Like the 1989 original, the song's sequel tapped the pulse of a country in peril. ![]() Fight the Power was remixed this same year with artists including Nas, Black Thought, Rapsody, YG and Jahi. When the group released their third album Fear of a Black Planeta year later, it would feature an extended version of the song.įollowing the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, the US would find itself in a series of uprisings that would span the globe. ![]() It was written for Spike Lee's classic 1989 film Do The Right Thing, and quickly became the standout on the movie's soundtrack. Another one of rap's most famous and explosive rallying cries is Public Enemy's Fight the Power. Its incendiary nature, which included skits of racist run-ins with cops, called out the police. NWA's Fuck Tha Police, released in 1988, grappled with the disturbing regularity of police brutality that threatened black youth daily. When rap wasn't reconciling with misogyny, it was affronting oppressive societal structures. The boldness of other acts like JJ Fad, Monie Love, and MC Lyte would trickle down to other black women rappers, like Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion. Roxanne Shante and Queen Latifah would pave the way for groups like Salt N' Pepa, who showed that black women could be skilled lyricists while wholeheartedly embracing their sexuality. Those songs, which were released in droves, revealed the sexism that plagued rap music. Shante's Roxanne's Revenge dominated New York radio, made it to number 22 on the Billboard R&B singles charts, and sparked the "Roxanne Wars" in which her rap peers concocted answer records to Shante's hit. In 1984, a 14-year-old girl named Roxanne Shante hailing from Queensbridge projects in Long Island City not only challenged this, but completely flipped it on its head.Įntitled Roxanne's Revenge, the seven-minute freestyle was recorded in just one take, and was a rebuttal to male rap trio UTFO's track Roxanne, Roxanne. Audiences were interested in what these storytellers had to say, but despite the song's undeniable impact and acclaim, rap was noticeably male-centric. ![]() Not only was the track lauded as one of the most important songs in the history of rap, it helped Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five become the first hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ![]() From streets riddled with broken glass and the smell of urine to individuals being forced to scour bins for food, The Message was considered rap's first conspicuous political anthem. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's signature track explicitly revealed this harrowing reality, with lines that detailed New York at its absolute worst. The song was released in 1982, a year where the national poverty rate was 35.6% for black people – three times more than the white population. While the crowd breakdanced, the DJ and his friends got on the mic over various beats and engaged in stage banter that would ultimately evolve into cadenced rhymes. While DJing a sibling's birthday party in New York City in August 1973, DJ Kool Herc made the ingenious decision to extend instrumental breaks from other songs, including James Brown's Give It Up or Turnit a Loose. Despite being subjected to centuries of injustice – including slavery, segregation and systemic racism – black people still found the courage to not just tell their story – but to confront inequality head on.Įven though the genre has become synonymous with ferocity and resilience, its start was light-hearted. Chuck D has famously stated that "rap is black America's CNN". As the world reflects on the cultural significance of hip-hop in the year of its 50th anniversary, the power of its origins are more significant than ever.
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