Displaying items by tag: Rap

'Art hurts. Art urges voyages - and it is easier to stay at home' - Poet Gwendolyn Brooks (7th June 1917 – 3rd December 2000)

The origins of hip-hop share provenance with clog dancing as a street dance art form. Clogging was brought to the US in the mid-nineteenth century and local performers refined the steps into tap. Tap dancing was originally performed as an accompaniment to song and the percussive and rhythmic patterns produced by the snags heightened effectiveness. The movement grew larger as rhythms grew more intricate and greater emphasis was placed on elements of dance composition and design. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, refined the minstrel tradition, and Fred Astaire made ‘hoofing’ a modern art form and the cornerstone of Hip Hop.

N.W.A (an abbreviation of Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap and west coast hip hop subgenres, sometimes credited as the most important group in the history of rap music

© Words – Matteo Sedazzari

What he said must be spoken quickly, for most of them had no patience. What he said must be put strongly, more acted than spoken, for they had to be hooked to stand and hear.
The Warriors - Sol Yurick

Today sees the UK release of Alicia Keys's Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down, but you'll already know the song. Jay-Z's original version appeared on The Blueprint 3 last year (as Empire State of Mind, featuring Alicia Keys) and I've been addicted to it ever since. Who wouldn't be? With its huge hook, grandiose orchestration and shout-out to New York, the song isn't just an instant hip-hop classic, it's one of the best pop songs of the last 10 years.

Brothers and sisters, I don't know what this world is coming to.  It might just be a sign of getting old, but I can't abide listening to Radio 1 anymore.  I try and stay as 'hip' as I can, so along with the thirty-somethings favourites of Radio 2 and 6 music, I still can't resist to hear what's happening on 1.  Apart from that Tory droning tosser Jeremy Clarkson,