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Capoeira

2010-06-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Capoeira (Portuguese pronunciation: [kapuˈejɾɐ]) is an Afro-Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, music, and dance. It was created in Brazil by slaves from Africa, especially from Angola, Mozambique and Congo sometime after the sixteenth century. It was developed in the region of Quilombo dos Palmares, located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas, which was the state of Pernambuco before dismemberment, and has had great influence on Afro-Brazilian generations, with strong presence in the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Participants form a roda, or circle, and take turns either playing musical instruments (such as the Berimbau), singing, or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The sparring is marked by fluid acrobatic play, feints, takedowns, and with extensive use of leg sweeps, kicks, and headbutts. Less frequently used techniques include elbow strikes, slaps, punches, and body throws. Its origins and purpose are a matter of debate, with theories ranging from views of Capoeira as a uniquely Brazilian folk dance with improvised fighting movements to claims that it is a battle-ready fighting form directly descended from ancient African techniques.

Etymology

The word "capoeira" had a probable origin as a derisive term used by slave owners to refer to its practice as chicken fights (the word literally means "chicken coop" in Portuguese). Another claim is that the word "capoeira" derives from the Native-American language Tupi-Guarani words kaá ("leaf", "plant") and puéra (past aspect marker), meaning "formerly a forest.

Afro-Brazilian art form

Historians are divided between those who believe it is a direct descendant of African fighting styles, and those who believe it is a uniquely Brazilian dance form distilled from various African and Brazilian influences. One popular explanation holds that it is an African fighting style that was developed in Brazil, as expressed by a proponent named Salvano, who said, "Capoeira cannot exist without black men but its birthplace is Brazil... Capoeira, as it was taught to me, is the warrior's dance that was done between slaves that escaped their masters outside the cities. I was taught Capoeira in Rio de Janeiro by master Morcego who had come from Bahia, where he said Capoeira was played in the streets since he was little." (Page' Retifumo, MR)

Some interpretations emphasize capoeira as a fighting style designed for rebellion, but disguised by a façade of dance. Supporting the martial interpretation are renderings in the 1835 Voyage Pittoresque dans le Brésil (Picturesque Voyage to Brazil), where ethnographic artist Johann Moritz Rugendas depicts Capoeira or the Dance of War, lending historical credence to the idea that Capoeira is a combative art form with many dance elements.

Other Pan African-American combative traditions parallel capoeira. According to Dr. Morton Marks, the island of Martinique is famous for danymé, also known as ladja. As with capoeira, "there is a ring of spectators into which each contestant enters, moving in a counter-clockwise direction and dancing toward drummers. This move, known as Kouwi Lawon (or ‘Circular Run’ in Creole), is an exact parallel to the capoeira interlude called dá volta ao mundo or ‘take a turn around the world.’" Marks stated that in Cuba, a mock-combat dance called Mani was performed to yuka drums. "A dancer (manisero) would stand in the middle of a ring of spectator-participants and, moving to the sound of the songs and drums, would pick someone from the circle and attempt to knock them down." Some of the manisero's moves and kicks were similar to those of Afro-Brazilian capoeira including its basic leg-sweep (rasteira).

In Capoeira : A History of an Afro-Brazilian Martial Art, Matthias Röhrig Assunção compared "three American combat traditions: knocking and kicking in the United States, ladija in Martinique, and capoeira in Brazil." African-derived combat games similar to wrestling and stick fighting were also witnessed and documented in seventeenth-century Barbados, eighteenth-century Jamaica, and nineteenth century Venezuela. Stick fighting was and still is practiced in Trinidad, Carriacou, Dominica, and Haiti.

Maya Talmon-Chvaicer suggested capoeira may have been influenced by a ritual fight-dance called N'golo (the zebra dance) from Southern Angola, which was performed during the "Efundula, a puberty rite for women of the Mucope, Muxilenge, and Muhumbe tribes of southern Angola." Since the 1960s, the N'golo theory has become popular amongst some practitioners of capoeira Angola, although it is not universally accepted.

While many of these games are combative, it is widely accepted that slaves in the New World would have sought both violent and jovial means of coping with their oppression.

Music

A capoeira bateria led by Cobra Mansa featuring three berimbaus and a pandeiro.

Music is integral to capoeira. It sets the tempo and style of game that is to be played within the roda. The music is composed of instruments and song. The tempos differ from very slow (Angola) to very fast (são bento regional). Many of the songs are sung in a call and response format while others are in the form of a narrative. Capoeiristas sing about a wide variety of subjects. Some songs are about history or stories of famous capoeiristas. Other songs attempt to inspire players to play better. Some songs are about what is going on within the roda. Sometimes the songs are about life or love lost. Others have lighthearted and playful lyrics. Capoeiristas change their playing style significantly as the songs or rhythm from the berimbau commands. In this manner, it is truly the music that drives capoeira.

There are three basic kinds of songs in capoeira. A ladainha (litany) is a narrative solo usually sung at the beginning of a roda, often by the mestre (master). These ladainhas will often be famous songs previously written by a mestre, or they may be improvised on the spot. A ladainha is usually followed by a chula or louvação, following a call and response pattern that usually thanks God and one's teacher, among other things. Each call is usually repeated word-for-word by the responders. The ladainha and chula are often omitted in regional games. Finally, corridos are songs that are sung while a game is being played, again following the call and response pattern. The responses to each call do not simply repeat what was said, however, but change depending on the song.

The instruments are played in a row called the bateria. The rhythm of the bateria is set by the berimbaus (stringed percussion instruments that look like musical bows). Other instruments in the bateria are: two pandeiros (tambourines), a reco-reco (rasp), and an agogô (double gong bell). The atabaque (conga-like drum), a common feature in most capoeira baterias, is considered an optional instrument, and is not required for a full bateria in some groups.

GURU - R.I.P - July 17, 1961 – April 19, 2010

2010-05-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

Biography

Early years

Keith Elam was born in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Harry, was a judge and his mother, Barbara, was the co-director of libraries in the Boston public school system. Elam graduated in business administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and took graduate classes in the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. He later dropped out to pursue a rap career. Elam worked briefly as a social worker.

Musical career

Keith Elam began his rap career under the pseudonym, MC Keithy E, but later changed name to Guru. He founded Gang Starr in 1987. The group initially released three records on the Wild Pitch Records record label but these received little attention. After a change in line-up, the group now consisted of rapper Elam and DJ Premier; they achieved a sizable following and released six critically acclaimed and influential albums from 1989 to 2003. Two albums, Moment of Truth (1998) and compilation Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr (1999) were certified gold in the United States by the RIAA. Gang Starr made "archetypal East Coast rap" with Guru's rapping described as sharp eyed but anti-ostentatious.

In 1993, Elam released the first in a series of four solo albums while still a member of Gang Starr. Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 featured collaborations with Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport, and Roy Ayers and received positive reviews. His second solo LP, Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality, featured Chaka Khan, Ramsey Lewis, Branford Marsalis and Jamiroquai. The third installment was released in 2000, but received less positive reviews.

Version 7.0: The Street Scriptures (2005) was produced entirely by Solar. The album reached #54 on the Billboard R&B albums charts and received mixed reviews.

Elam's final project was the fourth installment in the Jazzmatazz series, produced entirely by Solar, released in early June 2007, and Guru 8.0: Lost And Found, released May 19, 2009 (also in collaboration with Solar). A Gang Starr reunion album was planned but will never be released due to Guru's death.

Death

On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his coma but died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48, from cancer. Elam was survived by his parents, three siblings and a son, Keith Casim. Solar claimed that Guru had awakened from his coma though DJ Premier and members of the rapper's family stated that he never regained consciousness from his coma. Guru's family claimed that Solar prevented them from contact with Guru during the latter's final illness. The validity of the death-bed letter has been challenged by Guru's family.

DJ Premier produced a tribute mix to Guru and has released a public letter along with Guru's sister Patricia. Harry J. Elam, Guru's older brother, wrote a personal memoir in remembrance of his brother, Keith “Guru” Elam, published in the Boston Globe on April 23, 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guru_(rapper))

Michelle Madison

2010-04-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

I never quite realized just how long I’ve had a camera in my hand. It started around 4th grade with a 110 Kodak camera and a field trip to Annapolis. Random pictures, blurry pictures, and people pictures. I was just messing around and I’m pretty sure I didn’t know what I was doing. Going through lots of old negatives at my house, I found shots I’d taken at Outdoor Education in 5th grade. Nature pictures are what I seemed to gravitate towards but who has real focus when you’re 10. Certainly not me! Flash forward to 10th grade and my AWESOME Pentax 35mm camera with a personalized camera strap that my mom and dad bought me (still have them). I couldn’t stop taking pictures and I loved driving around so definitely liked landscapes. I also really loved taking embarrassing photos of my friends! I had A LOT of those. My 1st part-time job was at a place called The Dark Room/Thunder Hill Cleaners…. What a combo?! Drop your cleaning and film off at the same time. That idea never seemed to catch on…how shocking. That place was great for me, FREE film developing!!!!! I went to Italy in 11th grade and too 14 rolls of 36 exposure film. That was a TON of $$$$$$$$ that I didn’t have to pay! I just kept taking pictures, trying different things, black and white, architecture, and macro. Trips to Ireland, Puerto Rico and El Salvador gave me beautiful landscape. My people pictures only got better when I had a model that never left my side, my son. Thank God digital came along! People told me my pictures were good. One very good friend convinced me to put a few framed photos into a silent auction. Nervous about people seeing my work, I did it anyway. Who would’ve thought there’d be a bidding war? After that I got my 1st professional job. My company’s new facility needed to have some artwork. My boss, at the time, mentioned my name as a good artist who might be persuaded to do the job at a reasonable rate. With the help of my mom and sister, we planned out the location and subject matter for the building. I only had to take 1 picture to finish the job; all 43 others were already in my portfolio (such a professional term). It is amazing to see your own artwork blown up to poster size. They were pretty damn good if I say so myself. Since then I have completed 2 other professional jobs….a small restaurant with doors as the theme and a doctor’s waiting room with bicycles as its theme.

Doo Wop

2010-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

In the beginning and during its heyday, this type of music did not have a specific name; the term "doo-wop" was not used. In the 1950s, this type of harmonized group sound was referred to (broadly) as "rock and roll," but more narrowly as "R&B." However, R&B was still too general a term, since R&B included single artists, instrumentalists, and jump blues bands, as well as vocal groups. At the time, the best and most accurate term used was probably "vocal group harmony," but the style still did not have an official name, despite the fact that it dominated the charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The term "doo-wop" first appeared in print in 1961, notably in the Chicago Defender, when fans of the music coined the term during the height of a vocal harmony resurgence. There is confusion regarding which recording was the "first" to contain the phrase "doo-wop." There is general acknowledgement that the first hit record to use the syllables "doo-wop" in the refrain was the 1955 hit, "When You Dance" by The Turbans (Herald Records H-458), in which the chant "doo-wop" can clearly be heard. As for the very first instance ever, there are several candidates: "doo-wop" can be heard in the chorus of the 1954 song "Never" by a Los Angeles group called Carlyle Dundee & The Dundees (Space Records 201); the 1955 song "Mary Lee" by The Rainbows on Red Robin Records contains the background "do wop de wadda" and was a Washington DC regional hit on Pilgrim 703; the 1956 song "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins, featured the famous plaintive "doo-wop, doo-wah" refrain in the bridge; and finally, the little-known "I Belong To You" by the Fi-Tones in 1956 on the Atlas label (release #1055). It has been erroneously reported that the phrase was coined by radio disc jockey Gus Gossert in the early 1970s. However, Gossert himself said that "doo-wop(p) was already being used [before me] to categorize the music in California." After some time,the term "doo-wop" finally caught on as a description and category for R&B vocal group harmony. Many collections that were exclusively composed of original recordings of this music were sold, all under the name of "doo wop," which became the accepted term that still is used today. The definition expanded backward to include rhythm and blues groups from the mid-1950s and then even further back to include groups from the early 1950s and even the 1940s. There is no consensus as to what constitutes a doo-wop song, and many aficionados of R&B music dislike the term intensely, preferring to use the term "group vocal harmony" instead

MC vs Rapper

2010-02-25T19:12:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop is Dead. A phrase that has been thrown around a lot lately. Personnally I agree to a certain extent. Just like racism in the south... it may not be on the front pages or seen as much as it used to it's still out there somewhere. There's a kid somewhere buying Makaveli, Ready to Die, The Diary, The 18th Letter, Illmatic, Lifestyles of Da Poor & Dangerous, or Reasonable Doubt right now that's going to be inspired enough to pick up a pen and start filling a notebook with material that will do all of these albums influence on the culture justice. My thought on the whole Hip Hop being dead thing is this... if it is dead it's because rap killed it.

An MC- An MC is someone who can move the crowd is the master of ceremonies. Someone who inspires the uninspired, speaks for those with out a voice, provides a hearing aid for deaf ears, provides a different perspective and is a representation of not only its environment, but its mind frame, and it's struggle. An MC is someone who makes music for the love of music not the love of money. An MC is able to point out the flawes in the industry and hip hop with out being consumed by the requests of the mainstream, industry, and trends thought to be "in" at the time. Conscious Artists are an example of an MC because of their depth, story-telling capabilities, lyrical content, and love for the music. Conscious artists are some of the best battle rappers, because they are held in high regard as the antithesis of Commercial and Handicap Rap (they don't stand for shit... get it?) and could be considered an easy target by "gangsta" rappers so they're prepared .

A rapper- A rapper is someone blinded by bright lights, delusions of grandeur, dreams of wealth, women, fast cars, and jewelry. A rapper's talent isn't found in his skills or abilities on the microphone. It's found in his ability to take a mediocre at best set of rhyming skills combined with a 4th graders vocabulary talking about money he doesn't have, cars he doesn't own, and street cred that is non-existent package, market, and sell it to people who have never been in the hood outside of being lost or looking to score that believe the bull shit flowing out of his mouth with out pause in the same way rednecks and republicans took anything from George W. Bush. A rapper's album normally consists of 3 or 4 "good" songs (depending on your definition of good). The first single is centered around a dance so dumb ill informed teenagers and mindless sheep find cool enough to do because they "like the beat." The second single is "for the bitches" with some R&B singer with no shame singing about how she holds him down, is his main bitch, or blah, blah, bull shit. The third single is for the hustlaz, dealers, block, thugs, gangstas, or pimps reminiscing on some shit that probably happened to someone else in reality. If the album is "good" enough you might get a fourth single centered around some term that is a take off of an older term made famous by another rapper that the youth and other sheep will think is cool enough to repeat for a couple of month until someone else comes up with a new, "cooler" term. Another tell tale sign of a rapper is the infamout "I Keep it Real Track" that is nothing but a poor attempt to seem smart or feel relevent to the world or hip hop culture outside of the club. Normally they'll announce it at the beginning with, "Yeah dis is da real one homie! You know how I do!" or they'll say "Real talk dog." Oh yeah and rappers think that misspelling words to make them seem ghetto or gangster is a good idea and jump at any chance to do so.

- Just in case you want to call me racist and think I'm patronizing hip hop or making Black people and hip hop seem like it is filled with idiots in the above quotes... go listen to some rap albums and try to tell me I'm wrong. I'm not the one making that shit true or putting it out there they are I love hip hop too much to lower the public's perception of it.

-P.S.- Another way to tell who's a Rapper and who's an MC is that 90% of the time Rappers names have a young or da don attached to them. MC's normally have too much integrity to add either to their name. And before you can say something Jay-Z sells records as Jay-Z not Young Hove, etc.

As always,
"STAY INFORMED OR SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
Posted by LUCID MUSIC
http://realhipheads.blogspot.com/2009/10/mc-vs-rapper.html

Beatboxing

2010-01-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

History of beatboxing

Prehistory

Vocal imitation of percussion sounds has existed for a very long time. One tradition is thought to have originated in India several thousand years ago: the tradition of bol, and the Chinese developed Kouji, a type of vocal performing arts. These had little or no relation with hip hop, however, and have no direct connection to modern Eastern Hip Hop. Some African traditions use performers' bodies (clapping, stomping) to make musical sounds to maintain a steady musical pace. They made sounds using their mouths by loudly breathing in and out, which is done in beatboxing today.
An American style called eefing first emerged in rural Tennessee near the beginning of the 20th century.

Hip hop origins

Beatboxing in hip hop originated in 1980s. Its early pioneers include Doug E. Fresh, Buffy from the Fat Boys & Wise (Stetsasonic) . Credits of the three include Doug E. Fresh for being the self proclaimed first "human beatbox,"[3], Buffy for helping perfect the art & Wise for taking it to a level that inspired other individuals to want to be a human beatbox. Wise with his human turntable technique inspired a whole new fan base of human beatboxers. The term "beatboxing" is derived from the mimicry of the first generation of drum machines, then known as beatboxes.

Modern beatboxing

Beatboxing's current popularity is due in part to artists such as Vaughan Chadderton, Rahzel, Kenny Muhammad, and Matisyahu, who have promoted the art form across the world. [4] Websites such as Humanbeatbox.com and YouTube also contribute substantially toward raising the profile of beatboxing.
Many a cappella singing groups have one or more members using this technique, especially when performing songs which have a heavy percussive element, in order to closely mimic or duplicate the original sound.
One of the modern singers and musicians who started to add his own sounds to his music was Michael Jackson in songs like Billie Jean, Tabloid Junkie, and Who Is It. Most of the time, he admitted that he needed a tape recorder to record this sound that came to his mind just to not forget them and around that base built the rest of the tune.
In 2005 the world championship of beatboxing was organised in Leipzig, Germany. The participants came from all over the world, and included Tom Thumb, and Joel Turner (Australia), White Noise (Ireland), Roxorloops (Belgium), Poizunus (Canada), Faith SFX (UK). After several heats of beatbox battles, the final between Roxorloops (Belgium) and Joel Turner (Australia) was decided. The five judges had a difficult time picking a winner and called for two extra rounds after which Joel Turner won the world championship.
Recently, a 2009 beatboxing world championship took place where over 52 beatboxers and many female beatboxers competed for the title. The female British winner Bellatrix (UK), and the male Swiss winner, ZeDe (SUI), are now the holders of the largest beatboxing title.

"Turntablism"

2009-12-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

"Turntablism"

The appearance of turntablists and the birth of turntablism was prompted by one major factor - the disappearance of the DJ in hip hop groups, on records and in live shows at the turn of the 1990s. This disappearance has been widely documented in books and documentaries (such as Black Noise and Scratch The Movie), and was linked to the increased use of DAT tapes and other studio techniques that would ultimately push the DJ further away from the original hip hop equation of the MC as the vocalist and the DJ as the music provider alongside the producer. This push and disappearance of the DJ meant that the practices of the DJ, such as scratching, went back underground and were cultivated and built upon by a generation of people who grew up with hip hop, DJs and scratching. By the mid-90s the disappearance of the DJ in hip hop had created a sub-culture which would come to be known as turntablism and which focused entirely on the DJ utilising his turntables and a mixer to manipulate sounds and create music. By pushing the practice of DJing away, hip hop created the grounds for this sub-culture to evolve.

The origin of the terms turntablist and turntablism are widely contested and argued about, though over the years some facts have been established by various documentaries (Battlesounds, Doug Pray's Scratch), books (DJ Culture), conferences (Skratchcon 2000) and interviews in online and printed magazines. These facts are that the origins of the words most likely lay with practitioners on the US West Coast, centered around the San Francisco Bay Area. Some claim that DJ Disk, a member of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, was the first to coin the term, others claim that DJ Babu, a member of the Beat Junkies, was responsible for coining and spreading the term turntablist after inscribing it on his mixtapes and passing them around. Another claim credits DJ Supreme, 1991 World Supremacy Champion and DJ for Lauryn Hill. The truth most likely lies somewhere in between all these facts.

In an interview with the Spin Science online resource in 2005, DJ Babu added the following comments about the birth and spread of the term:

It was around 95, I was heavily into the whole battling thing, working on the tables constantly, mastering new techniques and scratches, and all the while working in a gas station and spending my spare time concentrating on all these things. One day I made this mixtape called 'Comprehension', and on there was a track called 'Turntablism' which featured Melo-D and D-Styles. And this is part of where this whole thing about turntablist came from. This was a time where all these new techniques were coming out, like flares and stuff, and there were probably 20 people or so, in around California between Frisco and LA, who knew about these. So we worked on them, talked about it and kicked about the ideas that these techniques and new ways of scratching gave us. And what I would do is write 'Babu the Turntablist' on tapes I was making at the time, and somehow it got out a bit, the media got hold of it and it blew into this whole thing we now know. But it was really nothing to start with. We'd all talk about these new scratches and how they really started to allow us to use the turntable in a more musical way, how it allowed us to do more musical compositions, tracks, etc. and then we'd think about how people who play the piano are pianists, and so we thought "we're turntablists in a way, because we play the turntable like these people do the piano or any other instrument". Beyond that, it was just me writing 'Babu the Turntablist', because it was something I did to make my tapes stand out. I'd just get my marker pen out and write it on there.

So by the mid to late 1990s the terms turntablism and turntablist had become established and accepted to define the practice and practitioner of using turntables and a mixer to create or manipulate sounds and music. This could be done by scratching a record or manipulating the rhythms on the record either by drumming, looping or beat juggling.

The decade of the 1990s is also important in shaping the turntablist artform and culture as it saw the emergence of pioneering artists (D-Styles, DJ Q-Bert, DJ Quest, DJ Krush, A-Trak, Ricci Rucker, Mike Boo, Prime Cuts) and crews (Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters, Beat Junkies, The Allies, X-Ecutioners), record labels (Asphodel), DJ Battles (DMC, ITF) and the evolution of scratching and other turntablism practices.

More sophisticated methods of scratching were developed during that decade, with crews and individual DJs concentrating on the manipulation of the record in time with the manipulation of the cross fader on the mixer to create new rhythms and sonic artefacts with a variety of sounds. The evolution of scratching from a fairly simple sound and simple rhythmic cadences to more complicated sounds and more intricate rhythmical patterns allowed the practitioners to further evolve what could be done with scratching musically. These new ways of scratching were all given names, from flare to crab or orbit, and spread as DJs taught each other, practiced together or just showed off their new techniques to other DJs.

Alongside the evolution of scratching, which deserves an article in itself, other practices such as drumming (or scratch drumming) and beat juggling were also evolved significantly during the 1990s.

Beat Juggling was invented, or discovered if you will, by Steve Dee, a member of the X-Men (later renamed X-Ecutioners) crew. Beat Juggling essentially involves the manipulation of two identical or different drum patterns on two different turntables via the mixer to create a new pattern. A simple example would be for example to use two copies of the same drum pattern to evolve the pattern by doubling the snares, syncopating the drum kick, adding rhythm and variation to the existing pattern. From this concept, which Steve Dee showcased in the early 90s at DJ battles, Beat Juggling evolved throughout the decade to the point where by the end of it, it had become an intricate technique to create entirely new 'beats' and rhythms out of existing, pre-recorded ones. These were now not just limited to using drum patterns, but could also consist of other sounds - the ultimate aim being to create a new rhythm out of the pre-recorded existing ones. While Beat Juggling is not as popular as scratching due to the more demanding rhythmical knowledge it requires, it has proved popular within DJ Battles and in certain compositional situations.

One of the earliest academic studies of turntablism (White 1996) argued for its designation as a legitimate electronic musical instrument—a manual analog sampler—and described turntable techniques such as backspinning, cutting, scratching and blending as basic tools for most hip hop DJs. White's study suggests the proficient hip hop DJ must possess similar kinds of skills as those required by trained musicians, not limited to a sense of timing, hand-eye coordination, technical competence and musical creativity.

By the year 2000, turntablism and turntablists had become widely publicised and accepted in the mainstream and within hip hop as valid artists. Through this recognition came further evolution.

This evolution took many shapes and forms: some continued to concentrate on the foundations of the artform and its original links to hip hop culture, some became producers utilising the skills they'd learnt as turntablists and incorporating those into their productions, some concentrated more on the DJing aspect of the artform by combining turntablist skills with the trademark skills of club DJs, while others explored alternative routes in utilising the turntable as an instrument or production tool solely for the purpose of making music - either by using solely the turntable or by incorporating it into the production process alongside tools such as drum machines, samplers, computer software, and so on.

New DJs, turntablists and crews owe a distinct debt to old-school DJs like Kool DJ Herc, Grand Wizard Theodore, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Afrika Bambaataa and other DJs of the golden age of hip hop, who originally developed many of the concepts and techniques that evolved into modern turntablism.

Within the realm of hip hop, notable modern turntablists are the cinematic DJ Shadow, who influenced Diplo and RJD2, among others, and the experimental DJ Spooky, whose Optometry albums showed that the turntablist can perfectly fit within a jazz setting. Mix Master Mike was a founding member of the influential turntablist group Invisibl Skratch Piklz and currently DJs for the Beastie Boys. Cut Chemist, DJ Nu-Mark, Leroy "Knuckles" Dickerson, Kid Koala are also known as virtuosi of the turntables.

B-Boy Stance

2009-11-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Terminology

The breaking documentary The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy presents two reasons of why the ‘b’ stands for ‘break’. The first is that it's a reference to the musical ‘breaks’ on the record. Crazy Legs, the president of Rock Steady Crew explains the origin of the term - “the word b-boy originated from Kool Herc … b-boys and b-girls - break boys, break girls.” His colleague Mr. Freeze of Rock Steady Crew states, “the break of the record… ‘b’… break, we are the b-boys.”Mr. Wiggles of Rock Steady Crew and Electric Boogaloos says, “the DJs used to cut breaks, and the b-boys would break to what? The breaks. So you know, it’s just common sense.”
An alternative theory is that it comes from the street slang terms 'break' and 'breaking' which at the time meant to fight or to lose control. Grand Mixer DXT says, “breaking boys - because people would be breaking at the party, starting trouble… when somebody would get mad - 'yo he’s breaking, stop breaking man,' and when Kool Herc says it, it’s official.” DJ Kool Herc himself (billed as ‘The Father of Hip-Hop’ in the documentary) says, “b-boy – boys that break, it didn’t come from breaks on the record, it comes from… this man he ‘broke’, he went to a point, a breaking point… we just used the exaggeration of that term to the dancing – the b-boys, break boys.

History of breaking

Breaking or b-boying, commonly called breakdancing, is a style of dance that evolved as part of hip-hop culture among Black and Latino American youths in the South Bronx during the 1970s. It is danced to both hip-hop and other genres of music that are often remixed to prolong the musical breaks.

There are four basic elements which form the foundation of breaking. The first is Toprock, a term referring to the upright dancing and shuffles. The second element is Downrock which refers to footwork dancing performed on the floor. The third element is the Freeze, the poses that breakers throw into their dance sets to add punctuation to certain beats and end their routines. The fourth element of b-boying is the Power Moves. These are the most impressive acrobatic moves normally made up of circular motions where the dancer will spin on the floor or in the air.

Though widespread, the term "breakdancing" is looked down upon by those immersed in hip-hop culture. This is because the word "breakdance" is a term created by the media to describe what was called breaking or b-boying in the street. The majority of the art form’s pioneers and most notable practitioners refer to it as breaking or b-boying.

B-boy styles

There are many different individual styles used in breaking. Individual styles often stem from a dancer's region of origin and influences. Although there are some generalities in the styles that exist, many dancers combine elements of different styles with their own ideas and knowledge in order to create a unique style of their own.

Power: This style of breaking is what most members of the general public associate with the term "break-dancing". Power moves comprise full-body spins and rotations that give the illusion of defying gravity. Examples of power moves include headspins, backspins, windmills, flares, airtracks/airflares, 1990s, 2000s, jackhammers, crickets, turtles, hand glide, halos, and elbow spins. Those b-boys who use "power moves" almost exclusively in their sets are referred to as "powerheads".
Abstract: A very broad style of breaking which may include the incorporation of threading footwork, freestyle movement to hit beats, house dance, broken link styles, and "circus" styles (tricks, contortion, etc.)
Trick (Blowup): A style of breaking which focuses on the "wow factor" of certain power moves, freezes, and circus styles. Blowup-style consists of performing a sequence of as many difficult trick combinations in as quick succession as possible in order to "smack" or exceed the virtuosity of the other b-boy's performance. This is usually attempted only after becoming proficient in other styles due to the degree of control and practice required in this type of dancing. The names of some of the moves are: airbaby, airchair, hollow backs, solar eclipse, reverse airbaby, among others. The main goal in blowup-style is the rapid transition through a sequence power moves.
Flavor: A style that is based more on elaborate toprock, downrock, and/or freezes. This style is focused more on the beat of the song than having to rely on "power" moves only. B-boys who base their dance on "flavor" or style are known as "style heads".
Burns: A type of move intended to embarrass the opponent by creating obscene or comical moves (i.e crotch grabbing) during battles.

The Art of Hip Hop

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In America around the late 1960s, graffiti was used as a form of expression by political activists, and also by gangs such as the Savage Skulls, La Familia, and Savage Nomads to mark territory. Towards the end of the 1960s, the signatures—tags—of Philadelphia graffiti writers Cornbread, Cool Earl and Topcat 126 started to appear. Cornbread is often cited as one of the earliest writer of modern graffiti. Around 1970-71, the centre of graffiti innovation moved to New York City where writers following in the wake of TAKI 183 and Tracy 168 would add their street number to their nickname, "bomb" a train with their work, and let the subway take it—and their fame, if it was impressive, or simply pervasive, enough—"all city". Bubble lettering held sway initially among writers from the Bronx, though the elaborate writing Tracy 168 dubbed "wildstyle" would come to define the art. The early trendsetters were joined in the 70s by artists like Dondi, Zephyr and Lady Pink.

Graffiti is one of the four main elements of hip hop culture (along with rapping, DJing, and break dancing). The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture arises both from early graffiti artists practicing other aspects of hip hop, and its being practiced in areas where other elements of hip hop were evolving as art forms. By the mid-eighties, the form would move from the street to the art world. Jean-Michel Basquiat would abandon his SAMO tag for art galleries, and even street art's connections to hip hop would loosen. Occasional hip hop paeans to graffiti could still be heard throughout the nineties, however, in tracks like the Artifacts' "Wrong Side of Da Tracks" and Company Flow's "Lune TNS".