3. The R’s: Rock, Rhythm and Blues, and Rap

The popular styles of music that we hear today, like most other Western musical styles, grew out of combinations of elements borrowed from the styles that preceded them. Rhythm and blues (R&B), rock and roll, and rap all resulted from combinations of and changes to musical practices borrowed from jazz, gospel, country, and the blues.

Contemporary popular music (the popular music we hear today) includes the following elements: it is easy to listen to; its melody and lyrics, that is, words, are most important; it has a simple structure and strong melody; it is easy to sing and repetitive, with the form comprising repeating sections; it has a strong beat (with rap, it is the beat) and clear/regular phrases; and it uses few chords.

3.1 Rhythm and Blues

The term “rhythm and blues (R&B)” was first used by Billboard magazine in 1948 to refer to music recorded by black musicians and intended for an African American audience. It has changed definitions several times over the years and is now very much in the mainstream. At one point, the term encapsulated several different musical styles, including soul and funk. Early rhythm and blues ensembles often featured a 12-bar blues form with a strong backbeat (emphasis on beats two and four).

Ray Charles

Early groups typically consisted of a rhythm section augmented by a saxophone or background vocalists. Georgia native Ray Charles was one of the early innovators of R&B.

Earth, Wind & Fire

“Contemporary R&B” generally refers to music with jazz, gospel, and funk roots that uses electronic instruments, drums, horns, and vocals. Earth, Wind & Fire‘s In the Stone is an example of contemporary R&B that includes a rock rhythm section, brass, and synthesizer—plus a great groove. Many other excellent examples exist from groups like Kool and the Gang and The Ohio Players.

3.2 Rock and Roll

Early rock and roll grew directly out of the tradition of rhythm and blues. The term “rock and roll” is widely credited to the disk jockey Alan Freed, who used it to describe the R&B records he played on Cleveland’s WJW radio station. Rock and Roll was marketed to and consumed primarily by a teenage audience. Eventually, the term “rock and roll” was shortened to “rock” and evolved into an all-encompassing international music with a wide variety of subgenres such as glam rock, heavy metal, new wave and grunge. The cultural impact of rock influencing almost every facet of popular culture, from fashion to language.

Although early rock and roll bands often featured a variety of wind instruments such as the saxophone, by the 1950’s, the typical rock and roll band was defined by the electric guitar. Invented in 1931, the instrument used an electronic device called a pickup to convert the vibration of the strings into electronic signals run to a speaker. The earliest electric guitars were merely used as a means of amplification, but rock and roll guitarists began to experiment with various effects, such as distortion that would alter the sound of the instrument.

A typical rock and roll band often included two guitarists. One guitarist typically played “rhythm guitar,” which mean supporting the band by strumming the chords of the song. The second guitarist played “lead guitar,” which meant playing solos in between the vocal lines or in open solo sections. These two guitarists were backed by a drum set and a bass. Often, one of the guitarists doubled as the lead vocalist, while other members might sing background harmonies.

Chuck Berry

Like R&B, rock and roll music places a strong emphasis on the backbeat. These accents are very noticeable in Chuck Berry’s Rock and Roll Music, which features snare drum accents on beats two and four.

Focus Composition: Heartbreak Hotel, performed by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley was one of the most important figures in the history of rock and roll, and one of the most celebrated recording artists of the 20th century. He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. His recording career began in Memphis in 1954 when he worked with Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records. Elvis combined the sounds of country music and rhythm and blues into a style that was initially called rockabilly. Elvis soon moved to the RCA label, and his first single record Heartbreak Hotel, released in 1956, became the number one hit in the United States. By embracing music from both sides of the civil rights movement, Elvis became both very popular and very controversial at the same time. In many ways, he helped bring the popular music of African Americans into the mainstream of white society and paved the way for groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, who were heavily influenced by black artists. Elvis later branched out and recorded many successful ballads and rock tunes. He died of a drug overdose in 1977.

The Beatles

One of the most famous rock and roll groups of all time was The Beatles. This British group toured the United States in 1964 and changed the face of popular music and the recording industry from that time forward. The Beatles popularized the use of electric guitars as the basis of the modern rock band and went on to add strings, brass, organ, and other instruments to the list of instruments used in rock performances and recordings. Their use of straight 8th notes on the cymbals and accents on beats two and four on the snare drum are classic rock and roll rhythm elements. Most Americans are unaware of the influence that Chuck Berry and other American artists had on the style and content of the Beatles’ music.

3.3 Rap

Rap is a form of spoken word delivered over a beat. It can be improvised or written out in advance. The history of rap music is intertwined with the history of hip hop and even disco music. While the origins of rap can be traced back to Africa, rap as we know it came into being in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. However, not until the art form was recorded did it enter the cultural mainstream. One of the first important rap recordings was the 1979 hit, “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang.

Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Walker, born August 9, 1959) was the first rapper to sign with a major record label. The Breaks, a single from his 1980 debut album, was the first certified gold record rap song.

By the 1990s, rap had evolved into a more sophisticated musical style featuring complex rhythms and clever wordplay. The instrumentation of rap music varies greatly depending on the artist and, often, the individual song. Early rap concerts featured DJs creating beats on turntables, which allowed the DJ to create music on the spot by playing and manipulating records. One well-known technique on the turntables is scratching, or improvising a rhythmic solo on one turntable over a beat.

Focus Composition: Can I Kick It?, performed by A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest is widely considered one of the greatest groups of the so-called golden age of hip hop during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their Can I Kick It?, like many rap songs, utilizes a technique called “sampling,” in which a clip of a preexisting song is isolated and looped underneath the rapper (in this case, the bass line from Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side). The song also features the use of scratching mentioned above.