Rock & Roll led to Hip Hop?!

AJ Vogt
Feb 5, 2016
2 min read

I am hoping that its the title that brought you in, and you are wondering, "is this true? Did Rock & Roll really the predicate Hip Hop?" The answer is yes, and we will explore, through this post, how.

Rock & Roll was a genre of music whose subgenres were divided mostly by region. There are five prominent subgenres of Rock & Roll which include Northern Band Rock & Roll, Vocal Group, New Orleans Dance, Chicago Rhythm and Blues and Memphis Rockabilly. The two subgenres that had a largest impact on the music of Hip Hop were New Orleans Dance and Chicago Rhythm and Blues.

New Orleans Dance was most exemplified by an artist like Little Richard, who had a stage presence that no one could match. The instrument of choice at this time was the piano, which Little Richard was able to do amazing things with. Also at this time, the reliance on rhythm and voice were also extremely important which leads to be the pillars of Hip Hop.

Chicago Rhythm and Blues also had a large influence on the development of Hip Hop. This subgenre of Rock & Roll grew from the club blues subgenre of Blues music. This was best exemplifies by Chuck Barry, who again was a prolific preformer. He played the guitar and used it more as a prop than ever before, connecting his body and his instrument as one. Chicago, at this time, was also the center for African American life.

Beyond the subgenres of Rock & Roll, the genre itself was not widely accepted, which is similar to many other music genres when they first come to the forefront of American culture. The performance still was very foreign to the public and many people viewed Rock & Roll and black people music. Personally, I do not think they could have been more wrong.

Little Richard said, "Music had no racial boundary" and he is correct. Anyone can listen to any genre of music, and through music, people can becoming more understanding and more accepting of other groups of people. Speaking of Little Richard, check out an awesome performance of his below, and see his amazing stage presence.