The Golden Age of Hip Hop is a period in mainstream hip hip between the mid 1980s and mid 1990s. The period was said to be "characterized by it's diversity, quality, innovation, and influence"(Golden Age Hip-Hop, n.d.)The period was filled with new ground breaking albums and every new single reinventing the hip hop genre itself. Everything during this period was new and exciting. Mic prodigies were recreating themselves and their art form. One of the biggest things during this time was an increase in sample-heavy music were derived from other genres like rock n' roll and jazz. Great advancements in the rapping technique also happened during this time by rappers like Big Daddy Kane and Chuck D. Many big artists were at their creative peak during this period. Black nationalism appeared along with urban poverty and other issues being brought to the light (Golden Age Hip-Hop, n.d.).
"The artists most often associated with the . . .[Golden Age] are Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Gang Starr, A Tribe Called Quest, the Jungle Brothers, and more"(Golden Age Hip-Hop, n.d.).
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Public enemyOne of the groups involved in shaping the Golden Age was called Public Enemy. Their production team called the Bomb Squad invented a hard intense hip hop sound. The sound "incorporated sirens, skittering turntable scratches, and cleverly juxtaposed musical and spoken samples"(Rolling Stones, 2018) The group also featured two different vocalists called Chuck D. who held more of a booming voice with authority and Flavor Flavors who broke in with taunts, questions, and teases (Rolling Stones, 2018) .
A popular video by Public Enemy called Fight the Power
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaoLy7PHwk |