Abstract hip hop is a counterculture movement that is fueled by highly innovative emcees. It is a form of rap music that takes its cues from boom-bap, but with a moody twist.

As a subculture that originated in the 1970s New York City, hip hop is rooted in black diasporic expressive traditions. Its ethos reflects a distinctive moral disposition that challenges and subverts contemporary racial inequities.

Origins

Abstract hip hop is a style of music that eschews many of the conventions of mainstream hip hop. It is considered to be a subgenre of experimental hip hop and is often associated with the underground hip hop scene.

Abstract rap focuses on more abstract ideas such as existentialism and social institutions rather than everyday problems or braggadocio, often featuring extensive metaphors and symbolic word choice. It also eschews the typical rhyming and rhythmic patterns of traditional hip hop.

This form of rap has roots in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, which influenced writers like Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou to share stories that were typically overlooked or outright rejected by mainstream America. It is also a forerunner to rapping and poetry slams, which inject energy into performances through forceful wordplay.

Hip Hop is a form of social expression that uses music and dance to connect artists with their community. It combines art, politics, and culture into a cohesive style that engages the world through history, values, and ideas.

Early on, Hip Hop was influenced by competition, as DJs and MCs competed against each other for recognition. This code of competition was a central motivation for many early Hip Hop artists and continues to motivate many today.

The music itself has been adapted and reshaped over the years, becoming more complex as the genre developed. It incorporates elements of jazz, funk, soul, and electronic music as well as spoken word and poetry.

While many people still associate hip hop with the American culture, it is actually a worldwide phenomenon that has spread to many countries. In Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China, it has become a popular form of entertainment.

Characteristics

Abstract hip hop is a sub-genre of rap music that deviates from many of the conventional lyrical and musical conventions of the genre. Often, abstract artists will use complex rhyme structures, extensive metaphors and symbolic word choice, as well as unconventional beats.

This can make abstract hip hop feel more difficult to get into at first. However, once you begin digging into this style of rap, you will find that it is extremely intriguing and addicting.

The ethos of abstract hip hop is highly expressive and reflects many aspects of black aesthetic traditions. It aims to achieve hype through eye-catching colors, angles and gestures. It also aspires to be disruptive and to break with established norms of music production and performance.

One of the most important characteristics of abstract hip hop is its emphasis on territoriality and community promotion. This is evident in the way artists refer to their boroughs, “shout out” the names of people they are close to, and mention their crews.

Furthermore, hip hop is a very competitive music genre. This competitive spirit fuels a number of hip hop activities, including b-boying and graffiti writing. It also helps to drive the development of skills, such as rapping and producing.

Although there are some debates about the role of blackness in hip hop, it is clear that it has become one of the most influential genres of popular culture worldwide. In addition to being a major cultural force in the United States, it has also gained popularity in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Influences

The roots of abstract hip hop can be traced back to the 1970s in New York City. The richness of African American and diasporic cultures, the mix of vocal techniques and storytelling traditions from those cultures, and the fluidity and ease with which early rap DJs and MCs moved among musical styles all contributed to the formation of the genre we know as hip hop today.

While hip hop has always had a strong visual art connection, the genre began to focus more heavily on music and visual arts in the 1990s, especially when it became more accessible to young people. During this time, artists such as Rammellzee, Fab 5 Freddy, and Jean-Michel Basquiat made notable cross-disciplinary connections between music and visual art that still resonate today.

Artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Nas, and Kanye West all have long-standing reputations for integrating music into their artistic pursuits. This has led to a resurgence of interest in abstract hip hop in recent years.

Another major influence on abstract hip hop was the use of autotune technology. This technology created effects on the artists’ voices that gave them a distinctive shape and made them more appealing to listeners. This helped the genre grow in popularity and was a factor in the development of the rap industry.

The history of art is a long one, and it often sees new periods come as a reaction to previous ones. If you look at renaissance, rococo and neoclassicism, they all began as a reaction to earlier periods and evolved in response to that. In the same way, abstract hip hop is a reaction to the mainstream rap scene that is prevalent in popular culture.

Techniques

Abstract hip hop is a form of rap music that uses a variety of techniques to create its music. It is characterized by an eclectic and experimental sound that draws on many different genres of music, such as rock, jazz, and electronica. It is often lyrically complex and surreal, but still has a clear and conscious message that is understood by most people.

The music is often performed by a rapper, or MC, and a DJ. The MC usually sings rhythmic lyrics while the DJ provides instrumental tracks that are played along to the MC’s song. These instruments are generally referred to as beats, and can be created by a DJ, or one or more instrumentalists.

Oftentimes, the rapper uses her/his mouth as a percussion instrument, creating rhythms that are distinct from those of the instrumental track. Some rappers also use percussion to augment their vocals.

This style of rap is more common in contemporary MCs, and has been described as “percussion-effusive.” The percussion-effusive style of rap can also be found in early rap artists such as Sly and Robbie.

Some of the most well-known examples of this type of rap are from Earl, Lupe, Billy Woods, and El-P. These artists all have a unique way of using abstract techniques in their rap songs.

Another way that these MCs have an interesting approach to rapping is through the use of metaphors and double meanings. This can be a good technique to use when trying to express a political or social message that is difficult for the listener to understand.

Some of the most interesting artists in this genre are Madlib and Lord Quasimoto. This is because they both have a silly, cartoonish alter ego and a great talent for pulling hypnotic grooves out of simple looped beats. They are also able to get confessional honesty from their characters that they could never achieve in their more traditional rap personas.

Styles

Abstract hip hop is a style of music that combines elements of hip hop with experimental and avant-garde sounds. It is characterized by its unconventional production techniques, abstract and often surreal lyrical content, and use of samples from a wide range of sources.

This genre is often considered to be an extension of rap and has become increasingly popular in the underground hip hop scene since the early 2000s. It eschews many of the conventions of traditional hip hop, focusing on more abstract ideas instead of braggadocio and everyday problems.

The abstract hip hop genre is also known for its surreal and bizarre lyrical themes, often incorporating metaphors and symbolic word choice. These lyrics often border on spoken word, and are used to convey social, political or personal concerns.

Despite the abstract hip hop genre being a part of the underground rap scene, it has managed to find success in the mainstream music industry. In fact, it is one of the fastest-growing genres of music in recent history.

For example, Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap album was a huge hit on Soundcloud in 2013, and he has gone on to win three Grammy awards and seven nominations for his work. This trend of merging underground rap with the mainstream music industry has made it possible for abstract hip hop to flourish.

Another form of abstract hip hop is cloud rap, which was a popular movement in the 2010s originating from artists such as Lil B. This movement focused on airy, ambient-sounding tracks, and was a big step away from the traditional priority of gangsta rap beats.

The abstract hip hop genre is also a major influence on the ‘conscious rap’ scene, which is the broader term used to describe rappers who are active in raising socio-political awareness. This can include lyrical subjects such as poverty, race relations or addiction. Artists such as Akala, Dead Prez and Boots Riley are all renowned activists in the hip hop community.