New Wave Celebrates 50 Years of Hip-Hop: A Look Back Through the Decades

Photography by Jonathan Manion

Originating from the neighbourhood of the Bronx in New York City, those who pioneered hip-hop music couldn’t have predicted its global impact and popularity fifty years on.

The subculture formed due to the creative expression of a community existing in a dire political and social landscape within the USA. Pioneers such as DJ Kool Herc, Roxanne Shanté and Grandmaster Flash paved the way for the popular genre.

Government investment towards community projects within the Bronx was virtually non-existent as it became a forgotten neighbourhood. As many New York residents moved out of the city, towards safer streets and away from increasing crime rates, the youth that remained began to express their creativity through art and hip hop.

New Wave explores five decades of hip hop on its 50th anniversary and its continued presence and influence on present-day music and culture…

1970s: The birth of hip-hop and old-school sounds

It was the summer of 1973 in New York City, and even amongst the architectural and socio-economic decay of the Bronx, something beautiful was blossoming in the heart of the city. DJ Kool Herc hosted the first hip-hop party on 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, a pivotal event that spurred the genre forward, with the DJ hailing the building “the Bethlehem of hip-hop culture”.

Herc spent many months perfecting a new technique of mixing two songs together using two turntables, a mixer and two copies of the same record which he showcased at his sister Cindy's birthday party.

Photography courtesy of Cindy Campbell

Another DJ by the name of Grandmaster Flash was making a name for himself as an early innovator of mixing, coining his own DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory. Otherwise known as the backspin technique, he elongated drum beats by using duplicate copies of vinyl.

This method allowed the MC and breakdancer to play their respective parts by having an extended bed of music to rap or dance to. It led to one of the foundational elements of hip-hop: sampling.

Graffiti tagging was also a big part of hip-hop culture in the '70s, with famous graffiti artists such as Lee Quinones (second image) and Blade Delores (first image) expressing themselves through colourful designs on subway trains.

Image courtesy of the Sotheby's

Photography by Martha Cooper

Groups such as the Zulu Nation, a hip-hop awareness group, had formed which cultivated cultural events for young people and aimed to bring knowledge and unity to the community. By 1979, ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by Sugar Hill Gang was the first hip-hop song to be played on the radio and the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the same year, other iconic hip-hop songs such as Lady B/Wendy Clark’s ‘To the Beat Y’all’ were released, and the first female hip-hop MCs from the Bronx such as MC Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shanté were giving male rappers a run for their money in rap battles.

1980s: Golden Age

The 1980s, now widely known as the Golden Age of hip-hop, made way for a second wave of hip-hop in which songs were more minimalist in their production than their old-school counterparts. Rap commentary focused more on socio-political issues and there was a move towards sampling, mostly from rock and soul records. This era was a big turning point for music production, with the introduction of 808 drums, synths and samplers becoming extremely popular amongst many hip-hop producers.

Run DMC’s self-titled debut album became the first hip-hop album to earn a RIAA Gold certification, with their music video for ‘Rock Box’ becoming the first hip-hop music video to be aired on MTV. This signified record labels' support of hip-hop album releases instead of just singles: hip-hop’s popularity was beginning to spread internationally. It became clear that it wasn't just a fleeting trend, but a genre that was here to stay.

1990s: East v West Coast rappers

A shift from the macho, hyper-masculine presentation of the 80s towards more thoughtful, Afrocentric subject matters, demonstrated by rap artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and Nas characterised early '90s hip hop. The growth of socially conscious, multisyllabic wordplay (Mos Def, Common, Talib Kewli) called for introspective listening by hip-hop fans.

The '90s witnessed the release of iconic hip-hop albums from both East and West Coast artists including Dr. Dre (The Chronic), Snoop Dogg (Doggystyle) and The Notorious B.I.G/Biggie (Ready to Die). Naturally, this came with some competition, with there being an ongoing debate on which sound was superior: the laid-back, psychedelic G-funk of California, or more sample-heavy, hardcore gangsta rap typical of New York artists.

Pictured Tupac, Biggie and Redman at Club Amazon. Photography by Al Pereia

The rise of gangsta rap during the 1990s was known for hardcore performances as well as commentary on social and racial injustices faced by Black people in America. Queen Latifah was one of the first female MCs to talk candidly about everyday sexual harassment faced by women in ‘U.N.I.T.Y’, and is arguably one of the first intersectional feminists of her era.

1996 saw a turning point for women in hip-hop regarding female and sexual empowerment. Artists such as Lil Kim and Foxy Brown were speaking openly about their sexuality on records as well as expressing themselves through style. Although they were praised for their beauty and attraction, double standards also led to them being shunned for being ‘hyper-sexual’ and bad influences on young women.

Lil Kim's famous album artwork for LP 'Hardcore'. Photography by Michael Lavine

It is impossible to talk about '90s hip hop and not mention the impact and influence of Ms. Lauryn Hill. Her album ‘Ready or Not’, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won Best Rap Album at the Grammys, and she became the first woman in history to win the award. Her combination of soul, R&B and hip hop as well as her raw and emotional lyrics made her stand out from the crowd. Many artists have, and still do, hail her as a source of great inspiration, with Kanye West stating ‘I was uninspired since Lauryn Hill retired’ on ‘No More Parties in LA’.

2000s: Southern rap, noughties R&B and alternative hip-hop

The popularity of Southside hip hop was growing, originating from cities like Houston, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Memphis. Outkast was well-known amongst hip hop fans in southern states, although many East and West Coast artists shunned their style and they continued to fight hard to gain artistic recognition.

When the duo won the 1995 Source Award for Best New Artist after the release of their debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, they were booed by the crowd. However, this was undoubtedly the moment in which, according to André 3000, ‘the industry began to take southern rap seriously.’

André's creativity and fearlessness regarding his sense of style was a source of inspiration for many rap artists who would come later. He showed a generation of kids, including some of our favourite rappers such as Tyler the Creator, that was was OK to be themselves and to be unique, regardless of any gender or racial stereotypes pushed by society.

Photography by Chris Polk

Missy Elliot pushed creative boundaries with her choice of styling in music videos and became a household name for her hits ‘Get Ur Freak On’ and ‘Work It’. Her wearing a trash bag in the music video for 'The Rain' poked fun at the media's commentary on her weight and appearance, whilst simultaneously proving that she can take us space as an artist and look good - even whilst wearing a bin bag.

Other artists who dominated 2000’s R&B included Eve, Cassie, Beyoncé, Kelis and Jay Z, creating club hits that still get crowds moving to this day.

The move to the mid to late 2000s saw the emergence of exciting underground, alternative rap artists and producers such as J Dilla, Madlib and MF DOOM. These artists embraced influences from rock, jazz, soul, pop and rock through their sound, with MF DOOM famously sampling Sadé on 'Doomsday'.

2010-present day:

In the last decade, we’ve witnessed a new wave of conscious hip hop as artists inspired by 90’s rappers like Nas make a name for themselves. Signed by Dr. Dre’s label Top Dawg in the early 2000s, Kendrick Lamar popularised speaking on topics such as disenfranchisement, gang activities, and crime within his hometown of Compton (Good Kid, M.A.A.D City).

This stood in stark contrast to the materialism, glam and party lifestyle illustrated in much of noughties club hip hop. He also opened up about topics of love, life, death and religion in his fourth studio album DAMN., the first musical composition album, aside from classical and jazz, to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2018.

Artists such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne were able to reach new audiences through the rise of the internet, access to blogs and the ability to release their own music through Lil Wayne’s label Young Money.

This broke the barriers of entry to the music industry where artists had the ability to make their music widely available via free downloads, without the need for official album releases, marking the beginning of the SoundCloud era. For example, Lil Yachty’s '1 Night' music video propelled him into international stardom. We’ve now entered a new era of music: the TikTok music era.

All it takes for an artist to gain international recognition is for one song to blow up on TikTok or start trending. Artists such as PinkPanthress, SexyRedd and Ice Spice seemed to grow in popularity almost overnight when their songs began trending on TikTok videos.

Hip hop has, and continues to have, major influences on popular culture, and evolved massively since its humble beginnings. One thing remains the same in that it continues to be a tool of expression, creativity and imagination that has lifted many out of dire situations and into states of creative and financial freedom. What can we take away from hip hop’s 50th birthday? It remains extremely important for us to continue to express ourselves through music, whether that be making music, writing about it, playing it, or simply listening to it. We can all agree that music is an internationally recognised language: it speaks to the soul.

by Evelyn White