Re: the "hip-hop" thing

Colin Millar (millar@maths.ed.ac.uk)
Fri, 21 Jun 1996 09:31:34 +0100


> Hi Jordan!
>
> "Hip-hop" is about 15 years old (give or take a year). You'd have to take
> it back to Afrika Bambaataa and even older to get the origins, but I'm sure
> that someone else on the list will be able to trace it with more accuracy
> than I.

If my memory serves me correctly (and to hopefully kill this thread)
the term Hip Hop was coined by Lovebug Starski who was indeed just
making up some nonsense over the top of a record which was heard by
(possibly ?) Afrika Bambaataa who made the name stick.

Anyway a recommendation for any beat heads :

Tony D. - Central J. Parlay E.P. (Gone Clear GC 100 [UK])

7 instrumental hip hop (or whatever you want to call it) tracks
plus 1 vocal. Mostly jazz influenced with big beats and big bass
reminding me slightly of DJ Krush amongst others. As I said more
instrumental hip hop than trip hop (although I won't make any attempt
to explain why - its just good music). Top choice from it however may
be better described as trip hop (this is getting confusing) - Trenton
Psychiatric, a simple track with subtle strings and piano overlaid
over a funky hip hop backing.

Does anyone have any information on Gone Clear records. The
packaging is almost identical to that of Grand Central (both
sub-labels of Fat City with VERY similar ? Are they one and the
same? Also worth picking up and possibly mentioned a while ago
and just re-released this week in the UK are some of the early
releases on Grand Central particluarly Funky Fresh Few 'Slow For
Focus E.P.', again more jazzy hip hop.
(I seem to remember a discrography being listed a while back for
Grand Central, could someone mail me a copy if they have one.
Thanks.)

Colin Millar.