history
Iconic moments in music history.
Highly Intellectual People Hovering Over Politics
1975There I was, standing in the crowd cheering for the fact the war was over, and our troops were leaving Vietnam. Defeated, it felt as though America was going through a drought. I felt so sad that we had lost so many, but our patriotism was strong; I could tell you that much. I walked through the streets of New York City, looking to find meaning for all I have been going through. As I walked, I thought to myself how thankful I was for music. I couldn’t wait to get home and play my Captain and Tennille record, my personal favorite was “Love Will Keep Us Together”. What this world needed was a bit of love. I felt lost in a country which had strived off of unity. I, for one, had never seen our communities so divided. I thought to myself the one thing I was always able to lean on was music. I didn’t listen to much rock. My folks were big on church. I listened to a lot of gospel, and hours of blues tracks. Back then, I didn’t have much of a choice in what I was listening to. Come the late 70s, Bambaataa was the “firestarter of the hip-hop generation” (Chang 2005, 92). Hip Hop came to me at a very young age. What was Hip Hop? Something so unfamiliar to the masses, to my family. Back then, Hip Hop was a total of four elements. These elements were MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art (Alim 2004, 272). This was seen everywhere before, but none of it had come together under the umbrella that is hip hop. A way to entice a young confused generation, I had never felt more connected to a genre in my life. I grew up to be an avid believer in the messages that resonated through my Walkman in the late 70s. I saw the potential of Hip Hop. The positive impact it held on me back then stayed with me until today, the day I chose to write about this growing memory of Hip Hop. Let’s be real, Hip Hop was created here, created in my city. “It's widely accepted that hip hop was born about 40 years ago at a Bronx house party on Aug. 11, 1973” (Lebeau 2013, 1). I felt it was essential to model what I had associated Rap to. Run DMC, huge in the 1970s, portrayed the ultimate look for B-boy fashion. As soon as I familiarized myself enough with what Run DMC was about, all I could rock were Adidas track pants with the sweater, bucket hats, with a whole lotta jewelry. I myself adored the Nike Cortez sneakers, which became huge after the 72 Olympics. I guess there was just something about Hip Hop that made me happy; Hip Hop made me feel hip, isn’t that ironic?
By Kayla Charles8 years ago in Beat
Blue Christmas: The Letter of '76
Elvis Presley is known to be the most noted, sung about, wrote about singer the world has ever known. We know so much of the man who we have come to call the "King of Rock and Roll." But no matter how many books, articles, biographies, interviews you have heard and read Elvis himself would be heard telling his closest friends and confidants. "They know me, but they don't know me."
By E.F. Landeros8 years ago in Beat
The History of The DJ
I know this might seem like a stretch, but I am going to call Thomas Edison the first DJ ever. He certainly didn't rock parties like the DJs we know today, but it is safe to say that his invention of the phonographic cylinder paved the way for future Disk Jockeys everywhere. The phonographs that followed Edison’s invention were eventually mass produced. This became the first time in history the general public was able to purchase and own recorded music. Prior to this if you wanted to hear music you would have to play it yourself, or listen to someone else play it live.
By Angel Soto8 years ago in Beat
Musical Beginnings and Theories
Music is much more important than most would realize as it lines the history books and holds strong ties to Lore, Legends, and Mythology. It is a foundation that is grounded into the very depths of society as a whole and is used for expression of many emotions and as dedications to the world and people around us.
By Sadie Collins-Gidney8 years ago in Beat
If I Can Dream
Elvis Presley a name that is known all over the world. Over 20 million people over the last 35 years that have visited Graceland Elvis' home and the other millions who have not, the name brings to them a thought of someone who was more than just a singer/entertainer. To us fans, the name Elvis Presley is a man who went for a dream and eventually achieved it. From his humble beginning, to his untimely death, Elvis gave the world the gift of not only his voice, but his story.
By E.F. Landeros8 years ago in Beat
Revisionist History: Arguing Tutti Frutti with Malcolm Gladwell. Top Story - August 2017.
“Tutti Frutti, Aw Rooty, Tutti Frutti, Aw Rooty, A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom!" –Little Richard 1955. On a recent episode of his exceptional podcast Revisionist History, journalist Malcolm Gladwell was discussing why country music embraces sadness while rock n’roll tended toward generalism in songwriting. Gladwell’s point was to emphasize the awe-inspiring power of music, especially sad music like that of his other subject on the show, the so-called “King of Tears,” songwriter Bobby Braddock. Braddock is the powerhouse behind such songs as "D.I.V.O.R.C.E" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today," heavily featured on Gladwell’s show.
By Sean Patrick8 years ago in Beat
Beethoven: A Presentation
(December 1770 — March 26, 1827) Have you ever wondered about who this particular man was? He was born in Germany and was a composer of classical music. He hasn't been mentioned since he passed away, so, I thought I could have a brief moment of your time to talk about him and his unexpected disability by being deaf.
By DarLing Lor8 years ago in Beat
The La's Released a Brilliant Record in 1990. Then They Vanished.
The La's are known best for their hit single, "There She Goes," a song that blew many musicians away with its cleverness and Beatle-influenced sound, and has been covered by many people, including Sixpence None The Richer and Robbie Williams. Oasis and Coldplay have both cited The La's as a major influence on their music and songwriting styles. Their lead singer, Lee Mavers is, and was, a very eccentric person. When they were initially signed by Go Disks, he kept insisting that the first album be re-done, and re-mixed, over and over again, so much so that the album producers finally gave up on him and the mixing sessions. They ended up releasing an album without the band's approval that was a mix of many sessions. Lee Mavers immediately declared that he hated the record, but reluctantly set out on a tour with his bandmates to support it.
By Scott Bowen8 years ago in Beat
Singing Karaoke
Karaoke is a Japanese word that means "empty orchestra." The word was used to describe the development of a video game that consisted of an amateur singer with a microphone, but the orchestra is taped. The singer is also provided with the lyrics to the song he or she chooses.
By Danny Fleming8 years ago in Beat
Why Am I Here? Musics, Cultures, Emotions
I am new here. A good question to ask whenever one finds oneself in a new space, be it physical or virtual is, "Why am I here?" This is not always an easy question to answer, and can sometimes lead the witting questioner down a mountain path that leads to dead ends or disorientation.
By Thomas Graves8 years ago in Beat
Akala, Illa State, Hip-Hop Shakespeare and the Rise of Conscious Grime
As a white, working class British man in his 20's from the rolling hills of Surrey, Grime Music is not something I claim to own any rights to. At an early age I became a huge fan of Eminem and always held him in such high esteem compared to other rappers just due to the fact he always seemed to challenge himself lyrically - This was really my only understanding of Rap Music until my teenage years where I started to branch out into other areas of the genre, particularly liking the sound of artists including Nas and Kid Cudi.
By Jordan Catto9 years ago in Beat
Appetite for Destruction
I'm 40 years old now. I first heard this song on my friend's cassette player when I was ten years old. I fell in love. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This song just consumed me! I was like "Oh My God!" I was ten years old and had never heard anything like it! I couldn't wait to get the cassette for myself. Of course, my parent's were skeptical just by the group's name. "Guns N' Roses." I remember my sister, who is older, said it had to be bad just by the name. "Guns N' Roses," she said, "It's simple, you shoot someone with a gun, and then put roses on their grave."
By Kelli Cartrette9 years ago in Beat
