Final Project

For our final project we will review concepts we have learned this semester then you will write a 1-2 page paper explaining the formation of rock and hip hop.

Discussion Questions:

1) a-What circumstances led to the creation of blues music?

During that time share cropping/slavery/discrimination was happening towards black people and they wrote songs from their experiences.

For example: Sharecropping was a bad deal because they didn't get much money. Might not have been able to afford a home. It was very hard work. They only had tools that were from the land owner.

Racism, poverty, weather, flooding, boll weevils (bo weevil)
Segregation--Means separation between races, black were hung for anything white people wanted

Jim Crow laws-- Racism was legal: In parks, busses, restaurants, cemetaries, schools, restrooms, water fountains, movie theaters, businesses, pretty much every where, neighborhoods

b-Who were the influential musicians of this era?
Muddy Waters
Rosetta Tharpe
BB King

Robert Johnson

2) a-What was the British invasion and what led to it?

British kids were listening to the blues, which was different from what they were listening to, the parents were listening to slower/boring music, Pete Townsend said it was watery, African American people wrote the music and white teens were listening to it.

Musicians were playing the blues to the teens of that g,g,generation
They were also copying fashion from America

Then some of the bands came to America and started playing for white teens. The adults didn't like the music because they thought the music was making the teens crazy, parents thought their children were becoming rebelious after listening to the music

b-Who were the influential musicians of this era?

The Beatles, The Who, Hermans Hermits, The Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin

3) What was Bo Didley's contribution to hip hop?

He, like, inspired it. He was playing stuff (chords) over and over again which led to the idea of looping.

The lyrics were repeated and talked about himself. He said his name a lot and tried to give himself a brand which is very popular today. For example.... 

4) a-Where and when did hip hop start?

The Bronx, New York. During the 1970's

b- What were the circumstances that led to its development? (for example the subject matter or the instrumentation?)

Many Puerto Ricans were migrating to NY
They were very poor, the neighborhoods looked like trashy junk yards, people peeing in the alley, cars got reposessed, couldn't pay the bills, drug addicts were in the back alleys and drug dealers

So it wasn't a very nice place to live--

The used two turn tables because they didn't have any actual instruments
They scratched, they looped the beats "the break"
This led to "break dancing"
They were listening to it in parks, from peoples apartments, on the street and block parties

You will be graded on:
a) Neatness/Length 330%
b) Relevance (Did you answer the question and stay on topic) 33%
c) Quality of writing (complete sentences/paragraphs, spelling, grammar, etc...) 33%
d) Extra credit given for artwork submitted with writing!!!

Feel free to add other elements to the discussion which you feel are relevant.