En el vídeo que os traigo hoy quisiera hacer un pequeño homenaje a Nelson Mandela, un personaje por el que siempre he tenido una gran admiración y respeto, y también quisiera que fuera una reflexión sobre acontecimientos que están ocurriendo en nuestro mundo actualmente. Para ello os traigo la lectura de uno de sus discursos, que he traducido, el discurso que pronunció al aceptar el Premio Nobel de la Paz el 10 de diciembre de 1993. ¡Espero que os guste!
25 Abril 1974
a revolução sem sangue
vermelho de cravos
branco de paz
Grândola, Vila Morena – Zeca Afonso
En este vídeo os traigo la lectura del relato titulado El desparecido, del escritor español Julio Llamazares. Este relato tiene relación con uno de los momentos más trágicos de la historia contemporánea de España: La guerra civil. Como todas las guerras, que por desgracia se siguen produciendo, la guerra civil española también dejo heridas en muchas familias. Heridas, que con el paso del tiempo, son como fantasmas que no se ven, pero que se sienten. Espero que os guste.
Crimes against humanity are defined as “any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population.” The acts include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, rape (and other gender-based or sex crimes), group-based persecution, enforced disappearance, apartheid, and “other inhumane acts of a similar character intentionally causing great suffering or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.”
Ethnic Cleansing
The term ethnic cleansing refers to the forced removal of an ethnic group from a territory. A United Nations Commission of Experts investigating the former Yugoslavia defined it as “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area.” Unlike crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes, ethnic cleansing is not recognized as a standalone crime under international law. However, the practice of ethnic cleansing may constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.
Mass Atrocities
Instances of “large-scale, systematic violence against civilian populations.” Although the term mass atrocities has no formal legal definition, it usually refers to genocide (as defined above), crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing.
Mass Killing
The deliberate actions of armed groups, including but not limited to state security forces, rebel armies, and other militias, that result in the deaths of at least 1,000 noncombatant civilians targeted as part of a specific group over a period of one year or less.
War Crimes
War crimes are serious violations of international humanitarian law and occur in the state of armed conflict. The Rome Statute lists numerous acts that may constitute war crimes, including attacks on civilians, forcibly recruiting and using child soldiers, and destruction of educational and religious institutions.
Source: https://www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/learn-about-genocide-and-other-mass-atrocities/definitions
Genocide is an internationally recognized crime where acts are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. These acts fall into five categories:
There are a number of other serious, violent crimes that do not fall under the specific definition of genocide. They include crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and mass killing.
Origin of the Term “Genocide”
The word “genocide” did not exist prior to World War II. It is a specific term coined by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959) and was first introduced in his 1944 book Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. In his book, Lemkin described Nazi policies of systematic murder during World War II, including the destruction of European Jews. He formed the word genocide by combining geno-, from the Greek word for race or tribe, with –cide, from the Latin word for killing. Lemkin defined “genocide” as «a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves.»
Early Use of the Term “Genocide”
In 1945, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) was held in Nuremberg, Germany. During the trial, 24 high-ranking Nazi officials were charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, among other crimes, as defined by the Nuremberg Charter.
The word “genocide” was used in the indictment as a way to describe Nazi crimes. It was not, however, a legal term at the time of the IMT.
Genocide as an International Crime
In the shadow of the Holocaust, the word “genocide” was established as a legal term for a specifically defined international crime.
On December 9, 1948, the United Nations approved a written international agreement known as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The adoption of this convention was in no small part due to the tireless efforts of Raphael Lemkin. By the end of the 1950s, over 65 UN member states had signed it. As of April 2022, 153 states have ratified the convention (meaning they have agreed to follow its terms).
The convention established genocide as an international crime. This means that the law against committing genocide is binding on all states, whether or not they have ratified the convention. Preventing genocide, a major obligation of the convention, remains a challenge that states, institutions, and individuals continue to face.
Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/what-is-genocide
Genocide is understood by most to be the gravest crime against humanity.
It is defined as a mass extermination of a particular group of people – exemplified by the efforts of the Nazis to eradicate the Jewish population in the 1940s.
But behind that simple definition is a complicated tangle of legal concepts concerning what constitutes genocide and when the term can be applied.
Definition and debate
The term genocide was coined in 1943 by the Jewish-Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin, who combined the Greek word «genos» (race or tribe) with the Latin word «cide» (to kill).
After witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust, in which every member of his family except his brother was killed, Dr Lemkin campaigned to have genocide recognised as a crime under international law.
His efforts gave way to the adoption of the United Nations Genocide Convention in December 1948, which came into effect in January 1951.
Article Two of the convention defines genocide as «any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such»:
The convention also imposes a general duty on states that are signatories to «prevent and to punish» genocide.
Since its adoption, the UN treaty has come under criticism from different sides, mostly by people frustrated with the difficulty of applying it to specific cases. Some have argued that the definition is too narrow; others that it is devalued by overuse.
Some analysts say the definition of genocide is so narrow that none of the mass killings perpetrated since the treaty’s adoption would fall under it.
The objections most frequently raised against the treaty include:
But in spite of these criticisms, there are many who say genocide is recognisable.
In his book Rwanda and Genocide in the 20th Century, the former secretary-general of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Alain Destexhe, wrote: «Genocide is distinguishable from all other crimes by the motivation behind it.
«Genocide is a crime on a different scale to all other crimes against humanity and implies an intention to completely exterminate the chosen group. Genocide is therefore both the gravest and greatest of the crimes against humanity.»
Mr Destexhe has voiced concern that the term genocide has fallen victim to «a sort of verbal inflation, in much the same way as happened with the word fascist», becoming «dangerously commonplace».
Michael Ignatieff, former director of the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University, has agreed, arguing that the term has come to be used as a «validation of every kind of victimhood».
«Slavery, for example, is called genocide when – whatever it was, and it was an infamy – it was a system to exploit, rather than to exterminate the living,» Mr Ignatieff said in a lecture.
The differences over how genocide should be defined have also led to disagreements on how many genocides occurred during the 20th Century.
How many genocides have there been?
Some say there was only one genocide in the last century: the Holocaust.
Others say there have been at least three genocides as defined by the terms of the 1948 UN convention:
And in recent years, other cases have been added to the list by some. In Bosnia, the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica has been ruled to be genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Other cases include the Soviet man-made famine of Ukraine (1932-33), the Indonesian invasion of East Timor (1975), and the Khmer Rouge killings in Cambodia in the 1970s, during which an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died by execution, starvation, or forced labour.
There is disagreement over the fact that many of the victims of the Khmer Rouge were targeted because of their political or social status – putting them outside of the UN definition of genocide.
The International Criminal Court in 2010 issued an arrest warrant for the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, on genocide charges, accusing him of waging a campaign against the citizens of the Sudanese region of Darfur where about 300,000 people are said to have died and millions more displaced during seven years of fighting.
More recently, in March 2016, the US accused the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) of carrying out genocide against Christian, Yazidi and Shia minorities in Iraq and Syria.
IS was «genocidal by self-proclamation, by ideology and by actions, in what it says, what it believes and what it does,» then-Secretary of State John Kerry said.
In 2017, The Gambia submitted a case to the International Court of Justice accusing Myanmar of carrying out a genocide against the Rohingya people, alleging «widespread and systematic clearance operations» in Rohingya villages.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people have fled Myanmar into bordering Bangladesh and elsewhere, and thousands are reported to have been killed.
In 2021, the US, Canadian and Dutch governments all formerly accused China of committing a genocide against the Uighur people in Xinjiang, while several other countries brought parliamentary resolutions making the same accusation.
Evidence suggests China has subjected the Uighurs to forced sterilisation, forced labour, mass detention, and systematic rape and torture – actions which many say meet the criteria of a genocide. China denies the charges.
Genocide prosecutions in history
The first case to put into practice the convention on genocide was that of Jean Paul Akayesu, the Hutu mayor of the Rwandan town of Taba at the time of the killings. In a landmark ruling, a special international tribunal convicted Akayesu of genocide and crimes against humanity on 2 September 1998.
More than 85 people were subsequently convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, 29 on counts of genocide.
In August 2010, a leaked UN report alleged that Rwandan Hutus, perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, may themselves have been victims of the same crime.
In 2001, Gen Radislav Krstic, a former Bosnian Serb general, became the first person to be convicted of genocide at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Krstic appealed against his conviction, arguing that the 8,000 people killed constituted «too insignificant» a number to be a genocide. In 2004 the ICTY rejected his appeal.
In 2007, the former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, nicknamed the «butcher of Bosnia», was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
And in 2018, Nuon Chea, 92, and Khieu Samphan, 87, were both sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide and crimes against humanity for their roles in the Khmer Rouge killings.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-11108059
O Porto, a segunda maior cidade de Portugal, localiza-se no norte do país, na margem direita do rio Douro. Esta metrópole foi fundada como um importante porto comercial, pelo que a história da cidade do Porto, que conta com mais de dois mil anos, demonstra o seu papel fulcral no desenvolvimento do país.
Com um centro histórico que está classificado, desde 1996, como Patrimônio Mundial da UNESCO, o Porto (cidade Invicta) apresenta-se como uma das cidades que mais se destacou durante a Reconquista Cristã.
Foi também um grande centro comercial e industrial na Era dos Descobrimentos.
Atualmente, o Porto é uma cidade vibrante e cosmopolita, que se destaca pela arquitetura, pela gastronomia e pelas regiões vinícolas. É, por isso, um destino turístico cada vez mais popular.
O início do Porto enquanto cidade
A história da cidade do Porto tem início aquando da ocupação desta região pelos fenícios, que começam por criar uma pequena aldeia na foz do rio Douro.
Depois, no século II a.C., os romanos conquistam esta região e denominam a cidade Portus Cale, que significa “porto de Cale”.
A dinâmica portuária da cidade, que naquela altura cresceu, viria a reforçar o papel do Castro de Cale como sendo um importante centro econômico regional.
Surgem, então, as primeiras referências a Portucale.
Foi assim que Portus Cale se tornou uma paragem praticamente obrigatória na rota entre Braga e Lisboa.
O crescimento da cidade em tempos medievais
No século V, os povos germânicos chegaram à Galécia para reinar durante um curto período de tempo, o que trouxe instabilidade regional e fez destacar a importância da região de Portucale.
Nesta altura, o território vai sendo reordenado pela nobreza condal, que começa a ganhar um papel de relevo.
No ano de 1096, o rei Afonso VI de Leão casa a filha Teresa com Henrique de Borgonha e concede-lhes o “Condado Portulacense”, cuja capital era no Porto.
Já em 1111, D. Teresa, aquela que viria a ser mãe do primeiro rei de Portugal, D. Afonso Henriques, entrega ao bispo D. Hugo o “Couto do Porto”.
O bispo decide, assim, dar início à construção da Sé do Porto, que acabou por ser o ponto de partida para a expansão da cidade. Por esta altura também, os frutos secos, a azeitona e derivados integravam a parte mais relevante do comércio do Porto.
Contudo, a cidade viria a destacar-se com a indústria do Vinho do Porto e com a criação das caves de Gaia, locais onde os vinhos envelhecem melhor.
Durante este período, o Porto escoava a produção do vinho produzido no Douro, o que tornava possível o estabelecimento de relações com mercados internacionais.
Nesta época medieval, o Porto era tão importante a nível mercantil que foi necessário construir uma muralha para proteger a cidade dos inimigos.
Aliás, segundo conta a história da cidade do Porto, esta região foi palco das lutas entre bispos e cónegos, clero contra frades franciscanos, bispos contra reis, burgueses contra bispos e burgueses contra fidalgos.
O Infante D. Henrique
Sabia que foi na cidade do Porto que surgiu a aliança militar entre Portugal e Inglaterra?
O casamento entre o rei D. João I e a princesa Filipa de Lencastre, de origens inglesas, deu-se em 1397. Deste casamento, nasce o Infante D. Henrique, figura de relevo na história da cidade do Porto, uma vez que foi o responsável pelas viagens a África e pelas expedições marítimas.
Tais situações fizeram com que se descobrisse o caminho marítimo para a Índia. Por isso, o Infante D. Henrique, o Navegador, foi um dos principais impulsionadores da Era dos Descobrimentos portugueses.
Com isto, a cidade cresceu e tornou-se um ponto de ligação obrigatório com o Mediterrâneo.
Além disso, assistiu-se a um aumento da população, ao crescimento da margem ribeirinha do Douro e à progressiva relevância das atividades comerciais e marítimas.
Os tempos modernos
No século XVI, assiste-se a uma expansão urbana no Porto.
O rei D. Manuel I incentiva a abertura das ruas da cidade, como a atual Rua das Flores, e, aos poucos, a cidade torna-se mais convidativa e requintada.
Surgem também novos edifícios: o Convento de Santa Clara, o Convento de Lóios e o Mosteiro de São Bento da Vitória. Ao mesmo tempo, existe um incremento dos apoios à navegação.
Durante a ocupação filipina, é criado o Tribunal da Relação do Porto e são melhoradas as infraestruturas que defendem a cidade.
São ainda concebidos vários espaços verdes para regozijo da população, como a Alameda da Cordoaria e a Calçada das Virtudes.
As renovações urbanas e artísticas
A frequente circulação de navios e mercadores e a entrada de pessoas estrangeiras importantes na cidade do Porto vieram suscitar uma renovação urbana.
Os edifícios de caráter religioso começaram a implementar o estilo barroco e o estilo rococó, inspirados pela governação de D. João V, que queria imitar o rei de França, Luís XIV. Por isso, em 1725, um artista italiano faz uma renovação estética à capela-mor e à sacristia da Sé do Porto, dedicando-se também a outros projetos de arquitetura para a cidade.
Neste sentido, são realizadas várias intervenções urbanísticas, relevantes para o aumento da população na cidade.
Tal foi possível, em parte, graças à prosperidade do comércio do vinho. Foi desta forma que nasceu uma cidade caracterizada pela perspectiva iluminista.
As Invasões Francesas e suas consequências
A cidade do Porto também foi visada pelas invasões francesas. Sob o domínio de Napoleão Bonaparte, as tropas francesas invadiram Portugal e entraram no Porto, sendo que foram ocupados conventos, mosteiros e casas particulares desabitadas.
Tais invasões resultaram em abusos de poder, roubos, perseguições e destruição de bens. Porém, e devido a estas perturbações, um dos marcos da história da cidade do Porto foi a revolta que se instalou na região, em 1808, quando a Junta Suprema se encontrava a governar o país.
Em 1809, as tropas comandadas por Soult chegam ao Porto e o pânico instala-se. Isto porque o exército francês começa a saquear a cidade e a perseguir a população até à Ribeira.
Como o povo se ia juntando no lado norte da ponte, uma vez que a passagem a sul estava cortada para impedir a entrada dos inimigos, deu-se o desastre da Ponte das Barcas, que resultou na queda de centenas de pessoas.
Depois da cidade ser libertada, aconteceu uma outra invasão francesa, mas esta não chega ao Porto. No entanto, os danos na cidade da invasão anterior eram visíveis: havia falta de alimentos e crescia a mendicidade e a criminalidade.
O Cerco do Porto e o liberalismo
Em 1820, a Revolução Liberal do Porto, que instaurou a monarquia constitucional em Portugal, foi seguida de uma guerra civil entre liberais e absolutistas, que se prolongou até 1834.
O Cerco do Porto, que durou de julho de 1832 a agosto de 1833, foi um dos episódios mais marcantes da guerra e resultou na vitória dos liberais e na consolidação do regime constitucional.
A partir desta altura, e depois da guerra ter causado destruição, fome e cólera, iniciaram-se transformações sociais, políticas e urbanísticas no Porto.
O rei D. Pedro IV (D.Pedro I para os brasileiros)
Depois do episódio do Cerco do Porto, que opôs os seguidores de D. Pedro IV (liberais) aos seguidores de D. Miguel (absolutistas ou miguelistas), o rei D. Pedro IV foi considerado, pelos portuenses, um símbolo da liberdade.
O carinho que recebeu da população sensibilizou o monarca, que decidiu deixar em testamento a vontade de depositar na Igreja da Lapa o seu coração quando morresse.
Por isso, o “coração de ouro de D. Pedro” passou a constituir um dos elementos das Armas do Porto. Simbolicamente, este rei vai ficar para sempre associado à história da cidade do Porto.
Do setembrismo à revolta de 31 de Janeiro de 1891
O liberalismo não era uma corrente única no Porto, pois existiam também os vintistas e os cartistas. Ou seja, houve uma nova agitação no Porto (e em Lisboa também), que deu início ao setembrismo, uma época praticamente ditatorial.
Mas este período não foi significativo e, mais tarde, instaurou-se o cabralismo, que representava o capitalismo da alta burguesia.
Viveram-se tempos instáveis, dificultados pela revolução dos transportes. Decorreram ainda algumas revoltas militares, pelo que a cidade evoluiu lentamente.
Por esta altura também, assiste-se à revolução industrial: surgem as primeiras iluminações públicas a gás, os cafés tornam-se centros de convívio, são concebidas as máquinas a vapor e criam-se novas zonas comerciais.
A modernização urbana é marcada pela revolução dos transportes, pela afluência das pessoas à Foz do Douro e pelo aparecimento de pontes, mercados e palácios.
A par disto, emergem as comunicações telefônicas, a admiração pelo futebol inglês e o crescimento de clubes republicanos.
Todavia, a notícia do “ultimatum”, que acabaria com as pretensões portuguesas na África Oriental, é divulgada. É então que o governo decide demitir-se, decisão que faz com que a população comece novamente a se revoltar.
A 31 de Janeiro de 1891, época em que a monarquia ainda vigorava em Portugal, a cidade do Porto é palco da primeira revolução republicana do país.
Este foi um acontecimento tão importante que a rebelião dos militares da guarnição portuenses, que contou com o apoio das Forças Armadas, está imortalizada numa rua do centro do Porto: a Rua 31 de Janeiro.
Neste dia, a população sucumbiu à superioridade das forças monárquicas.
Da República ao 25 de Abril de 1974
A revolta de 31 de Janeiro viria a preparar a mudança de regime: da Monarquia para a República. Mas esta transição ainda levaria algum tempo.
A cidade continuou a crescer, assim como a diversidade das atividades econômicas, o que levou a uma nova preocupação com o planeamento da cidade.
O surto de peste, em 1899, também levou a um crescente interesse pelos problemas habitacionais nas ilhas do Porto.
Assim, foram sendo criados bairros operários e cooperativas de habitação.
Como os ânimos se mantinham exaltados, foram eleitos, neste mesmo ano, três republicanos. A 5 de outubro de 1910, com grande apoio por parte da população, foi instaurada a República.
Contudo, tal não foi suficiente para impedir o agravamento das crises, que se complicaram com a Primeira Guerra Mundial.
Como existia muita instabilidade e como se fazia sentir uma grande crise econômica e social, foi implementado, a 28 de maio de 1926, um regime ditatorial: o Estado Novo.
Todo o país vivia numa repressão, apesar de continuarem a existir manifestações contra o regime. O problema é que, por esta altura, aumentaram os julgamentos e as perseguições aos opositores do regime.
A democracia só viria a ser instaurada com a Revolução dos Cravos, a 25 de Abril de 1974, altura em que a cidade do Porto começa a trabalhar novamente no planeamento urbano e regional.
A cidade do Porto como Patrimônio Cultural da Humanidade
A história da cidade do Porto acabaria por ficar marcada no ano de 1974, quando o Centro Histórico da cidade é considerado um valor patrimonial local e nacional.
Mais tarde, em 1993, a publicação do livro “Porto a Patrimônio Mundial” marca o início do processo de candidatura da cidade à Lista de Patrimônio Cultural da Humanidade da UNESCO. Este estatuto viria a ser atribuído em 1996, na cidade de Mérida (México).
Já em 2001, a cidade do Porto (e também Roterdão) foi considerada Capital Europeia da Cultura, evento que simboliza a vida cultural intensa e a dinâmica artística desta metrópole.
Fonte: https://www.nacionalidadeportuguesa.com.br/historia-da-cidade-do-porto/
Os traigo la lectura de varios relatos del escritor uruguayo Eduardo Galeano con trasfondo histórico-social. Este vídeo quiere ser una reflexión sobre los conflictos que aún azotan nuestro mundo y una apuesta por el AMOR y la PAZ entre los pueblos.
Hip hop is global, lapping on every shore and landing at every airport. But what does hip hop mean? Is it the music with a chest-thumping beat? The rapid-fire lyrics rapped into a handheld mic? Gravity-defying dance steps? Writers turning walls into canvases with larger-than-life letters and illustrations?
The answer is all of the above—and more. Hip hop embraces these artistic elements, most definitely. But it also has blended and transcended them to become a means for seeing, celebrating, experiencing, understanding, confronting, and commenting on life and the world. Hip hop, in other words, is a way of living—a culture.
The elements of hip hop came together in the Bronx borough of New York City. It was the early 1970s and times were tougher than usual for the poorer parts of urban America. From a whole lot of nothing—and a whole lot of imagination—hip hop took form.
DJ Kool Herc is credited with throwing the switch at an August 1973 dance bash. He spun the same record on twin turntables, toggling between them to isolate and extend percussion breaks—the most danceable sections of a song. It was a technique that filled the floor with dancers who had spent days and weeks polishing their moves.
The effect that night was electric, and soon other DJs in the Bronx were trying to outdo Herc. It was a code that has flowed through hip hop ever since: 1) Use skills and whatever resources are available to create something new and cool; 2) Emulate and imitate the genius of others but inject personal style until the freshness glows. Competition was, and remains, a prime motivator in the hip hop realm.
Like a powerful star, this dance-party scene quickly drew other art forms into its orbit. A growing movement of hopeful poets, visual artists, and urban philosophers added their visions and voices by whatever means available. They got the word out about what was happening in their neighborhoods—neighborhoods much of mainstream, middle-class America was doing its best to ignore or run down. Hip hop kept coming, kept pushing, kept playing until that was no longer possible.
Today, some hip hop scholars fold as many as six elements into hip hop culture. They include:
From its work-with-what-you-got epicenter in the Bronx, hip hop has rolled outward to become a multibillion-dollar business. Its sounds, styles, and fashions are now in play around the world. DJs spin turntables in Sao Paulo, Brazil. MCs rap Arabic in the clubs of Qatar. B-boys and b-girls bust baby freezes in Finland. Graffiti rises on the Great Wall of China. Young poets slam poetry in D.C.
Richard Colón was just 10 when his cousin took him to his first schoolyard bash in 1976. “Ah, I was just blown away,” he says in Jeff Chang’s history of hip hop, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. “I just saw all these kids having fun…checking out the whole scene, and it was my first time watching the dance with the music being played…I just immediately became a part of it.”
He soon became a big part of it. By his early teens, the boy now immortalized as “Crazy Legs” became a trendsetter for breaking—a dance revolution still popping, locking, and rocking the world.
Making a B-line from the Bronx
As hip hop culture rose from the streets of the Bronx, breaking spun up and stepped out from the concrete itself. Early b(reaker)-girls and b-boys like Crazy Legs and his Rock Steady Crew earned their skills on that hard ground, admiring each other’s cuts, bruises, and “battle scars” as they pushed one another to evermore audacious displays of style and guts.
In keeping with hip hop’s ethic of improvisation, breaking is often a create-on-the-fly dance style. It mixes super-quick footwork with body-torquing twists. Robotic movements flow into smooth whole-body waves before dropping into acrobatic leg flares that suddenly halt in mid-spin freezes that seem to defy gravity. Breaking is the ultimate 3-D dance—flipping high, spinning low, and putting a premium on physical imagination and bravado.
Getting on the Good Foot
Breaking has copied from many dance styles to generate this uniqueness. These styles include the Charleston from 100 years ago that loaned its characteristic leg kick and arm swing as a top-rocking move. The ad-libbing of the Lindy Hop, popular from the 1920s on, also lives in breaking’s style. For individual inspiration, though, no one can best soul singer James Brown. His high-energy dance moves in the 1960s and 70s have inspired b-boys and b-girls ever since, and his song “Get on the Good Foot” is one of breaking’s early anthems. Tap, steppin’, ballet, disco, and modern all continue to contribute.
Breaking has rummaged beyond the dance floor and stage to find many of its most dramatic moves. The whirling torsos and legs of gymnasts on the pommel horse are seen in leg flares, for example. Down-rocking reflects techniques from gymnastic floor routines.The world of hand-to-hand combat has also provided inspiration for b-boys and b-girls. Hip hop scholars often link breaking with capoeira, a martial arts dance with roots in Angola and Brazil that displays acrobatics, grace, and power. A full-blown showdown makes it clear why breaking contests are referred to as “battles” as dancers mix dance moves with shadow kicks, leg sweeps, and fake attacks in the faces of the competition.
Breaking is much more than a sum of moves from various dances and disciplines, though. It is a living, breathing art form unique every time dancers take their turn in a cypher (see sidebar). Through the years the Rock Steady Crew, the Mighty Zulu Kings, the Lockers, the Electric Boogaloos, and thousands of other individuals and crews have continuously renewed and refreshed the style with original spins, fresh freezes, and new twists on power moves—often laced with body-bending humor. Competition and innovation in breaking—as with all things hip hop—is essential and inspired, and today its style inspires wherever people dance.
DJs are the soul behind the beat that pleases, surprises, and puts people on the dance floor. The best DJs have an almost mystical sense of mood at a party or club. They sense the right moment to cue the right song using the right technique to take the party where it’s ready to go. It is that insight, a passionate knowledge of music, and technical know-how that make DJing one of the pillars of hip hop culture.
Working the Sound System
A DJ’s sound system is a laboratory for making music magic. Twin turntables are standard, allowing the DJ to switch easily between songs, or spin and manipulate records in tandem to create effects or unique musical combinations. The turntables are wired to a receiver, amplifier, and earthquake-causing speakers. The DJ may use headphones to cue up the next song or song segment as the current music plays. Then he or she uses a mixer, or fader, to make transitions from one turntable to the other—hopefully without missing a beat. Today’s DJs often incorporate digitized and computerized components, as well. But most hip hop purists frown on DJs who button-push preprogrammed playlists. Hip hop culture saves its greatest praise for inspired improvisation.
Before the rise of hip hop, the DJ’s basic role was relatively simple—spin records at a party, club, or on the radio. DJ Kool Herc’s keen observations changed that game. He noticed the energy on the dance floor went off the charts during the “breaks” of songs. Breaks are the instrumental sections in many pop and rhythm & blues numbers that highlight percussion and rhythm.
Herc experimented with methods to extend these sections by playing the same record on both turntables, a technique refined by fellow pioneering DJ Grandmaster Flash. With needle-fine timing, they switched back and forth between the turntables to multiply the break. Crowds, especially dancing b-boys and b-girls, couldn’t get enough. Since the beginning, hip hop DJs have been instrumental in channeling youthful energy away from trouble and toward creative fun.
Good DJs constantly explore ways to pleasantly shock their audiences. They may give people the songs they expect, planning out smooth transitions by matching beats and musical keys from one number to the next. They also innovate by listening for songs within songs, lifting and linking snippets to take the music somewhere new.
In the never-ending quest to distinguish their mix, DJs often haunt used-record stores. They are on the prowl for long-lost songs or sounds they can make new again through the magic of hip hop. Legendary DJ and all-around hip hop luminary Afrika Bambaataa is famous for creating sets that spin from the Pink Panther theme to Kraftwerk to calypso to speeches of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. All that is good from the past and present has a place at the hip hop turntable.
Scratching and Turntablism
As part of the hip hop style of life, DJs are constantly experimenting to set themselves apart from competition. One technique DJs embraced is scratching. To scratch, the DJ physically manipulates the record beneath the needle. Grand Wizzard Theodore stumbled on the technique in the mid-70s. He was a young teen blasting his music when his mom scolded him to turn it down. He fumbled the needle, liked the effect, practiced it, and began using it in shows. Other DJs quickly added scratching to their repertoire as a way to inject more personal style into the music flow.
More recently, turntablism has become an astounding source of new style. It involves extensive real-time sampling from spinning records to create something funky and fresh. Watching an experienced turntablist create in real time is an awe-inspiring experience.
Today, MCs like Jay-Z, MC Lyte, and Kendrick Lamar fly high profiles in the world of hip hop. But that wasn’t always the case for the poets of the microphone.
In hip hop’s early years, its music scene focused on the disc jockey and the dance floor. The MC—short for “master of ceremonies”—was often a kind of sidekick to the DJ. In Yes Yes Y’all, an oral history of early hip hop, Grandmaster Caz describes the rise of MCing this way: “The microphone was just used for making announcements, like when the next party was gonna be, or people’s mom’s would come to the party looking for them, and you have to announce it on the mic.”
Before long, though, MCs wanted to showcase their own talents. Grandmaster Caz continues: “Different DJs started embellishing what they were saying. I would make an announcement this way, and somebody would hear that and they add a little bit to it. I’d hear it again and take it a little step further ’til it turned from lines to sentences to paragraphs to verses to rhymes.”
More and more, MCs earned the right to grab the mic using freestyle skills to entertain and command a live audience. A “master of ceremonies” might make all the needed announcements; but the job of an MC then and now is to guide everyone’s good time with their energy, wit, and ability to interact with people on the floor. And good MCs don’t just demand the mic—the audience honors their skills by demanding they take it.
Rappers emerged as a somewhat distinct group as rap gained commercial success. They were the voices and characters that created and sold the records. In some ways, the talents and responsibilities of rappers overlap with MCs, and an MC might also rap. The interaction with the audience is the big difference.
In 1979, a trio of MCs rapped over the break from Chic’s “Good Times.” The result was The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” rap’s first hit. Three years later, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five released The Message, a funky but unblinking account of hard times in an inner-city neighborhood. As the 1980s unrolled, MCs and rappers rose rapidly from second fiddles to big dogs including Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Run DMC, and Public Enemy. They created personas, cooler-than-life characters that might be super-smooth or gangland tough. They boasted about their style and talents and made sure to honor the DJ. MCing and rapping went from sideshow to main event as one of hip hop’s essential elements.
Hip Hop’s Rapping Poets
An MC or rapper’s “flow” is crucial to his or her performance. The flow is the combination of rhyme and rhythm to create the rap’s desired effect: fluid and soothing to communicate romance, for example; staccato and harsh to signal anger and conflict.
Before hip hop and rap took hold in the United States, spoken-word poetry occasionally worked its way into jazz performances. Many history-minded rappers also connect their art to The Last Poets, a Harlem-based group, and The Watts Prophets out of Los Angeles. Both emerged in the late-1960s and paired political poetry with improvisational jazz. Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” resembles rap before it got the name.
Increasingly, students of hip hop culture recognize the best MCs as accomplished formal poets. They rap complex rhyme schemes, most built on a rock-solid four-beat rhythm, or meter. But again, a good MC surprises audiences with syncopation and other off-the-beat techniques. hip hop aficionados reserve special respect for MCs with freestyle skills—the ability to improvise fresh rhymes while standing in the heat of the spotlight.
One element of hip hop predates the music and dance scene itself—graffiti writing, or simply writing as the artists themselves call it. But it blossomed at the same time the music and dance scenes were finding their feet, and its wild and color-outside-the-lines improvisational style were influenced and inspired by the desire to create something new and fresh.
Graffiti has been around since humans first painted, etched, or carved on rock walls. But urban youth put a new spin on it in the 1960s. In 1967, a Philadelphia teen named Darryl McCray spray painted his alias “Cornbread” wherever he could reach on walls and trains. (He was striving to impress a girl named Cynthia.) In 1968, the budding art form made the jump to New York City. The names JULIO 204, TRACY 168, and TAKI 183 became familiar sights here, there, and increasingly everywhere.
Writing’s Heyday
The number and talents of writers spiked in the mid-1970s as hip hop’s competitive drive kicked in. They added illustrations and second colors to outline stylized bubble and block lettering. The writers—many if not most of them young teens—jumped the limits of size, complexity, and color. Their finest designs seemed to bring life to whatever they graced. They called it wild style—and it was.
They also jumped over fences, snuck into subway tunnels, and trespassed in nighttime yards where subway cars slept. There, they practiced their art with blank walls and unstained trains as their canvases. When opportunities arose, they painted the whole sides of subway cars and even entire ten-car trains with their elaborate, colorful designs.
They had no illusions their creations would last long. But the opportunity to see their art rolling through the subway was the ultimate payoff for writers like DONDI, LADY PINK, FAB FIVE FREDDY, KASE2, and ZEPHYR. It was outrageous to think thousands of New Yorkers saw their creations each day in one of the richest cities in the world. “If art like this is a crime let God forgive me!” wrote the writer known as LEE of the Fabulous Five crew. They embraced the identity of outlaw artists and admitted the dangers and thrills were part of the appeal. They were on missions to prove they were not only the most imaginative and talented writers in their neighborhood, but the most fearless.
Not surprisingly, NYC officials were not amused. Cops cracked down on writers, and train yards were encircled with new security. At the same time, the art world was catching on that something fresh was happening in the city beyond their fancy uptown galleries. Graffiti-inspired exhibitions popped up, and some writers took the opportunity to commit their passion to canvas instead of granite and steel.
Wild, Hungry, Inspired
Writing’s place in hip hop culture was cemented by the early 1980s. Early rappers used wild style on their album covers. Writers painted cool kids’ clothes with designs and got paying gigs painting murals. And two movies—Style Wars and Wild Style—debuted. The films made the case that a similar hungry, inspired creativity flowed through writing as well as hip hop’s music and dance scene.
Today, graffiti-influenced writing styles show up worldwide in graphic design, fashion, and street art. Outlaw artists like Banksy are still out there painting trouble. But the vision, passion, and humor the best of these writers display—legit or not—give people the chance to see the work-a-day world in new ways. They seem to say if we pay attention, we can find beauty, meaning, and art most everywhere we look.
The 1970s were lean, mean years in sections of New York City. This was especially true in the Bronx and the city’s other low-income areas. Much of the optimism of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement had faded. New York was broke. City officials sliced and diced basic services, school funding, arts education programs, and job training. Life-destroying drugs and crime haunted the streets. Absentee landlords neglected properties until building after building fell into disrepair or went up in flames.
In the face of all that, however, the energy of urban youth refused to shut down. Young people, many of them teens, created new ways of spinning records and dancing. They experimented with new styles of poetry and visual art that revealed their thinking and feelings. Eventually, the elements grooved together into a culture. A name started to stick to it: hip hop.
The Fifth Element
Hip hop’s fifth element of “knowledge” teaches the hip hop community about its identity and ways to express that identity. It places great importance on claiming a stake in one’s own education. “Knowing where YOU come from helps to show YOU where YOU are going,” writes legendary MC KRS-One. “Once you know where you come from you then know what to learn.” (By the way, “KRS” stands for “Knowledge Reigns Supreme.”)
Hip hop believes that people can take control of their lives through self-knowledge and self-expression. Knowledge influences style and technique and connects its artists under a collective hip hop umbrella. It engages the world through hip hop’s history, values, and ideas, and adds intellectual muscle to support and inform its music and moves and its poetry and art. Most importantly, it allows for a shared experience against an uncertain world.
Bambaataa Brings It
Afrika Bambaataa deserves much credit for putting this concept of knowledge into word and action. Bambaataa is a pioneering DJ and MC from the Bronx. A one-time teen leader of a gang, Bambaataa had universal respect and a powerful ability to make peace with and between enemies. His legendary music and dance parties brought together rivals to party in peace. “Free jam!” his flyers announced. “Come one come all, leave your colors at home! Come in peace and unity.”
The young Bambaataa was also a devoted student of history. He absorbed the tactics and strategies of historical leaders—from the French emperor Napoleon to the South African chieftain and military commander Shaka Zulu. He grasped the power of music as a strategy for clearing barriers that divided people, whatever their backgrounds.
By the 1980s, Bambaataa and his large and growing crew had founded the Universal Zulu Nation. Dedicated to hip hop values, the organization’s motto is “Peace, Love, Unity, and Having Fun.” They developed “Infinity Lessons”—principles and codes of conduct for living an honorable hip hop life. They emphasize community, peace, wisdom, freedom, justice, love, unity, responsibility, respect for others, and respect for self. He put his knowledge into words, and the words radiated around the Bronx, throughout New York, and across America.
“Be warned, this is theater—but it’s hip hop theater,” a loud voice booms before the curtain rises for Into the Hoods. This show has been blowing away London audiences since 2008. It is an urban re-visioning of the fairy tale-genre, following a pair of school kids into a tough part of town instead of a haunted forest. But as with all fairy tales, not everything or everyone is what they seem. Ultimately the stage blazes with wild style art, DJ voiceovers, beats from multiple musical styles, b-boys and b-girls breaking in high-flying choreography, and fresh takes on familiar characters. (DJ Spinderella or Rap-On-Zel ring a bell?)
More and more, the stage has been welcoming hip hop’s elements, energy, and world view. Graffiti writing may splash across the scenery. DJing, rapping, and breaking are likely to take turns in the spotlight. Some shows, like Into the Hoods, tell their tales mainly through dance and music, while others lay hip hop style over more traditional scripts. Hip hop artists are tackling drama, comedy, and tragedy, and some classic material is getting the hip hop makeover. Will Power’s The Seven, for example, retells the ancient Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus using a DJ and rapping cast.
Collaboration and Content
Collaboration is a core ingredient for most hip hop theater groups. In the tradition of the culture, producers, directors, and playwrights stress input and participation by stakeholders—the very people the play is intended to speak to and entertain. Long-time hip hop theater writer/actor/director Danny Hoch says it this way: “Hip-hop theatre… must be by, about and for the hip hop generation, participants in hip hop culture, or both.”
This collaborative process clearly informs the content in hip hop plays and musicals. Plots often tackle current social issues, especially as they relate to urban communities, with characters exploring the strengths and limits of activism and empowerment. Questions of identity are often front and center, including race, class, gender, sexuality, and anything regarded as “different.” The struggle between the individual and society is a central theme as characters seek to create meaning in their lives while struggling to claim their place in the world.
Hip Hop in Prose and Poetry
MCs tell complex stories in rhythm and rhyme. Rappers write and polish their lyrics before delivering them in raps. The secret is out: hip hop poets love words. “The toughest, coolest, most dangerous-seeming MCs are, at heart, basically just enormous language dorks,” cracks music critic Sam Anderson. “They love puns and rhymes and slang and extended metaphors ….” These skills can translate smoothly into literary forms—short stories, novels, scripts, poetry, and comic book-style graphic novels. Some works relate the gritty realities of poverty or inner-city living; others find the humor there and wherever; all describe trying to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Rapped aloud or published on paper, hip hop-influenced literary forms have roots in the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s. BAM inspired a generation of African American, Latino, and feminist writers, including Amiri Baraka, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, the Last Poets, and many others, to share stories and views often overlooked or outright rejected by mainstream America. Along the way, spoken word—a forerunner of rap—injected energy into performance. Through poetry slams, it has developed its own fans with its forceful, fun wordplay.
As in theater, the literary world is making more space for hip hop style, subjects, and themes. Scholars Andrew DuBois and Adam Bradley recently edited and published The Anthology of Rap, a huge collection of lyrics. Says Bradley: “[R]appers are perhaps our greatest public poets, extending a tradition of lyricism that spans continents and stretches back thousands of years… They expand our understanding of human experience by telling stories we might not otherwise hear.”
Some hip hop-savvy teachers are bringing the best of hip hop literature into their classrooms. And writers for kids, teens, and young adults are telling hip hop tales in books like Think Again by Doug E. Fresh, Debbie Allen’s Brothers of the Knight, and the Hip-Hop Kidz series by Jasmine Bellar.
On a hot August night in 1973, Clive Campbell, known as DJ Kool Herc, and his sister Cindy put on a «back-to-school jam» in the recreation room of their apartment block at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in New York City’s West Bronx. Entrance cost 25c for «ladies» and 50c for «fellas».
The party wasn’t special for its size – the rec room could only hold a few hundred people. Its venue and location weren’t particularly auspicious. Yet it marked a turning point, a spark that would ignite an international movement that is still here today.
The legend is a simple one – but the factors leading to the creation of a hip-hop culture were a fusion of social, musical and political influences as diverse and complex as the sound itself.
In his award-winning 2005 book, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, the journalist and academic Jeff Chang locates the foundations of hip-hop in the social policies of «urban renewal» pioneered by the city planner Robert Moses and the «benign neglect» of US President Nixon’s administration. The Moses-conceived building of New York’s Cross Bronx Expressway razed through many of the city’s ethnic neighbourhoods, destroying homes and jobs and displacing poor black and Hispanic communities in veritable wastelands like East Brooklyn and the South Bronx, while the government turned a blind eye to those affected.
«Hip-hop did not start as a political movement,» Chang tells BBC Culture. «There was no manifesto. The kids who started it were simply trying to find ways to pass the time, they were trying to have fun. But they grew up under the politics of abandonment and because of this, their pastimes contained the seeds for a kind of mass cultural renewal.»
Break with the past
Following the waning of gang wars and the FBI’s suppression of radical black groups in the late 1960s, the emergence of hip-hop in the early ’70s represented a profound shift. Rather than taking direct political action, a new generation was expressing itself through DJing, MCing, b-boying/b-girling (breakdancing), and graffiti, the «four elements» of hip-hop. Brooklyn-born artist Fab 5 Freddy, who is credited with bridging the gap between New York City’s music and visual art worlds, argued that the looping interactivity of the four elements proved hip-hop went beyond a purely musical or artistic movement – it was an entire culture.
Marcyliena Morgan, Ernest E Monrad professor of the Social Sciences and founding director of the Hip-Hop Archive at Harvard University, asserts the importance of celebrating the positive narratives generated by the hip-hop generation. «Hip-hoppers literally mapped onto the consciousness of the world a place and an identity for themselves as the originators of an exciting new art form,» she tells BBC Culture. «They created value out of races and places that had seemed to offer only devastation.»
Finding the breaks
Kool Herc, along with Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, is known as one of the «three kings», the «holy trinity» of the early days of hip-hop. But Herc’s story, insists Chang, is where it all started: «Without DJ Kool Herc, we wouldn’t be talking about [hip-hop] now… all around the world,» he says.
Clive Campbell was born in Jamaica in 1955, moved to New York in 1967, and picked up the nickname «Hercules», (shortened to «Herc») for his impressive stature. His father Keith had a diverse record collection, and as the technician for a local band – and importantly for Herc’s burgeoning DJ career – access to sound equipment. Herc began DJing at house parties, where he made some important technical innovations. He found a way to make his set-up the loudest around, using two turntables and a mixer to switch between records. Inspired by a youth spent watching rival sound systems in Kingston, Herc brought Jamaican culture with him to the Bronx – the booming bass and dub sound, and the custom of «toasting» or talking over records, which his friend Coke La Rock used to powerful effect at the Sedgwick Avenue party.
Even more importantly, Herc observed that the b-boys and b-girls were going wild for the instrumental breaks in the records, and he began searching for the tracks – and the breaks – to please the dancers. His most famous musical discoveries, Bongo Rock and Apache by The Incredible Bongo Band, were purely instrumental: the bongo and conga beats kept the crowd dancing for longer. It was a simple observation, but the creation of the «breakbeat» was one of the key innovations in contemporary dance music.
Such was the popularity of his block parties that by the end of 1973, Herc could no longer DJ in spaces as small as the Sedgwick Avenue rec room. He moved into bigger clubs and the Bronx’s Cedar Park, and for a few years – with his crew the Herculoids – was the main draw in the area’s music scene. But by 1977, his star had waned and other rival New York DJs, notably the South Bronx’s Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, were waiting in the wings.
In 2007, Kool Herc was involved in a campaign to stop the 1520 Sedgwick Avenue block being sold to developers. The recreation room was officially recognised by NYC Housing Preservation as «the birthplace of hip-hop«. In 2023, DJ Kool Herc was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Creation myths
The story of hip-hop’s genesis is a legend as much shrouded in mythology as that of punk and the Sex Pistols’ gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester three years later. That gig has become legendary as the birth of post-punk, indie and the entire Manchester scene. Thousands have since claimed they were there – although the actual number that attended is better estimated at between 40 and 100. What makes these tales so important?
«Every culture needs a creation myth,» says Chang. «These stories tell us about the kinds of values we want to transmit. I think the story of Herc and Cindy’s party, in ways we perhaps don’t realise, speaks to the need for joy amidst turmoil, the power of creativity against destruction, the ‘started from the bottom’ ethic that youth will always find a way to express itself.»
Remembering and preserving the legacy of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, DJ Kool Herc and the night of 11 August 1973 are ways to keep these positive values alive. «The Bronx won the rights to DJ history through constant repetition of the first time DJ Kool Herc connected his sound system and mixed records,» says Morgan, arguing that hip-hop’s pioneers transformed «the land of the ghetto into the land of myth and the future.»
Jeff Chang agrees. For him, looking back to hip-hop’s early days is also a way of looking forward.
«I’m not a purist or a nostalgist,» he says. «But I believe in the values that have sustained hip-hop from the beginning: inclusion, recognition, creativity, and transformation. In the end, hip-hop is about teenagers, it’s about youth. And as long as they are taking those values forward, hip-hop won’t die.»
Source: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20130809-the-party-where-hip-hop-was-born
The Birth of Hip-Hop
Music can boil up out of the cracks of the most unsuspected areas in the country and the world, creating a cultural community in the process.
Hip-hop took direction from African American culture, mixed with Caribbean immigrant households in New York City. The diverse place of origin the Bronx fostered allowed hip-hop to be influenced by a multitude of cultures. The new culture gave a voice to marginalized groups in the low-income area, allowing people to freely express how they felt about social, economic and political dealings. One of the best places to share this expression was at block parties—which quickly became a staple in 1970s New York City.
While many people have influenced the music and culture of hip-hop, DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa are recognized as the Holy Trinity of hip-hop.
DJ Kool Herc is credited by some for originating the musical side of the culture at a party, called “Back to School Jam,” he hosted with his sister 50 years ago. It was there that the Father of Hip-Hop introduced his technique of spinning the same record on twin turntables — “The Merry-Go-Round.” He isolated and extended the breaks to elongate the most danceable section of the record.
Flash invented the Quick Mix Theory, a DJ technique where drum solos are manipulated by fingertips to add length to a break. This allowed space for break dancers to showcase the moves they had been practicing all week and for rappers to freely spout what was on their chest. Flash used innovation to fill a void he saw the record industry overlooking.
“In my anger is when I started figuring out if I take two copies of the same record and I just repeat that one particular section… without realizing it, I was weaving a bed of music of just that one particular area of an existing composition,” Flash remembers.
The DJ, rapper and producer Afrika Bambaataa made hip-hop electric by releasing tracks with electro beats in the 1980s. The Godfather also wanted to encourage the youth to trade gang life, drugs and violence for peace and unity through the hip-hop culture, leading him to form Universal Zulu Nation. From there, Bambaataa deemed the four elements he was using in the group as the elements of hip-hop.
There are four primary elements to hip-hop: MCing/rapping (overlaying spoken word onto a beat), DJing (manipulating the sound and length of beats through scratching), break dancing (a form of street dancing) and graffiti (writings typically sprayed on public surfaces to create art).
Although the culture was ignited by the DJs mixing popular music at block parties, rap has taken center stage for expression because of its marketability to a wider audience.
“I knew SnP had something different and would be successful but I really never gave much thought to how long hip-hop would last,” says Salt of Salt-N-Pepa. “But I’m not surprised because of the origin and the way it affected a generation and gave us a voice, something special that was all ours from the dancing to the DJs the vernacular and the style of dressing it makes sense that it became a culture and is still relevant in so many ways. Authenticity leads to longevity SnP brought fun fashion and femininity to hip-hop and we always stayed true to who we are. The audience can smell a fake.”
Ralph McDaniels, a music video director, DJ and VJ, holds the title of co-creator and co-host of the music video program “Video Music Box” with Lionel C. Martin. The revolutionary early ’80s show gave a visual platform for underground hip-hop artists in New York that could only be heard on tape or through word of mouth.
McDaniels started out as a DJ at a very young age. It was 1975 and hip-hop was still in its infancy. So much so that there wasn’t a certificate name to explain what these kids were doing, according to McDaniels. He recalls how important these beat and music connoisseurs were in getting the parties started, especially for break dancers.
“Hip-hop in the early days was definitely about dancing. You had the b-boys and b-girls. You had other dances that were popular at the time, and you play the music,” McDaniels says. “People came around and gathered and it was unique, in a sense, because it wasn’t music that you’d heard on the radio necessarily. Some of it was but most of it wasn’t. And so that’s where the whole idea of hip hop came about.”
Hip-Hop’s Evolution
Hip-hop continues to be a platform for marginalized communities to express their experiences and struggles. Over 50 years, it has held onto this truth while also surpassing the minimal platform it was created on through subgenres.
Old-school hip-hop, the first mainstream music wave of the genre, is marked as having disco influence and block-party significance. As the culture made its way out of the Bronx, different styles found their way onto the scene and around the world. For example, while Bambaataa pulled for the youth to channel peace with the culture, the popular subgenre gangsta rap showcased the violent lifestyles and impoverished conditions inner-city African American youth were forced to survive in.
Other subgenres include crunk, R&B and trap.
Rapper Joey Bada$$ believes that the worldliness of hip-hop is “a super beautiful thing” that deserves to be celebrated more than it has been.
“I think 50 years later, we’ve seen hip-hop become the biggest genre in the world. And it’s been that way for years. It’s been that way for quite some time,” Joey tells Time Out New York. “I think that moving forward, hip-hop needs to finally get the respect and the credit it deserves for birthing many subgenres. I think that’s a thing to be celebrated because there’s always a new era of hip hop and innovation is always happening.”
When Salt-N-Pepa stepped behind their mics in 1985, they had to navigate the male-dominated industry as an all-girl hip-hop group. They were seen as a fad much like the culture they were born from. A lack of airplay was no match for how much the world was craving the new rap icons.
“They were like, ‘Oh my God, these girls are kind of, like, here to stay,’ and with the determination that we had to prove our worth and make a mark in this industry, it was good. We did it and we didn’t shy away from it. And we knew we had something,” Pepa says.
“We knew that because we were women that we had to go harder on stage, in the studio, like really breaking down those doors for people to take us seriously, so we worked really hard to be Salt-N-Pepa,” Salt adds.
The hypnotic music of hip-hop doesn’t only pump through the veins of Black households and block parties in impoverished metropolitan pockets in the United States.
Rappers are in commercials promoting classic brands, and in turn themselves. In 2022, a shattering takeover was put on by some of the biggest personalities in hip-hop at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in Inglewood, California. European artists have crafted their own version to get people dancing in clubs thousands of miles away from the Bronx. Graffiti cascades up the walls of buildings that were itching to be redecorated. Urban African American and inner-city youth street style has become an enticing fashion movement. Break dancers play along with the interludes DJs spin through their fingertips. We sink our teeth into the words of rappers.
“When you see hip-hop at the Super Bowl, the world has changed tremendously,” rap icon Ice-T says. “I’ve been around the world about six times, in foreign countries—hip-hop has gotten into the fabric of the Earth.”
McDaniels agrees. “Hip-hop has changed everybody. It’s not just Black people. It changed the way white people listen to music. Asians, Latinos, you name it. They all listen to hip-hop.
“You know, I’m sitting in my car at the light, and there’s some boom boom boom boom here next to me, and I look next to myself. It’s not a Black kid. It’s an Asian kid or Latino kid, and they [know] every word,” he says. “And so, it’s everywhere and that’s because there’s something relatable about the voice, or the beat, or the energy. There’s something that people can relate to. And that’s awesome that everybody’s getting it. And I tell people, that it brought people together, it always did.”
50 Years Young
It’s hard to know where hip-hop is going to end up, especially considering all the different subgenres it has produced thus far and with no end in sight. People will continue to express their truth through daring melodies. Female artists are answering back on the radio to the men and the society that has silenced them. As the world changes, so does the subject matter in hip-hop.
Joey keeps in mind President Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition,” to remind himself of his purpose in his own hip-hop journey.
“I feel like what that always meant to me is … focus on the craft and focus on bettering yourself and always looking for the answers within and without putting the blame on anything else. And tunnel vision focused on getting yourself better and make sure that it’s coming from the heart, because once you start getting too involved in the mind and you start overthinking it, people mess themselves up like that all the time,” Joey explains.
Hip-hop’s 50-year evolution has come a long way. It spans age, sex, race, language and country. The culture has always been a safe space to be yourself, question the system and provide your own answers.
The resiliency of the inner-city African American youth in the South Bronx is why hip-hop as a genre and culture has been able to stamp its mark on the world. To those that believed in it in New York City in the 1970s, it never was a fad but rather something to be explored and celebrated. And for another 50 years, hip-hop will continue to build on the foundation that great music can come from anywhere, Ice-T says.
“Hip-Hop might save the world because it really got all of us together under one umbrella.”
Many people will read the title of this article and never consider the idea that mental health could be connected to the influential culture of hip-hop, creating an engaging approach to helping people impacted by mental health issues. Saying that the combination of mental health and hip-hop can be utilized in helping people really doesn’t do this unlikely combination justice because when paired together, they can accomplish so much more. The moment the hip-hop supergroup Dead Prez stated, “it’s bigger than hip-hop” on their single “Hip-Hop” released in 2000, it was clear that the culture I was introduced to at the age of eight was so much more than just music.
My introduction to hip-hop started when my parents bought me my first boom box at the age of eight. I felt like the luckiest kid on my block because I finally had a way to listen to the music I loved so much. Hip-hop helped raise me. I loved that boom box so much, I put it on my bed and listened to DJ Red Alert, Mr. Magic/Marley Marl while falling asleep almost every night. The power of hip-hop and its impact on my mental health, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors was made very clear to me as a kid. As I listened to the music, I developed a sense of self, an understanding for language, and the ability to connect with others. Although I didn’t know what they were called back then, those pillars of hip-hop became a way of life for me. The legendary hip-hop MC, KRS-ONE proclaimed, “rap is something you do, hip-hop is something you live” and I have been living hip-hop ever since.
Hip-hop culture embodies five pillars that have made it the most influential movement of today. The pillars also make the connection between mental health and hip-hop much easier to understand. Hip-hop culture is founded on the MC (Mic Controller), the DJ, breakdancing, graffiti, and knowledge. These pillars are the foundational aspects of a culture that originated in the Bronx, New York in the 1970s. The hip-hop education scholar Dr. Christopher Emdin stated, “hip-hop was born out of the oppression” in the 1970s as a means for people to make sense of their environment but also provide the necessary healing spaces of an entire community. Many believe that the historical roots of hip-hop go back even further than its beginnings in the Bronx, and was birthed by the music, sounds, movements, and cultural/healing ceremonies in Africa.
That’s right, from Africa to the Bronx, NY to the world, hip-hop is the number one genre of music on a global level. In 2018, Nielsen reported that for the first time in history, hip-hop surpassed rock to become the most popular genre of music. So it only makes sense that the number one genre of music and iconic culture called hip-hop teams up with the vital aspect of our overall functioning called mental health. Here’s where things get magical. The marriage between mental health and hip-hop, which I call Mental-Hop is one that only an Oscar award-winning writer could put together. Honestly, it’s so much more. I truly believe the pairing of mental health and hip-hop is divine and cosmic, which leads to its undeniable superpower to help people heal.
I know, it sounds a little over-the-top but as I break down how the five pillars are aligned with mental health and wellness, things become strikingly clear. There’s nothing more original and innovative than hip-hop. It’s founded on authenticity, engagement, collaboration, and empowerment. As we seek to end the stigma and shame around mental health treatment, these aspects of hip-hop support and enhance our ability to demystify various aspects of mental health services and resources. Hip-hop artist Meek Mill recently stated, “we gotta find a way to make therapy cool for the black community.” His Instagram quote went on to receive numerous likes and reposts of support, which echoed the need to make one of the most recognizable aspects of mental health healing something engaging for a population of people that are not always afforded access to quality as well as culturally competent and sensitive mental health and wellness services. This is where hip-hop can take center stage. The pillars of hip-hop culture provide a practical and simplistic connection to mental health that can be easily understood but more importantly, impactful in helping people begin to take the lead in their healing and wellness journey. Let’s start the show, shall we?
The mental health & hip-hop connection: the power is in the pillars
Pillar #1: “The MC”
In hip-hop culture, the MC is the most recognizable aspect of hip-hop. The MC or the Mic Controller is the artist, creative, storyteller, rapper, poet, and writer that so eloquently expresses thoughts through words. Not only are the words important but the voice of the MC takes listeners on a sonic ride of thoughts, feelings, and ideas. An MC can dig deep into the depths of their souls and release feelings around a diverse group of topics–their childhood memories, relationships, partying, life’s journeys, and more. It gets even more compelling when you hear MCs speak of chronic community violence, trauma, social injustice, or battling depression. Hip-hop has not only been a way of those often unheard to have a voice, it has become a way for those experiencing some of the harshest realities in our society to cope, heal, and try to make sense of it all. Mental health is essentially the same in the way that treating those impacted by mental illness provides an opportunity to help people cope, heal, and make sense of it all to function at their optimal level. We can utilize the same skills and abilities that our favorite MCs use so effectively to empower those who are struggling with mental health conditions. Those struggling also deserve a voice that is heard, appreciated, and supported. Just like those of your favorite MCs. We can encourage people to share their stories through words in a marble notebook like MCs often use or by using their voices in therapy sessions, group counseling spaces, or just hanging out with friends. The MC just gets it out. There is power in releasing the feelings and thoughts we have inside. There is a heaviness that is lifted when a person shares their pain, perspective, and success. Not only is it liberating for the MC or person expressing those feelings, but it’s also empowering and inspiring for the listener. We need more MCs in mental health. Let’s call them Mental Health Creatives (MCs), people who are empowered to share, speak, and heal with the same courage as an MC who must take the stage and rock the mic. It’s scary of course but it’s so liberating and healing at the same time. Hip-hop culture is about acceptance and connection. Mental health should be the same. When paired together, nothing can stop an MC, Mic Controller or Mental Health Creative, from basking in the spotlight.
Pillar #2: “The DJ”
The music that sets the mood, creates the vibe, and activates the energy is all engineered by the DJ. The DJ stands for Disc Jockey but in hip-hop we refer to this person as the crowd controller. The DJ has a great responsibility in hip-hop culture. Some may say the DJ is the most important pillar in hip-hop culture because of their power to play the music and sounds that touch our ears. Hip-hop has always been mood music. The DJ can select certain songs to totally impact the mood of a room or even an entire arena. If a DJ wants the crowd to get more active, they may throw on “Where My Dogs At?” by the late, great DMX. If we are in a space of reflecting on relationships with our mothers, a DJ wouldn’t hesitate to play “Dear Mama” by the iconic Tupac Shakur. If we are talking resilience and going from surviving to thriving, then “Juicy” from The Notorious BIG is all we need. The bottom line is the DJ can move us into different emotional states with ease, which is part of the reason music is often utilized as a coping tool for those experiencing any type of mental or emotional distress. People recognize the power and ability that hip-hop has to impact their mood in a positive way and essentially become their personal DJs. Whether in the car, a bedroom, school, or at the office. People are putting on their favorite songs and taking their pain away. Nothing supports this more than the invention of the playlist. The playlist allows someone to access a group of songs categorized by mood, genre, emotional state, location, or whatever title they decide to give it. There’s freedom and power in choice. The DJ’s playlist is very personal and is kind of like a personal music coping list for someone to utilize when going through a difficult time. We may choose songs for relatability, which is why we may throw on the angriest hip-hop song when we’re feeling angry. Maybe listening to that sad hip-hop song helps us to see that we are not alone when it comes to grieving or depression. It can be that motivational and inspiring hip-hop song that lifts our moods and restores hope for us on our healing journey. Music is powerful and having the ability to choose songs that can help us get through difficult times is empowering. Hip-hop DJs are a great example of how mental health can utilize the power of music. Take a day and create your personal mood-elevating playlist. Remember there’s power in choice. It’s your turn to change the mood and create the vibe.
Pillar #3: “Breakdancing”
The pillar known as breakdancing is an art form like nothing anyone has ever seen. Also known as breaking, this style of dance is where many of today’s viral Instagram and TikTok posts originated. Breaking encompasses a level of technical ability, rhythm, athleticism, and style. It is movement and the physical aspect of hip-hop culture that birthed so many dance crazes, movements, and even global competitions. The authenticity and rawness of breaking has been captured in movies throughout history, whether you’re talking about the legendary hip-hop films, “Breakin’” or “Beat Street,” both released in 1984. Breakdancing has a historical significance in our society because it birthed many of the dance competitions we see on TV and in movies today. Breaking also makes for a great connection to mental health and wellness. That is the idea of physical movement and its positive impact on our mental health. According to an article by the American Psychological Association (2011, APA), physical activity positively impacts mood, can alleviate chronic depression, and generally makes us feel good. I am in no way suggesting that someone with serious mental illness start spinning on their head or doing 360-degree windmill spins on the ground, but there is something to the idea of combining movement and a healthy wellness regimen. The idea of movement and music together make for a sound combination of tools to utilize for anyone who is treating a mental illness or anyone who is focused on their mental health. Breaking is intense but it has always been about feeling good. It’s only right that we find more spaces to get people moving again, just like the breakers did in the 1970s to dance away their pain, to party, and to feel good.
Pillar #4: “Graffiti”
That’s right, the spray-painted walls, buildings, and trains were often criticized and have been recognized as a meaningful art form. Graffiti has always been just that for us hip-hop heads. It was another form of expression, communication, and exploration of identity. Graffiti artists are the geniuses that birthed paintings, logos, CD covers, and print illustrations. Utilizing spray paint, graffiti artists would tag (spray paint) their names, images, and work on buildings throughout the Bronx, NY and beyond in the 1970s. Hip-hop artist Fat Joe, who hails from the Bronx, NY, has spoken numerous times about the impact graffiti has had on his life. In 2012, the legendary Bronx rapper stopped at the home of another famous hip-hop artist, Lil Wayne, to show off his graffiti skills. Both artists celebrated the work by showing it to the public on social media. Graffiti is the epitome of self-expression and creativity, which are both essential aspects of healing and wellness. Sigmund Freud, who some have referred to as the father of psychology, stated, “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” Graffiti was utilized by many to express emotions in healthy ways. It was done not only to avoid uglier days but to highlight the beauty that exists in all of us. Although criticized and outlawed in the past, graffiti has gained global acceptance as a highly recognizable art form. Many therapists, practitioners, and mental health advocates encourage those they serve to explore their creative outlets. Whether it’s painting or coloring that a person chooses to participate in for creative stimulation, that same release is synonymous with the feeling graffiti artists of the past experienced in those artistic spaces of the 70s. Mental health needs more art and art needs mental health. Both create the spaces for people to self-express, grow, and heal.
Pillar #5: “Knowledge”
The Hip-Hop culture pillar of knowledge is so important in making the connection between hip-hop and mental health. When I created the Mental-Hop Program in 2017, it was really born out of this idea to utilize the influential power of hip-hop to engage, educate, and empower young people around the importance of mental health. It’s that knowledge or information, which allows for a greater understanding of mental health and wellness. By educating people about the historical significance of hip-hop culture and its origins, we can bring people closer to a greater understanding of mental health and its importance for our daily functioning. The pillar of knowledge allows us to take hip-hop culture into spaces of academia, therapy, politics, community service, and more. All with the goal of helping people feel better, improving their experiences, restoring families, and helping communities heal. Hip-hop culture was born in the streets of the Bronx, NY but it was too powerful to stay in one place. Its global influence makes it an essential resource for educating people about the importance of mental health, healing, and wellness. Hip-hop knowledge is engaging, which decreases stigma and shame because it’s founded on connecting. It’s organically inviting due to authenticity and practicality. You don’t need much to live in this culture called hip-hop. All that’s asked is that you respect it and stay true to it. It sounds like the same request we have for mental health–respect the importance of it and stay true to creating more spaces for people to cope, heal, and grow when addressing their mental health.
Mental health and hip-hop culture are the super-friends we need for today. When they team up, their reach is undeniable. Whether it’s reaching marginalized groups whose voices around mental health issues are seldom heard or highly stigmatized groups like Black and Brown men who may suffer from a lack of emotionally safe spaces to express their feelings, hip-hop culture provides an engaging opportunity to begin to heal. Hip-hop culture is the inviting door of a safe house called mental health.
Source: https://mhanational.org/blog/mental-health-and-hip-hop-undeniable-super-team-healing-wellness
Wann und wo hat das Jodeln eigentlich seinen Ursprung? Volksmusiker wie auch Wissenschaftler wissen das selbst nicht so genau.
«Wir wissen schlicht nicht, wann und wo das Jodeln genau entstanden ist», sagt Dieter Ringli, Dozent an der Hochschule Luzern – Musik. «Schriftlich nachgewiesen ist das Jodeln bereits im 18. Jahrhundert im deutschsprachigen Alpenraum», weiss er. Die Überlieferungen seien zumeist Reiseberichte deutscher Wanderer.
In der gleichen Zeit dürfte wohl auch in der Schweiz schon gejodelt worden sein. Ab Anfang 19. Jahrhundert ist dies auch gesichert, wie Josef Röösli, Präsident des Eidgenössischen Jodler-Dirigenten- und -Komponistenverbands, sagt: «Man weiss, dass am ersten Unspunnenfest von 1805 auch gejodelt wurde.» Traditionelle Gebiete in der Schweiz sind die Ostschweiz (Appenzell, Toggenburg), die Innerschweiz (ausser Uri) sowie das Berner Oberland.
Auch über die Entstehung herrscht wenig Klarheit. Es gibt mehrere Hypothesen. Darunter auch ziemlich weit hergeholte. Etwa, dass sich die Stimme der Bergler aus Freude oder Leid beim Rufen oder Schreien überschlagen habe, oder, dass das Echo in den Bergen zur Melodiebildung beigetragen habe. Vermutet wird auch, dass man das Alphorn imitiert habe, oder aber, dass das Jodeln die Topografie mit hohen Bergen und tiefen Tälern beschreibe. Diese Thesen entbehren allerdings jeglicher Grundlage. Sehr weit verbreitet ist dafür die Ansicht, dass die Menschen in den Bergen durch Jodelrufe Informationen ausgetauscht hätten.
«Doch auch das halte ich für nicht sehr wahrscheinlich», sagt Dieter Ringli. Denn man habe in den Jodellauten keinerlei Hinweise auf codierte Informationen gefunden, während solche Formen von Kommunikation in anderen Weltgegenden durchaus existierten.
Apropos andere Weltgegenden: Nicht nur in den Alpen wird diese spezielle Gesangsform gepflegt, bei der häufig und kunstvoll zwischen Brust- und Falsettstimme gewechselt wird. Ähnliche Formen findet man auch bei Pygmäen im Kongo oder in Indonesien. Als «Jodeln» werden auch andere, textfreie Gesangsformen in Skandinavien, bei den Inuit, in Osteuropa und auf anderen Kontinenten bezeichnet. «Diese Formen haben gesangstechnisch aber nichts mit Jodeln zu tun», so Ringli.
Unbestritten hingegen ist das Jodeln als erfolgreiches Exportprodukt. In den USA und Australien etwa hat es Eingang in die Countrymusic gefunden. Auch traditioneller Jodel wird in den USA seit Jahrzehnten gepflegt.
Einen Boom in den städtischen Zentren erlebte der Jodel bereits Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts vor allem in Deutschland und Österreich. In der Schweiz erfuhr das Jodeln ab dem 20. Jahrhundert eine grosse Entwicklung. Diese begann mit der Gründung des Eidgenössischen Jodlerverbands (EJV) im Jahr 1910, dem auch die Alphornbläser und Fahnenschwinger untergeordnet sind. «Ziel war es damals, die Eigenheit des Schweizer Jodels vor den fremden Einflüssen aus Österreich und Bayern zu schützen», erklärt Josef Röösli. Damals habe es eine starke Vermischung gegeben.
In der Folge wurde das Jodeln vereinheitlicht und das Jodellied stark gefördert. Ab den 30er-Jahren folgte die Zeit der Vereinsgründungen, die sich bis in die 60er- und 70er-Jahre fortsetzte. Vereinzelte Vereine gab es bereits vorher. Ältester Verein der Zentralschweiz ist nach eigenen Angaben der Jodlerklub Heimelig Baar (1919 gegründet).
Während und nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg setzte der EJV zu einer Offensive an, um den Jodel ins ganze Land hinauszutragen. Massgeblichen Anteil daran hatte der Baarer Komponist Robert Fellmann mit seiner 1943 verfassten Grundschule – einer Anleitung zum Jodeln. Die Grundschule wurde in der Folge – vor allem im Mittelland – als verbindliches Regelwerk für das Jodeln betrachtet. Es entstand ein «Einheitsbrei»; regionale Unterschiede, die bis heute das Jodeln prägen und ausmachen, wurden teils richtiggehend ausgemerzt. Dies hatte Fellmann nicht beabsichtigt.
«Der Naturjutz, wie die Jodler aus den traditionellen Regionen ihn pflegen, wurde früher an den Jodlerfesten oft belächelt», erinnert sich Edi Gasser, Ehrendirigent des Jodlerklubs Giswil, Komponist und Naturjutz-Experte. «Man wurde teilweise gar als Analphabet abgestempelt, während die Städter ihre Lieder sogenannt ‹kultiviert› sangen.» Jahrzehntelang fristete der Naturjutz ein Mauerblümchendasein. Eine Entwicklung, die inzwischen wieder umgekehrt wurde. Erheblichen Anteil daran hat auch Edi Gasser. Er setzt sich für dessen Förderung ein, hat unter anderem alle Jutze seines Freundes Ruedi Rymann zu Papier gebracht und unzählige in einer Datenbank zusammengetragen. Heute hat der Naturjutz, mit seinen regionalen Eigenheiten und Unterschieden, seine kulturelle Bedeutung zurückerlangt.
Jodeln liegt im Trend: Selbst in den Großstädten erfreut sich diese alpenländische Gesangsform inzwischen wachsender Beliebtheit. Wie es dazu kam und wie das Jodeln im Laufe seiner Geschichte immer wieder auch instrumentalisiert wurde, haben nun Innsbrucker Forscher nachvollzogen. Sie decken dabei auch die politischen und kulturellen Einflüsse auf die „Jodeltrends“ auf.
Unter Jodeln oder Dudeln versteht man landläufig einen Gesang, bei dem sinnfreie Silben in meist sprunghaften Melodiefolgen aneinandergereiht werden. Typisch ist zudem, dass die Jodelsänger dabei oft in die Falsett- oder Kopfstimme wechseln, um die abrupten Sprünge in die hohen Tonlagen zu bewältigen. In Europa hat das Jodeln seinen Ursprung im östlichen Alpenraum, dort ist es bereits im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert dokumentiert. Einen echten Boom erlebte das Jodeln aber Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts, als bekannte Sänger aus dem Alpenraum diese Form des Gesangs in die europäischen Metropolen brachte und eine regelrechte Jodelmode auslöste. Vor allem durch Tiroler Sängergruppen wurde das Jodeln dann auch international bekannt und populär und fand Eingang unter anderem in die Countrymusik oder den Jazz.
Wie sich das Jodeln im Alpenraum entwickelt hat und welchem Zweck es diente, hat nun ein Forscherteam um den Musikethnologen Raymond Ammann von der Universität Innsbruck näher untersucht. Ihre Studien zeichnen erstmals die bewegte Geschichte des Jodelns und des Jodellieds von den Alpen des 19. Jahrhunderts bis zu seiner neuen Popularisierung im urbanen Raum der Gegenwart nach. Zudem zeigen die Ergebnisse auf, dass sich die historischen Entwicklungen des Jodelns in der Schweiz und in Tirol durchaus unterscheiden.
So zeigen die Forschungen unter anderem, dass das Jodeln in Tirol zu Zeiten der Napoleonischen Kriege vor allem eine identitätsstiftende Funktion erfüllte. Es diente als akustisches Symbol für die Rebellion gegen die französischen und bayrischen Truppen, wie Ammann und sein Team berichten. Im 19. Jahrhundert, nachdem Tiroler Sängergruppen das Jodeln international bekannt und populär gemacht hatten, wurde das Tiroler Lied mit Jodelteil auch in der Schweiz beliebt. Zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts wurden dort sogar eigens Volksmusikfeste wie die Unspunnenfeste in Interlaken bei Bern veranstaltet, um die eigenen Volkstraditionen hochleben zu lassen und um die Stadt- und Landbevölkerung zu vereinigen.
In der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts wurde dann das Jodeln zunehmend politisch instrumentalisiert, wie die Forscher berichten. In Österreich galt das Singen und Jodeln während des Nationalsozialismus als patriotische Gewissenssache und als Ausdruck der „arischen“ Kultur. Das Jodellied wurden daher vom Regime auf verschiedene Weise unterstützt. In der Schweiz dagegen versuchte man sich in dieser Zeit, auch im Jodeln deutlich von den nationalsozialistischen Nachbarn abzugrenzen. So erschien 1943 eine erste schriftliche Anleitung für das Schweizer Jodeln, die es in eine eigene, von der deutsch-österreichischen zu unterscheidende Form bringen sollte. Diese vom Eidgenössischen Jodlerverband geförderte eigene Jodelvariante sollte die nationale Identität bekräftigen und die Distanz zu den nationalsozialistisch geprägten Staaten unterstreichen, wie Ammann und sein Team erklären.
Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg jedoch wurde das Jodeln zunehmend unpopulär. In den 1960er- und 1970er-Jahren galt diese Form des Gesangs – vor allem bei Stadtbewohnern – als reaktionär und als unangebrachter „musikalischer Patriotismus“.
Das hat sich aber interessanterweise in den letzten Jahren deutlich geändert. Mehr noch: Das Jodeln war noch nie so populär wie heute. Längst hat das Jodeln, Dudeln und Juchezen in den modernen Lifestyle auch der urbanen Mittelschicht Einzug gefunden und wird ganz ohne Berührungsängste mit Wandern und auch mit Yoga, Qi Gong oder Pilates kombiniert, und als therapeutisches Mittel nach dem Motto „Jodle dich frei“ eingesetzt. „Das Jodeln ist heute verbindend und dient nicht mehr zur Abgrenzung“, bestätigt Ammann. Stattdessen sehen Menschen das Jodeln nun als eine Möglichkeit, um neue persönliche, musische Erfahrungen – sowohl alleine, als auch in einer Gruppe – zu sammeln.
Wie aber konnte es zu diesem Wandel und neuen Boom des Jodelns kommen? Ammann und sein Team führen dies auf zwei Entwicklungen in der neueren Musikgeschichte zurück. Zum einen brachte die Weltmusikwelle es mit sich, dass Menschen offener für Popularmusik aus fremden Regionen wurden. Das wiederum weckte auch das Interesse an musikalischen „Exotismen“ aus der eigenen Umgebung und Kultur. Zum anderen förderte auch die zunehmende Popularität moderner Formen der Volksmusik das Interesse und machte das Jodeln „salonfähig“: „Aus dem Austropop ging die Neue Volksmusik hervor, mit anfangs satirischen Inhalten“, erklärt Ammann. Mit dieser erlebte dann auch das Jodeln seine Renaissance.
Quelle: https://www.wissenschaft.de/gesellschaft-psychologie/die-bewegte-geschichte-des-jodelns/
Das Phänomen des Jodelns kann auf eine bewegte Geschichte zurückblicken, wobei Tirol eine zentrale Rolle spielt. Nun wurde mit dem Projekt „Tirolerei in der Schweiz“ dem Phänomen näher auf den Grund gegangen. Auch ein Buch soll hierzu demnächst erscheinen.
Ein Team an der Universität Innsbruck hat nun die Geschichte des Jodelns näher beleuchtet und dabei die historischen Entwicklungen zwischen Tirol und der Schweiz verglichen. Dabei wird die Entwicklung des Phänomens vom 19. Jahrhundert bis in die Gegenwart zurückverfolgt.
International bekannt und populär wurde das Jodeln ab dem 19. Jahrhundert dank Tiroler Sängergruppen. Diese machten es somit auch in der Schweiz beliebter und verschafften Tirol in diesem Bereich einen großen kulturellen Einfluss auf die Eidgenossenschaft. Tirol exportierte seine Jodellieder nicht nur in die Schweiz, sondern um 1850 herum auch quer durch Europa und sogar in die USA.
Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts ruderte schließlich der extra dazu gegründete Eidgenössische Jodlerverband (EJV) dagegen und wollte ein schweizerisches Jodeln stärken. Die sogenannte „Tirolerei“ sollte damit wieder zurückgedrängt werden. Das entsprach auch dem damaligen Zeitgeist, als der Nationalismus in Europa bereits ab Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts wieder erstarkte.
Andererseits erlebte das Jodeln selbst durch nationalistisches Denken eine gewisse Aufwertung. Nicht selten diente es Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts für politische Zwecke. „Zudem wurde das Jodeln von einigen Jodelexperten als urdeutsches Kulturgut definiert“, erklärt Raymond Ammann von der Universität Innsbruck. Als Musikethnologe hat er für das aktuelle Forschungsprojekt die gesellschaftliche Wirkung des Jodelns in Tirol und der Schweiz erforscht. Bereits während der Napoleonischen Kriege wirkte das Jodeln identitätsstiftend gegen die Franzosen und die Bayern.
Musikvolksfeste, wie etwa die Unspunnenfeste in Interlaken bei Bern, gaben in der Schweiz Anlass die eigenen Traditionen zu pflegen. Dabei wurde auch das Jodeln in seiner schweizerischen Ursprungsform erhalten. Da das Tiroler Lied mit Jodelteilen stark an Boden gewonnen hatte, wurde schließlich im 20. Jahrhundert versucht eine eigene schweizerische Jodelart wieder mehr zu stärken.
Während des Nationalsozialismus wurde das Jodeln besonders instrumentalisiert als Element der eigenen Identität. Zur besseren Abgrenzung gegenüber der Jodelei in Nazideutschland wurde in der Schweiz 1943 eine eigene Anleitung herausgebracht, wie korrekt schweizerisch gejodelt wird.
In den 1960er und 1970er Jahren interessierte sich die urbane Bevölkerung immer weniger für das Jodeln. Vor allem behielt es seinen Patriotismus-Beigeschmack. Mit der Jahrtausendwende erlebte das Jodeln wieder einen Popularitätsgewinn und wurde vor allem in der urbanen Mittelschicht wieder beliebt. Dabei wird es aber heute vor allem als Form des musikalischen Ausdrucks geschätzt und nicht mehr dermaßen als Form der Identitätsbildung und kulturellen Abgrenzung von anderen.
Für den Popularitätzuwachs, den das Jodeln in jüngerer Vergangenheit verzeichnete, hat Ammann einen Erklärungsansatz. „Aus dem Austropop ging die Neue Volksmusik hervor, mit anfangs satirischen Inhalten, die in den 1990er-Jahren durch ihren Heimatbezug und ihre musikalische Intensität bei den Zuhörern Gemütsbewegungen auslöste“, so der Musikethnologe. Auch habe die Offenheit für Weltmusik wieder zugenommen, was dem Jodeln auch zugutekam.
Quelle: https://tirol.orf.at/stories/3027324/
Toscana Fanboys – Peter Fox (Adriano Celentano
Pinien am Wegrand
Streif’ durchs gelbe Feld
Wie bei Gladiator
Hm, ‘n Helm auf wie’n Held
Von zu viel Vino
Cantuccini machen Kilos
Wir roll’n durch die Hügel (Yeah, yeah)
Im Lancia Sportivo
Häng’n am Pool auf Cypress Hill
Bella figura, Freibad-Skills
Hör’n Celentano und die Grill’n
Toskana-Fanboys chill’n
Saint-Tropez ist nice
Aber hat keine Vibes
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, alright
Aber zu kalt
Malibu-Beach ist heiß
Aber zu weit, hm
Ich bin und bleib’
Toskana-Fanboy for life
Ehi, dimmi un po’, che lingua parli tu? (Mh, ja, ja, ja)
Ah
Forse tu vuoi dire:
«Come è bello fare l’amore mentre fuori piove?» (Ahahahah)
Se è così che la intendi, è questa l’Italia
Fahr’ den Wagen in Adiletten
Capitano wie Zanetti
Abendsonne und Moretti (Mh, mh)
Labern Schrott und wir sind happy
Die Nacht bringt die Kühle
Mh, Neonlicht, Plastikstühle
Adriano singt von Liebe (Cosa?)
Und wir canceln unsre Flüge
Häng’n am Pool auf Cypress Hill
Bella figura, Freibad-Skills
Hör’n Celentano und die Grill’n
Toskana-Fanboys chill’n
Saint-Tropez ist nice
Aber hat keine Vibes
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, alright
Aber zu kalt
Malibu-Beach ist heiß
Aber zu weit, hm
Ich bin und bleib’
Toskana-Fanboy for life
Ciao Peter, ci vediamo
Tanto noi siamo amici (Mh, ja, ja, ja)
Oh, ya! (Hey)
Idiomas RalFer 