BethanyC

Gospel + Hip-Hop = Holy Hip-Hop

Hip hop: Hip-Hop started in the Bronx. In the city there was a lot of drug and gang violence in the 1960s and 70s. Most people who partisapated in Hip-Hop were part or use to be part of a gang. Rap was an alternative for them from gang wars. At first Hip-Hop was paformed in places like subway or street corners. It was not till the mid-1970s that it started to be played at clubs. Soon after producers started to notice the Hop-Hop culture. In the 80s is when movies with hip hop infulans started to come out.

Gospel: Slaves started singing spirituals in the 1800s. The lyrics of the songs both related to their life and to the Bible. They used different words in their lyrics to hide the song’s real meanings. For example, when they sung about freedom the land that they would be free from was referred to as “My home, sweet Canaan, and the Promised Land”. They also referred to the Underground Railroad. “//Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”// is one of these songs. After slavery was abolished African Americans did not sing spirituals anymore because it reminded them of there life of slavery. Later on in the 1890s churches started appearing that had African influence. These churches were filled with people clapping their hands and stomping their feet. During the Harlem Renaissance spirituals were being improved which started a new genre of music was created from spirituals. Gospel music is songs that are inspired by the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The gospels that the slaves sang could also refer and relate to their daily life. Just because gospel was created spirituals also thrived and many were sung during the Civil Rights rallies.

Holy hip hop:

Holy hip hop started a few years after hip hop. Churches wanted to get more people to come to church so they mixed the meanings of gospel music to the style of hip hop. At first it was not played out side of church but now it is more populer.

Here are two songs that are both Gospel and Hip-hop

media type="file" key="Irene.m4a" width="300" height="50" Song: Irene Artist: TobyMac Genre: Holy Hip-hop Date: 2001

media type="file" key="Gone.m4a" width="300" height="50" Song: Gone Artist: TobyMac Genre: Holy Hip-hop Date: 2008


 * Domestic:** The song Gone relates to domestic because it is talking about a boy friend and girl friend and there relationship.


 * Educational:** The song Irene relates to educational because the song is giving "Irene" advise.


 * Religio****us:** Both songs relate to religious. Irene relates to religious because the song talks about God answering her prayers. Gone relates to religious because it talks about a girl who God should that she had to brake up with her boy friend and helped her move on.


 * U.S. Census:** In the song Irene they talk about dropping out of school so I looked at the amount of people dropped out of school around the time the song came out.




 * Bibliography:**

"Hip Hop Music." //National Geographic//. National Geographic Society, 2010. Web. May 2010. 

Maultsby, Portia. "A history of African American Music." //carnegie hall//. Carnegie Hall Corporation, 2009. Web. May 2010. .

"history." negrospirituals. N.p., n.d. Web. May 2010. .