Was hip hop really invented in Scotland????

SCOTLAND takes justifiable pride in a history of invention that has given the world the telephone, television, radar, penicillin and even cloned sheep.

But now there are claims that the land of Burns and bagpipes is also the ancestral home of rap music.

Academics insist that the roots of the bombastic form of spoken-word music stem from the taverns of medieval Scotland rather than the mean streets of the Bronx and Brooklyn.

They claim the contemporary art of the rap battle, popularised by Eminem in the hit movie 8 Mile, is a direct descendant of the ancient Caledonian art of 'flyting', where feuding opponents settled scores by trading ever more elaborate insults.

According to the theory, Scottish slave owners took the tradition with them to the United States where it was adopted and developed by the slaves themselves, emerging many years later as rap.

American academic Professor Ferenc Szasz is convinced there is a clear link between the robust verbal feuds of old Scotland and the rap contests of the contemporary United States.

The historian from the University of New Mexico, who specialises in American and Scottish culture, said: "The Scots have a lengthy tradition of flyting: intense verbal jousting, often laced with vulgarity, that is similar to the dozens that one finds among contemporary inner-city African-American youth.

"Both cultures accord high marks to satire. The skilled use of satire takes this verbal jousting to its ultimate level – one step short of a fist fight. All words can sting, and hard ridicule such as mimicry, irony and sarcasm, stings most painfully. When used by an expert it can reduce an opponent to jelly."

The leading theory is that the traditional form of settling scores was taken across the Atlantic by Scottish colonialists who passed it on to African-American slaves who were working on their plantations.

Professor Willie Ruff of Yale University is in no doubt that the music of Scottish slave owners had a profound impact on the development of black music traditions in the US.

He said: "We clearly have European roots too. While it may not be satisfactory and it may not be comfortable, it is what it is. It is in our names, it's in our music, it's in our blood."

Ruff cites black musical giants like Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Mingus – or Menzies – as examples of individuals whose ancestors were given their surnames by Scottish slave masters.

In this shameful episode in history, slaves were expected not only to adopt the monikers of their European owners, but also to adopt their customs.

The cultural fusion between the early African Americans and their Scottish overlords was such that black worshippers sang in Gaelic in church services in Alabama and other parts of the South until as late as 1918.

Ruff said: "While black culture and worship do come from Africa, there were elements that were imposed by the whites, but they took this and 'blackened' it."

Szasz's theory about the links between flyting and rap come in a new work examining the historical context for Robert Burns's work. The most famous surviving example of the combative Scottish oral tradition comes from the 16th-century work The Flyting Of Dunbar And Kennedy. There, two rival poets attempt to establish their supremacy by hurling increasingly obscene rhyming insults at one another before the Court of King James IV.

Dr Katie Lowe of Glasgow University referred to it as "Just over 500 lines of filth", adding: "It is a hilarious tale about a rivalry and two poets battling each other with a series of nasty put-downs." It contains the guttural lines: "Mauch muttoun, by t buttoun, peliet glutton, air to Hilhous, rank beggar, ostir, dregar, foule fleggar." The poem also contains the first recorded use of a lavatorial insult, still very much in use, when Kennedy calls Dunbar a "s*** without wit".

Meanwhile, Ruff points to the American Folk Arts in Education project, which explores musical traditions and also links European flyting to rap battles, concluding that in both cases: "Exchanges are stylised, parallel, symmetric and stanzaic.

"Two people engage in ritual verbal duelling and the winner has the last word in the argument, with the loser falling conspicuously silent."

The project also cites an American civil war poem, printed in the New York Vanity Fair magazine on November 9, 1861, as the first recorded example of such crossover. The verse, which contains numerous uses of Scottish expressions, states: "Mounting my prad, I'd go the forts/Take all my bob culls and my bene morts/I'd hold high revel, sluice my gob away,/Ne'er fash myself, nor think of cramping day,/McClellans cutty eyed and knows my lay,/He's fly enough to shut up every boozing ken./If I did that each day, I would be losing men./Our game is dusty, but we cannot stop./It's either fight or take the morning drop."

Earlier this year, Scotland on Sunday revealed that acclaimed Aberdeenshire percussionist Evelyn Glennie was planning to collaborate with Detroit rap superstar Eminem. The tradition has also come home, with clubs in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen inviting all-comers to take part in rap battles.

Reasons why new MC's fail

Why New Rappers Fail: Three Reasons and Solutions 

Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it is actually to HELP new emcees AVOID some common traps on their journey to learning how to rap better. You can come up with a million reasons why new rappers fail…or why any artist fails for that matter, but we’ve boiled the list down to three specific to new emcees.

The three reasons simply put are: 

1) The Hobby Factor
2) The Experience Factor
3) The Focus Problem

Through dealing with countless aspiring rappers, we at The State of Hip Hop have noticed that most problems emcees face can in one way or another be traced to these three root troubles. Simply stating the problems is of use, but of more use is what I’m sure you all are looking for…a solution. So let’s begin…

1) The Hobby Factor: 

Millions of people around the world play poker. Of those, only a few thousand are professional. The remainder would probably like to be…they sincerely like the game, yet they don’t have a passion for it…for them, poker remains simply a hobby.

This is the case with a good many aspiring emcees. They love rap, they have favorite rappers, know all the words to their songs…but in reality, hip-hop is simply their hobby – enjoyable entertainment. Even so, there is nothing wrong with this.

There are a good many rappers who are successful and yet don’t take rap very seriously. For every KRS-One and Common Sense, you have a pair of Ying Yang Twins or a Master P.

The idea of “not taking rap seriously” does not necessarily refer to the art of rhyme, but instead to rap as a career or business opportunity. So while Master P may not rack his brain trying to craft the most amazing rhyme, he does seriously analyze marketing strategies, distribution outlets, promotional events, etc…all part of the rap game.

But I’m jumping ahead. You may not think this pertains to you. You may think, “I’ll worry about that if and when I get that far.” But therein lies the problem…a mind that is not preparing itself for the big picture. It goes back to the old “thinking ten steps ahead” philosophy.

Some common signs that a new rapper is stuck in this rut are that they try and come up with good ideas, have writer’s block, and stop. Or come up with a few bars or verses, think they’re no good, get upset, give up for a while, and pick the pen up again in a couple of days or weeks. For these people rap is a hobby.

Rap is made a hobby by others because they are afraid to fail at it...Remember this! And it applies to everything you do; Success is achieved only after many failures. If you can't handle failure, you're not ready for success.

The Hobby Factor - Solution:

Make rap a priority, set some time aside to dedicate to it. This doesn’t mean “forget all your other responsibilities"... but do write every day. Writing every day sounds very simple, agreed, but it is rarely practiced. The practice becomes understood to be “write a hot verse/song every day”…which it is not.

“Write every day” simply means that. Write down your freestyles, a poem, the opening page of a short story, ideas for a song, literally anything! You’ll be amazed at how drastically this will speed up your learning curve.

Another good idea is to change your entire frame of mind. Let’s say you’re living at home with your parents. Things are pretty straight, you’re not starving. You plan on being a mechanical engineer…What then is motivating you to improve your raps?

Now let’s say you got your girlfriend pregnant, are living partially on the streets, working two jobs to eek out a living…and you see rap as your way out. Well now you got some fire under your ass don’t you?

The point is not that you need to be in any particular circumstance to be a good rapper…but that if your situation isn’t motivating you, you need to force that motivation on you by some other means.

Rap with a hunger…like you literally need it to eat! Don’t treat it like a pastime. Whether you end up becoming a successful musician or not, the time you dedicated is never wasted. Good rap skills and song writing skills are amazingly beneficial to developing a good sense of confidence, the ability to perform under pressure, and the ability to express yourself in any field.

2) The Experience Factor: 

This problem is very common among new rappers.

In the hood you might hear a 12-year-old kid spitting a raw 16 bars. That’s because 12 in the hood is like 21 anywhere else.

A lot of new emcees are hesitant about what to actually write about because of a lack of experience. They haven’t really seen the world first hand. It’s hard to write good raps when you don’t really know yourself yet…because part of what a rap does is communicate to the listener the personality and character of the rapper. Still, not knowing who you are is nothing to be ashamed of.

So while the 21 year old from the outskirts of New Zealand may be intelligent, he may not be quite sure he knows who he is, what he stands for and what really matters to him, perhaps precisely because he thinks too much.

On the other hand, the 12 year old from the slums of Tokyo may be illiterate, irrational, and arrogant, but he has already come to understand himself…he’s comfortable in knowing who he is (regardless of whether he is wrong or has limited his growth).

The Experience Factor - Solution: 

Have fun, live, read, and think about who you are.

The best way around this obstacle, really, is just to put yourself into various situations, open your ears to new ideas, learn your history, etc…All the while asking questions, analyzing things, finding out what in this world matters to you…

Everyone gets around this problem eventually, but for many it’s too late. Try to understand who you are at any given time, and spit your rhymes in that image…amped up a few notches…that’s what makes it art ;)

3) The Focus Problem: 

We’ve realized that a lot of people who are interested in rapping are simply naturally artistic and expressive. I personally have always enjoyed drawing since I was a child and could always appreciate a well-written book as well as various types of music.

Being as I grew up in the “hip-hop generation” I naturally gravitated towards the art form of rapping. I loved it, the rhyme, the rhythm, the meaning and wordplay…

However, I actually dove into my obsession with rap before I fully developed any of my previous interests.

There is a negative side effect or problem that comes about here.

An aspiring rapper, for example, might be naturally more skilled at or inclined to being a poet, novelist, journalist, public speaker or other type of musician. He or she might then decide to pursue an interest in rap, essentially ignoring their other talents. This is not fundamentally problematic, however… if you intend to ever really seriously improve your emceeing abilities it would be best that you come with experience from other fields.

Rap is NOT (contrary to some beliefs) the same as poetry. It is poetry and more. There are innumerous factors involved in making good rap music. One factor is the fact that it is a form of music…which separates it from other forms of literature on a number of levels.

Furthermore the skills necessary to writing well, speaking well, etc…are all forgone if one decides to skip these optional outlets for expression. This is a HUGE mistake.

The Focus Problem - Solution:

Stay on track and stick to what you’re good at and find interesting.

This not only applies to the above mentioned outlets of expression but ANY outlet of expression. Dance, art, ANYTHING. You will learn tremendously from these. I can’t even begin to explain how much you’ll be missing out on if you decide to forgo these means of expression.

Everything that you learn about being a good public speaker, for example, can be effectively applied to rap…whatever you learn about developing a good storyline…can be used in rap, non-verbal communication techniques you might subconsciously pick up in dance class…they help in rap…the list goes on and on.

So there you have it, 3 of the biggest reasons why new rappers fail or quit…

Another additional reason why rappers fail to succeed is that they don’t fully understand the business of music. Our rap industry  section can begin to help you understand the workings of the music business. We’ll refrain from further detail until a future article.

Until next time, stay focused.

A few easy steps to improve your verses

How To Write a  16-Bar Verse 

This article is about developing bars as a technique in writing raps. I have received the question, "What are bars?" on many occasions and have briefly touched on the subject in a previous MC Improvement Article/visitor e-mail. In this article I will expand on the topic as well as describe an effective way of writing a solid 16 bar verse.

First of all…what are bars, exactly?

Well bars are simply a form of dividing a verse into segments. Each segment, or "bar", consists of one line. The following is an example of two bars by Jay-Z:

"And all you other cats takin' shots at Jigga/
You only get half a bar, 'F*ck ya'll niggas'"

As you can see both "lines" or "bars" rhyme at the end. This is usually the case, but as verses are created more and more organically by artists (read: freestyled) they many times won't end so picture perfect…but don't worry about that for now. In case you're a little confused, you'll get a clearer picture through future articles.

So Why 16 bars? 

If you're a hip hop fan, you have undoubtedly heard the term, "16 bars" at some point. Maybe something along the lines of, "Nas dropped a sick 16 bars on that mixtape."

The reason that "16" became the standard is because the music industry strategically determines the most effective duration of a typical song. Usually the shorter the song is, the better for the record's success. The shorter the song is, the more times that it can be played on the radio, the more times that it can be played on the radio, the more popular the song will become, the more popular the song becomes…you get the picture.

Also taken into account was the average amount of time a run-of-the-mill listener would wait between hooks before becoming tired. You have to keep in mind that not all listeners are looking out for the real substance of the song (the verses) but instead merely tune in to listen to the beat and the chorus. A verse that's too short will leave something to be desired (substance) and/or may grow old fast (since the hook/chorus will be played more frequently). A verse that's too long will lose many mainstream listener's attention.

So in time, the typical "16 bar" format was created. About the same time, the typical 8 bar chorus came into popularity in hip hop. This was long ago…dates mean little. Don't get this confused, though…not every song sticks to the 16's and 8's formula. Ghostface Killah came out with the single, "All That I Got Is You" which was one long verse…with one long hook at the end. Therefore, a lot of songs vary from the classic 3 verse and 3 hook layout, and they even vary from the classic 3-minute-a-song set-up. Some songs are 7 minutes long. But if you pay attention, most of these "odd" songs are usually not released as singles and if they are, they are usually released by more well-known artists with a well established fan base. The fact is that most pop or "popular" songs still follow the typical format most preferred by the radio and recording industry…and that is the "16-bar verse" and the "3 verse" format. (Note: Actually, with the increased popularity of catchy "breaks" "bridges" and "hooks", artists are increasingly neglecting the 3rd verse of their songs.)

In case you're wondering, the radio industry prefers shorter songs so that they can vary their playlist in order to reach more listeners. Reaching more listeners and keeping more listeners is important to radio stations so that the advertising spots they offer are attractive to advertisers.

There are even radio stations that have been known to speed up the pace of their songs so as to shorten their length of play…of course these songs tend to sound nothing like they were intended to, but that's the cost they are willing to take.

Writing 16 Bars: Part 1

So how should you go about writing the actual 16 bars? Well, there's two broad methods; to a beat, or without a beat. I recommend you write any verse to a beat. Firstly, because a lot of beats follow very similarly timed or even exactly similar drum patterns, therefore, one of your verses may be able to adapt very smoothly to various beats. Second, and more importantly, when you write to a beat that you're listening to, you can more easily play with your bars. By that I mean you can stretch your words or adjust your flow and say something like:

"Shopping sprees, coppin' three, deuce Beamer IS's/
Fully loaded…ahhhhh yes! (haha)" - Jay-Z

That was from "Can't Knock The Hustle" and when Jay-Z was at the top of his game lyrically (in my humble opinion). But, you can see how his pause during that second bar built up the punch line to that lyric. This is facilitated by listening to a beat while putting together your verse.

You can also choose to just write. Forget the beat, just write. A lot of times we don't have the luxury of having a beat playing when creativity strikes. That's ok…you can make it work anyway. If you are intending to put together a whole verse, however, it is best to at least have a beat in your head if not in your ears. And I don't mean a popular rap beat, necessarily…just a simple drumbeat will do. The idea is to have something in mind that you can bounce to…literally…if you find yourself bopping your head while you're formulating a rhyme…that's good!

Writing 16 Bars: Part 2

When you write lyrics, there is a very important principle which will benefit many of you to understand. It has already been made clear that bars tend to rhyme at the end (mostly). But what about the center? Though rhymes don't necessarily need to rhyme in the middle (meaning the middle of the first bar rhymes with the middle of the second), there does many times seem to be a pattern to the emphasis throughout bars. By this I mean that there are usually two emphasis (or accents) in each bar.

Usually, somewhere during the middle of a bar there is a break, a pause, or an emphasis in a syllable, and then there is another similar emphasis towards the end of the bar. A good example would be 50 Cent's second verse from "In Da Club":

(Note: The "bolded" letters indicate the emphasis I spoke about)

"And you should love it, way more then you hate it
Nigga you mad? I thought that you'd be happy I made it
I'm that cat by the bar toastin' to the good life
You that f*ggot-*ss nigga tryin' to pull me back right?
When my joint get to pumpin' in the club it's on
I wink my eye at ya b*tch, if she smiles she gone
If the roof on fire, let the motherf*cker burn
If you talkin' about money homie, I ain't concerned
I'ma tell you what Banks told me "Cous' go 'head switch the style up
If the niggas hate then let 'em hate then watch the money pile up
Or we go upside your head with a bottle of bub'
They know where we f*ckin' be..."

Hopefully you have a better idea of what I mean by now. If you simply think about each individual bar as having two parts then you can attempt to pause at the beat-break (the drum beat or bass tends to pound twice per bar) present around the middle of each bar and allow your flow to synchronize with the beat. This is CRITICAL. Treat your voice/words like an instrument that like any other instrument must be in tune with the beat.

Don't be afraid to adjust your flow by using emphasis, stretching out your words, shortening words, chopping words in mid sentence and continuing them in the next bar, accenting syllables, (by that I mean accenting certain syllables even when they normally shouldn't be) etc…just to make them fit appropriately to the end of the beat. You might even consider using synonyms to make the bar fit the beat.

Your Lyric Content

There are many ways to start a verse. You can tell a real story, describe an event, narrate a fictional scene, etc. Your approach will vary depending on your style. Let's say you're writing literally about what you're doing at the moment...actually writing a rhyme… (or at least that's how you choose to begin)…you can say something like:

"It cost me more to be free than a life in the Penn/
Makin' money off of cus words, writin' again/
Learn how to think ahead so I fight with my pen/
Late night down Sunset, likin' the sin" - 2pac

Or perhaps you can say it like this…

"F*ck a pad and a pen, I write rhymes on the IBM/
Ebonics is dead and binary language is in" - Canibus

Obviously, both of these approaches are distinct. The hardest part about writing a verse, though, is starting it. Once you begin, and you know your style, it's just a matter of keeping it going.

Now, as far as ending or wrapping up a verse…you can do many things with that as well. You can follow the example from 50 Cent (above) and end your verse half-way (and allow the beginning part of your chorus or "hook" to end the last part of your final bar for you). You can also just complete the bar but on the same vibe as that of your chorus, for example:

"What's the worst they can do to a nigga, got me lost in Hell/
To live and die in L.A., on bail…(and my angels sing)" - 2pac "2 Live and Die in LA"

The idea is to let your verse end on a vibe that easily flows into the mood that your hook provides.

Final Note

Playing around with your voice or tone (intonation) is also a great way to add a bit of flare. Adding something unique to your flow seems more and more necessary in this highly competitive market we call the rap industry. It is not necessary to create a gimmick (there is a fine line between a gimmick and a unique style…but interestingly, most mass consumers of media don't notice or care what that difference is) but it is important to have something distinctive about your flow to help you stand out and be remembered. 

Scottish hip hop

History

In the 1980s the elements of hip hop culture had spread to Scotland. Hip-hop and electro music reached Scotland and was adopted and developed locally by DJs and later MCs.

From the inception of Hip hop culture in Scotland, and possibly due to the universal nature of the element, break dancing has been popular. Scotland has had a number of strong breaking crews over the years, such as Glasgow City Breakers, Lazer City Crew(LCC), Ayrshire, Skywalkers, Floor Freaks, White City Breakers and The Clan. Bboys such as Archie Easton, Brian Sharp,Baby J, Billy Todd, Mark Auldy Alderson, Gaz,Nancy McAndrew, Hammy,John Todd & Coza are all well known for thier skills in Breakin and today's Bboys such as sideshow maule, eggy, presto, T pop, Maroc,sam,super stevie, tiger, harribo, Karol & Matt Finnish are taking Breakin forward.

The country also has a strong history of DJ talent such as DJ Sonny from Edinburgh, Aberdeen's A La Fu playing far and wide overseas solo and as part of the Big Dada roster, D.J/Producer Nasty P(soul biscuits). DJ Plus One (ex-world DMC champ), Richie Rufftone (Scratch), DJ Krash Slaughta (II Tone Committee, Monkey Mafia), DJ Bunty and others.

Throughout the 1990s the popularity of hip hop culture spread outwards from the city to the coast, with groups appearing from further afield, such as All Time High and Speech Therapy. Contemporary Scottish hip hop is often overlooked due to the dominance of the English, and specifically London, rap scene. Contemporary Scottish acts that have managed to gain attention beyond the country's borders include such acts as Eastborn who has toured the world and recorded with Sunz of Man, Canibus and other major US artists, Two Tone Committee, the ICARUS (who's track 'Longing for Reason' was used on a 'Bones' TV advert worldwide), Steg G and the Freestyle Master, Big Div, Mr Jinx Scotland Yard Emcees, CatchKlick Emceez, Madhat McGore, Loki, Respek BA, Werd (S.O.S), Bigg Taj and All Time High whose " 68 n i owe ya 1 " track was picked up by Jurassic 5's DJ Nu-Mark and used on his worldwide released "Hands on " LP, a nice little achievement for a Scottish group.

Battle Scene

Many people who contribute to Hip Hop in one way or another feel battling is a very important part of Hip Hop Culture. The most recognized Battle Emcee in Scotland is Respek BA from Glasgow who competed in numerous Jumpoff.tv street battles. Soul Biscuits a Hip Hop night in Scotland have hosted battles/competitions for Breakdancing, Graffiti Art, Beat Making and most notable 'The Soul Biscuits Emcee Championship' a freestyle tournament over beats, past winners include Jee4ce and Mr.Mackenzie

Edinburgh (Auld Reekie)

Edinburgh hip hop artists include: Reachout(Seen/Oh Eye Records), CatchKlick Emceez (Fader, Monolith, Cyrical C and Mr.MacKenzie), Capitol 12 12 (Fly T and Profreesor Fresh), Perfect Practice (Nostal/Holmes and Dj Sonny), Hex Co.(Sandman/Charlie Chong/Captain Howdy) S.T.M (O.D.G Records), Dead Set Gemini (Jee4ce/Deezy/Show N Prove), Stonez The Riddlah'(UV Beats), Werd (S.O.S), Wardie Burns (Powercut Productions), Mr.Jinx (Yard Emceez/BurghRecords) Scotland Yard Emcees, L.Green, Mickey Blues, Big Spud, Depths, S-Type, DJ Nasty P, Dave Gunn (DKM/BurghRecords), Bone def (GhostGroove Records), Northern Exposure, Madhat McGore (MCFR), Kon-Tempt (AV8 Records) Simba (Rush Music Group), Clovie (Eternal Thuggin Recordz), The Fly boy generalz and Zambian Astronaut.

The Capital City's hip hop scene is much the same as any other. It relies on the club promoters to book the big acts, then giving the local acts a chance to perform in support. A lot of Hip Hop club nights have come and gone but a few like Soul Biscuits, Urban Scot, Pass The Vibes and Noizteez have managed to maintain a regular slot in clubs like Cabaret Voltaire and G.R.V (formally Octapus Diamond)and more recently Medina(D.J Nasty P & Cunnie) still pull the crowds in. MC Profisee (Clokes x Daggers) who has always played an active role in the emerging Hip hop scene since his Dark Paragons/Scotland Yard days he has recently been mixing flavors of Dub-Step, Electronica and Grime into his style, playing a big part in the success of club nights like Volume (Termite, G Mac) and Soul Biscuits. English Rapper Skinnyman recorded a song called 'Soul Buscuits' for the album 'Choosers Can't Be Beggars' by Nasty P who was also the main figure behind the night club.