Caribbean Influenced #beingAfricaAllah Vol 26_08 Happy Birthday Hip-hop w/ Co-Host Vibez

Mixtress Africa Allah

Vibez

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As we celebrate Hip-hop’s 50th Birthday we take time to examine the impact of Caribbean America hip-hop artists and those influenced by Caribbean sound and culture.

Many Caribbean immigrants arrived in the 1950s and 1960s and settled in port cities, primarily the South Bronx in New York City.

These newcomers took the Caribbean style of ‘toasting’ (talking/chanting over a rhythm or beat) and began to rap over beats, which eventually became hip hop as we know it today, and many of the world’s most famous rappers, such as The Notorious B.I.G. (Jamaica) and Grandmaster Flash, who was born in Barbados, came from Caribbean backgrounds.

The elements of Hip Hop were developed throughout New York City’s Afro- Caribbean, Latino- Caribbean, and African American communities, including Flatbush, Brooklyn and East Elmhurst, Queens. It began as a sub-culture between these neighborhoods. Hip Hop was non-mainstream music that most people only knew if they were involved in those communities, especially since it was mostly played at block/house parties. The Bronx is where all the elements of Hip Hop- graffiti art, break dancing, DJ-ing, rapping- were solidified and institutionalized. This formation of Hip Hop culture was facilitated by the Zulu Nation, a group formed by Afrika Bambaata during the 1970’s.

DJ Kool Herc is widely considered one of the founding members of Hip Hop. He was born in Jamaica, but emigrated at the age of 12 to The Bronx. This clip shows how his Caribbean heritage influenced his music, but how that influence goes largely unrecognized. Although DJ Kool Herc cherished his roots, he did not overly publicize his ethnicity in fear of backlash from the his new American community.

The use of sound systems and rapping over beats (toasting) was prominent in Caribbean dancehall, reggae, calypso, and dub music before the 1970’s creation of Hip Hop in America.
Example of 60’s Jamaican dub artist, King Tubby. Note his use of the sound system and short repetitive beats.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, are also considered founding members of Hip Hop. Grandmaster Flash was born in Barbados and moved to The Bronx when he was young. He is mostly known for building on breaking/ mixing/ scratching techniques used by earlier DJs, such as DJ Kool Herc. Another member of the group was called Kidd Creole, which points to Caribbean heritage. Supposedly, one of the members, ‘Cowboy,’ coined the term ‘hip hop’ when he was mockingly scatting to an army friend. Although, the term ‘hip’ has previously been known in association with drug culture.