Kickin' it old school-ish ♥

     Old School Hip Hop/ Rap happened in the late 70's to the mid 80's. Some music from the early 90's is also considered as old school. Old school involves simple raps and simple rhythms. Hip hop was created around the concept of having fun and partying, with a few exceptions. Also during this period, rapping battles occurred, which since then has been a crowd pleaser. Some notable artists of this time are Afrika Baambataa, The Sugar Hill Gang, Fab Five Freddy, Doug E. Fresh, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

	Grandmaster Flash - The Message (1982) .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

      Hip-hop originated on the East Coast, primarily in New York.  It is believed that hip hop originated in the Bronx by Kool Herc who was a Jamaican DJ. Hip hop music has originated from the African American and the West African music. There was a lot of funk and soul music being played during the old school hip-hop era. The Djs finally started separating the percussion breaks from hit tracks. They gradually realized that these beats were more entertaining and fun to dance to.



 (Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five)

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five had one of the most influental effects on the rap game. They formed in the South Bronx of N.Y. They have one D.J: Grand Master Flash, and five rappers: Melle Mel, Kid Creole, Cowboy, Mr. Scorpion, and Rahiem. They got real famous in the early 80's. Two of their most famous songs are "Freedom" and "The Message". From 1983-1986, they broke up, but reformed in 1987, but they are no longer releasing hits these days.

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing doo-ah, doo-ah! (:

     Swing music, swing jazz, or just swing: it was big through the 1930's and 40's, with a sophisticated sound and an exciting swing. It made people want to dance. Swing music is composed of good rhythm and fast tempos. Swing music took a decline guring WWII. Because of the war, two many musicians were over seas and it was tough to get enough people together to form a band and play. Touring became harder, due to costs and restrictions. There are so many famous musicians of the swing era, it's hard to choose a favorite but my top  would have to be Ben Webster, Count Basie, Dunke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, and the Andrews Sisters. Swing music is really fun and eventhough it's an older type of music I really enjoy it. I mean alot if people to do; the rhythms are great and even the occasional vocals.
     A rather famous swing song is "It don't mean a thing" by Duke Ellington, in 1931. The lyrics go:

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
It don't mean a thing all you got to do is sing
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
It don't mean a thing all you got to do is sing
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing
It don't mean a thing all you got to do is sing
(doo-ah)
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Everything you've got
Don't mean a thing all you've gotta do is swing
It don't mean a thing all you've gotta do is sing
It makes no difference
If it's sweet or hot
Give that rhythm
Everything you've got
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing
(doo-ah, dooooo-aaaaah)
Don't mean a thing

     Duke was born Edward Kennedy Ellington, April 29, 1899, in Washington D.C. He was born to two pianists. He started taking piano lesson when he was 7 years old. He got the nickname Duke from his childhood friends who noticed his manners, grace, and noble attitude. In his life he accomplished so much, which is why he's so popularly known. For alot of people when you mention jazz or swing they automatically think of Duke Ellington.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington

 Duke