Blues Predicated Hip Hop

What might be surprising is the blues music predicated the existence of hip hop. For this reason it is important to understand blues music and blues culture to understand its impact on hip hop culture.

There are five subgenres of blues music, which we will analyze. They include dance hall, club, bar, gospel and vocal. One can already tell that what sets each subgenre apart is thee location in which the songs are performed.

First is dance hall blue, which can be equated to big band blues, scream shout and cry, and jump combo blues. Big band blues included four or five lead singers which were diverse singers. This is the first time were are seeing the formation of a cohesive group and less "showy" atmosphere. This music was very palatable and was always creating new material and arrangements. When listening to big band blues one will hear very heavy brass instruments which would include trumpet or saxophone. Shout, scream and cry blues brought the inclusion of percussion and saxophone was now the prominent sound. This was a time where it was more about the meaning in the lyrics. A prominent artist at this time was Big Joe Turner. The last is jumbo combo blues and this included piano, guitar distortion and percussion with the removal of brass.

The second subgenre of blues was club blues. This included a slower tempo and even the inclusion of female singers. Instruments included drums, guitar and bass. This was more of an intimate experience. Following club blues was bar blues, which would be heard between 10 to 12pm. This is more male vocals with a harsher vocal approach. This is the first time the harmonica is included.

The next subgenre of blues was gospel. This was seen through a preacher and congregation combination. There was very much a call and response type of musical atmosphere. Instruments that were commonly used were the tambourine and hand percussion. There was usually one very strong lead singer with huge harmonic range accompanied by a large background of singers. One of the most famous singers of all time and from this genre was Aretha Franklin.

The last subgroup of blues is vocal group. The roots of this type of blues music was started on street corners. It was predominately males, and the music was based on a beat. Similar to hip hop. These were very non complex songs, which made them memorable.

Now, we can see how blues music truly did lead into the development of hip hop music. Below is one of Aretha Franklin's most popular songs, Natural Woman from 1967, just to gain an appreciation of her amazing vocal ability.

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