "Jam on It" is a rap song too. The song contains clear references to street dancing and African-American culture such as Blaxspoitation.

5. Ice T's "Reckless" takes full advantage of stereo with alternating beats on each side. However, what makes "Reckless" extraordinary is the celebration of scratch. The song starts instrumental with a punchy kick drum sound and harsher tympanum sounds. The raps are about the evolution of hip-hop itself. MC Ice-T raps about Reckless on the turntables, telling the story in between Reckless's quality scratch. The melody is an electro bass line, and the syncopation adds complexity. A high production value and an industrial feel throughout much of the song impart an engagingly chaotic and progressive feel to the song.

6. MC Lyte is one of the few successful female rappers. In "Paper Thin" MC Lyte raps over minimalist music that includes just the beats and the occasional sound of a synthesized but unidentifiable instrument playing an eerie melody. Lyte tells the story of a jilted lover, with an overall theme of empowerment. Occasional encouragement from background vocals and a chorus of "ooooh" refer to African music. MC Lyte also draws gender issues into the repertoire of rap lyrics.

7. The Beastie Boys "Paul Revere" stands out because of the reverse-played scratch sound. Synthesized maracas add sonic texture, but the focal point is the amusing story. "Paul Revere" is one of many New York area rap songs denoting a shift of content away from love of music to violence and street culture. Although humorous, the song has a darker tone. The song also builds up a lot of tension because a chorus never really comes in for most of the song. It's just the reverse-played scratch that creates the killer beat with loads of texture. "Paul Revere" boasts an interesting song structure with innovative sounds.

8. Run DMC's "My Adidas" shows how hip-hop culture blended popular culture and consumerism into its lyrics. The drum machine sounds used in the song would sound cheesy in a modern production but in the 1980s the sound was fresh and fun. "My Adidas" is interesting because it relies on a traditional rock song structure including verses and a chorus about "My Adidas." The Run DMC rappers describe how clothing and jewelry became a part of hip-hop and therefore point to the beginnings of the commercial hip-hop style. Scratch is used only for accents, and the bass is mixed low.