Golden Era Hip Hop

[Anto99]

I'm 36. So I was lucky enough to grow up during what I consider the prime era for hip hop. In my opinion of course. But here's the one critique I've received by more than one person: "You're stuck. Things have to progress. That era did their thing. Now it's time to move on" This is usually in response to both my allegiance to the boom bap, sample heavy 90s standards and the fact that I seek out artists today that are on the same vibe. Damu. PUTS. Lightheaded. Lootpack. Asheru etc.

To me that is hip hop. I know that's narrow minded for sure, and I'm speaking primarily about production, but the way I look at it, once you take the dusty samples, the MPCS, SP12s, ASR 10s, cuts, digging etc out of the picture, you're left with a very hollow shell. An approximation of what hip hop is.

I'm all for progression. But I also liken it to taking an essential element out of any genre. Like removing drums from funk. Or bullshit from New country.

Anyone follow what I'm saying or am I just a jaded old guy?

 

[DustedDon]

 

[HarveyCanal]

Extremely narrowminded. Recorded hip-hop started out with few to no samples. And then there is the whole 808 style of hip-hop as well. How can one say Mantronix isn't some of the best produced of all-time? Point being, you gotta have tunnel-vision to isolate the boom-bap era as the only true ish out there.





Also, the golden era of hip-hop was from like 88-92 and more likley characterized by funky James Brown samples than by the darker jazz styles of the boom-bap era that overlapped with it in time.

 

[EkiM]

same thing for me. best jungle tunes 92 / 97 ... there's still shitloads of stuff coming out now but i seem to prefer the ones that stay close to the sound i've grown to love. things are just moving a bit too fast for my own pace.

 

[Anto99]

Never said anything about Mantronix. And hip hop did start with samples as the based of production. Rhyming over disco breaks etc. The sampler I guess was two turntables and later, pause tapes.





The more 808 focused stuff, to me, was an off shoot of that.





http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m71d4g0IOm1qg8c39o1_1280.png





Still hip hop, but not technically the roots.





Not discounting everything else that fell out of it. Just saying I prefer the sample based style I grew up with. And I'm glad that producers - Soul Strut people included - continue that tradition.

 

[Anto99]

Again, just my opinion. Such a subjective thing really has no right or wrong answer I guess.

 

[batmon]

Anto99 said:Not discounting everything else that fell out of it. Just saying I prefer the sample based style I grew up with..




Well then just say that and dont try to alter history by saying what YOU grew up on is the "Golden Era".





And turntables are NOT samplers. They are two different TOOLS.





This is 101 shit.

 

[batmon]

Anto99 said:To me that is hip hop. I know that's narrow minded for sure, and I'm speaking primarily about production, but the way I look at it, once you take the dusty samples, the MPCS, SP12s, ASR 10s, cuts, digging etc out of the picture, you're left with a very hollow shell. An approximation of what hip hop is.?

 

[Anto99]

Sampling, as a method, can take many forms. Pause tapes are a form of sampling. As is going back and forth to a break. And I'm not altering history in terms of what I said at all. I just mentioned that I grew up in what "I consider" the Golden Era of hip hop. By saying "I consider" I'm not implying that this is fact. Just my opinion and experience.





101 shit? Not necessary. Just thought I'd open up a discussion. Not gonna take it to the playground.





I know music has to evolve. But sometimes I guess I'm not into where it ends up. I mean look at labels like Daptone and Soul Fire. They're not reinventing anything. That's their definition of funk. I'm on the same page. Same with groups like PUTS etc..I just happen to define hip hop in the same terms and can't think of an instance of when it's evolved into something I prefer. Maybe the Roots, but again, that evolution is minimal since they still adhere to the sound that producers sample.

 

[Anto99]

Not sure what that proves. Other than the drum pattern they're mimicking is based on funk patterns.

 

[Anto99]

Just a question. Not a statement of fact.

 

[HarveyCanal]

So when you say hip-hop that you grew up with, let me guess the chronology.





When you weren't bombing trains, you used to carry Kool Herc's crates to his gigs in the South Bronx.





But then when rap records started coming out ala Kurtis Blow and Sugarhill and Bambaataa, you realized instead of samples actually being used, in-house bands were replaying all of that shit...and thus, you hated all that garbage.





Run DMC...to hell with them, not even real hip-hop.





But when Marley Marl started chopping up James Brown like there was no tomorrow, okay...finally after almost 10 years of dismissing anything calling itself rap, back into it bigtime.





And then DJ Premier, oh DJ Premier...if only he could produce every single piece of conceivable rap until the end of eternity. Now, that would be fab.





But wait, what are all of these other people doing? They seem to be having fun in 15 different ways without samples. How dare them.





Alright, let me just slip back into this DJ Premier bath. Is that you tickling my feet, J-Dilla? Please pass me the soap, Madlib.





See, a story best kept to yourself.

 

[Anto99]

No. A story best read in detail so to not be misinterpreted. AGAIN. I'm not discounting the way things evolved or changed. Or am I proclaiming that I was in the Bronx when it all went down. These are things that you gathered from my post, and I'm not quite sure how.





I'm just saying that I, me, myself, gravitate towards the fundamentals. And yes, those fundamentals may differ from person-to-person, but for what I like, and know to be the basis of where it all began, dusty breaks and samples, however you want to hook them up are an essential part of hip hip. As is a DJ and an MC.

 

[batmon]

Anto99 said:Sampling, as a method, can take many forms. Pause tapes are a form of sampling. As is going back and forth to a break. And I'm not altering history in terms of what I said at all. I just mentioned that I grew up in what "I consider" the Golden Era of hip hop. By saying "I consider" I'm not implying that this is fact. Just my opinion and experience.





101 shit? Not necessary. Just thought I'd open up a discussion. Not gonna take it to the playground.





I know music has to evolve. But sometimes I guess I'm not into where it ends up. I mean look at labels like Daptone and Soul Fire. They're not reinventing anything. That's their definition of funk. I'm on the same page. Same with groups like PUTS etc..I just happen to define hip hop in the same terms and can't think of an instance of when it's evolved into something I prefer. Maybe the Roots, but again, that evolution is minimal since they still adhere to the sound that producers sample.




How is "I consider" an opening to discussion?

 

[Anto99]

Not sure what the argument is here. Was meant to be a discussion. I could understand if I were preaching, but I'm not. I even called myself narrow minded and jaded.

 

[Anto99]

Didn't know there was a strict set of rules in terms of how to initiate discourse. I consider, simply put, means I know my opinion is subjective. Without it, I'd be making a statement of fact. And I'm not.

 

[Anto99]

Now officially stepping back to grade 5. Jesus. Why?

 

[Anto99]

"So when you say hip-hop that you grew up with, let me guess the chronology.





When you weren't bombing trains, you used to carry Kool Herc's crates to his gigs in the South Bronx.





But then when rap records started coming out ala Kurtis Blow and Sugarhill and Bambaataa, you realized instead of samples actually being used, in-house bands were replaying all of that shit...and thus, you hated all that garbage.





Run DMC...to hell with them, not even real hip-hop.





But when Marley Marl started chopping up James Brown like there was no tomorrow, okay...finally after almost 10 years of dismissing anything calling itself rap, back into it bigtime.





And then DJ Premier, oh DJ Premier...if only he could produce every single piece of conceivable rap until the end of eternity. Now, that would be fab.





But wait, what are all of these other people doing? They seem to be having fun in 15 different ways without samples. How dare them.





Alright, let me just slip back into this DJ Premier bath. Is that you tickling my feet, J-Dilla? Please pass me the soap, Madlib.





See, a story best kept to yourself".





The operative word here would be " Guess". This your interpretation of my experience. Very strange to base an observation and an argument of things you imagined, isn't it? And the bath tub thing? Just plain creepy.

 

[HarveyCanal]

You've jumped into a bees nest here where we've suffered 15 years of lames spouting the exact same opinions as yours. It's of course your right to prefer whichever music your heart desires. But as previously mentioned, you don't need to attempt to rewrite well-established history in an effort to justify your preference. Boom-bap is great, but it's far from the end-all, be-all when it comes to hip-hop, period.

 

[Anto99]

Again. No re-writing. No discounting anything. Just raising an opinion. And now, responding to an oddly interpreted and relatively hostile response. Definitely not what I had in mind. Believe me.