AlexJ



__**The History of //Hip Hop//:**__ Hip-hop began as a genre of music for fun dances and has evolved over time as a genre of music for expression. The earliest roots of hip hop is the griots of west Africa. They wpuld often sing an recite poems over beats, which is what hip hop is today. Hip hop is a poetic touch to music, becoming an influential culture of its own. Hip-Hop started small, but it expanded quickly across the U.S. and to other countries.

Creation of the term hip hop is often credited to Keith Cowboy, a rapper with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It is believed that the term was made when Keith was teasing a friend who just joined the Army by scat singing the words "hip/hop/hip/hop" in a way that mimicked the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.

__**What is //Nerdcore//?**__ Nerdcore is a subgenre of hip hop music. It was stemmed from the roots of hip hop and the idea of free expression. Nerdcore was mainly a sub genre about nerdy topics like science fiction, space, and video games. The term “Nerdcore” was coined by MC Frontalot in 2000. Even before that there were hip-hop artists that would explore ‘nerdy’ topics. Some of the forefathers of nerdcore are MC Frontalot, Kool Keith, Afrika Bambaataa, and DJ Kool Herc.

media type="file" key="AlexJ_GrandmasterFlash_The Message.mp4" width="300" height="300" Artist: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five feat. Melle Mel Song: "The Message" Year: 1982

This song is a well known, award winning hip hop collaboration. This song became the corner stone for great achievements of hip hop. It not only was labeled as one of the greatest hip hop songs ever, it also helped get Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The synthesizer beat used is widely used today due to its high popularity.

media type="file" key="AlexJ_mcchris_dengar.mp4" width="300" height="300"

Artist: mc chris Song: "Dengar's Dumptruck" Year: 2010

This song is about a bounty hunter from Star Wars named Dengar. This song talks about the This is a traditional example of nerdcore hip hop because of its 'nerdy' topic. Most often, nerd core songs are about a variety of topics like Star Wars all the way to calculus.

Bibliography: Williams, Alex. Dungeons, Dragons, and Dope Beats.New York Times 5 Aug. 2007: 1-2. Web May 12 2010 <[]>

Miranda, Jeff. Refrain of the Nerds. The Boston Globe 4 Nov. 2007: 1-3. Web May 27 2010 <[]>