Hip Hop is an art form that includes deejaying, rapping, breakdancing, and
graffiti art. Hip Hop originated in the South Bronx section of New York City
around the mid 1970’s. It been strong for years in black and Puerto Rican
communities in New York and has recently started gaining success from widespread
exposure. A large part of Hip Hop is rapping the origination of this gets its
roots from a Jamaican art form known as toasting. Artists like James Brown, The
Last Poets, and Gil Scott Heron along with many others and a popular black
activist H. Rap Brown have helped influence rap to its present form. The art of
Deejaying another large part of hip hop was brought about by Grand Master Flash
and Grand Wizard Theodore. The widespread of it is due in much part to Rock It
by Herbie Hancock and Buffalo Gals by Malcolm MacLarens. One of todays most
popular groups is three white guys from New York know worldwide as the Beastie
Boys. The Beastie Boys were originally a few guys named Mike Diamond(Mike D),
Adam Yauch(MCA), John Berry (now of Thwig), and a female drummer named Kate
Schellenbach (now of Lucious Jackson). They originally started out as an
underground punk band in 1981. IN 1982 they released a 7 inch EP Polly Wog Stew
in the Indie Rat Cage. This gained little attention. That same year they met
Adam Horovitz(Ad Rock) who was in the band The Young and the Useless. By 1983
Kate and John had left the band, and Horovitz joined. They then released the rap
record Cookie Puss on a 12 inch single. The record was based on a prank call the
group made to Carvel Ice Cream.. the single was an underground hit and lead the
band to leave punk and turned their focus towards hip hop. In 1984 they joined
the newly formed Def Jam Record label. In late 1986 they released their first
album License to Ill it became the biggest selling rap album of the 80’s. In
1988 they left Def Jam and joined Columbia records. That year they released
their second album Paul’s Boutique. This album never gained much popularity
but would lay the path for other artists with their cut and paste sample
techniques. For their next record they formed their own record label Grand Royal
and released Check Your Head in 1992. In 1994 they released some old punk
recordings on a small record Some Old Bull*censored* and in June of that year
released Ill Communications. In 1998 they released their latest album Hello
Nasty to once again prove they are the kings of Hip Hop.