If the "Boom Bap" era is over, what are the cultural implications of traditional East Coast Hip Hop being relegated to a sub-genre?
“While y’all playa hate we in the upper millions / What’s the dealings / It’s like New York’s been soft / Ever since Snoop came through and crushed the buildings / I’m trying to restore the feelings…”—Jay-Z, “Money, Cash, Hoes.”
It’s a sound every Hip Hop head can identify: The crackling, boom bap, looped, heavily sampled and sometimes cold melodies that became the anthems across the boroughs of the Big Apple during 1980s and 90s. While it’s been a trend for a few years now, it really hit me the other day. I was walking home to my college-town apartment listening to a shuffled series of songs on my iPod. I made sure to listen to a couple loud A$AP Rocky joints to wake myself up. But as I was walking up to my door, the Capone-N-Noreaga classic “Calm Down” popped into my ears. At first, I was excited because it’d been a minute since I’d heard the record but then I stopped in my tracks. It was almost inconceivable to me that these two came from the same side of the country let alone the same city. Granted, it’s been almost two decades since the congregation of QB kingpins dropped their infamous track, but it really made me realize that, not only have the times changed, but the effort to echo territory has too.
“The funk legacy I pass on / Clearances for high rates / Every time we sample all the past time greats / Stick it in the SP-1200 beat / I make a loop / Lovely way to troupe in the Lexus coupe…”—CL Smooth, “Straighten It Out,” by Pete Rock & CL SmoothProduction has changed almost as much as emceeing has. A preference for the sound of a Cory Gunz or a Clams Casino is much higher than for someone who follows the bloodlines of a Buckwild or a DJ Premier. Even if a newer emcee is in the mood for a Premo beat, it isn’t he/she who is supplying the sound–it’s Premo.But it isn’t just pure sound that has today’s East Coast producers running from the record store and hopping on Garageband– it’s also the cost. In a modern structure of quantity over quality, producers and emcees alike are looking for a way to put out a lot of product to stay relevant in a quick and inexpensive manner. Spending a significant amount your publishing on a sample for an album that may also be legally dragged out as well by using said sample is atypical now and equally hard to manage. Those behind the boards are also finding it cheaper to strictly crank out beats on a computer rather than going out and grabbing the old SP-1200 (or even a newer E-mu model) traditionally used by many New York producing greats. This definitely cuts costs but with less and less producers using it, or something similar, we’ve lost a critical characteristic that resonates though the genealogy of our NY pioneers. Technically, one can sample using a computer as well. But few producers have mastered the art of giving a digital sample that trademark, dusty quality. Sampling is an essential aspect when creating Hip Hop music throughout the world, but is most associated with New York as it created the sound we always grew to know from that area. Remember, Hip Hop music was born from sampling and Hip Hop was born in New York.
Classic, New York Hip Hop’s relevance will be dictated by the fans. There are thousands and thousands of people who listen to time-honored NY tracks everyday. It’s up to them and listening audiences alike to support artists that create a sound that may not exist on a wide-scale in the years to come. There’s no need to choose between–variety is healthy; just choose both. Regardless of what actually happens, I know that I will always hunt out those artists that represent a more conventional New York and the next time I hear a “Shook Ones” or a “Protect Ya Neck” pop randomly into my ears, it will only inspire my search that much more.
Paul Meara is a Columbus, Ohio native who has contributed to HipHopDX since 2011. He is also the Founder/Editor-in-Chief of PaulMeara.com and a senior at Ohio University. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMearaDotCom.
