 |
|
|
|||||
There was a time when artists representing two of Americas biggest homegrown musical genres wouldnt get a look in at the Grammys. Hip-hop and house both have their origins in the 1970s and early 1980sin fact, they recently celebrated a 50th and 40th birthday, respectively. But it was only in 1989 that an award category for best rap performance started recognizing hip-hops contribution to U.S. music, and house had to wait another decade, with the introduction of best dance/electronic recording in 1998. At this years awards, taking place on February 2, hip-hop and house artists will be among the most talked about. House duo Justice and Kendrick Lamar, a hip-hop superstar who incorporates elements of house himself, are among those looking to pick up an award. Meanwhile, a nomination for a collaboration between DJ Kaytranada and rapper Childish Gambino shows how artists from both genres continue to feed off each other. And while both genres are now celebrated for their separate contributions to the music landscape, as a scholar of African American culture and music, I am interested in their commonality: Both are distinctly Black American art forms that originated on the streets and dance floors of U.S. cities, developing a devoted underground following before being accepted byand transformingthe mainstream. The pulse of the 1970s The roots of hip-hop and house music both lie in the seismic shifts of the late 1970s, a period of sociopolitical unrest and electronic experimentation that redefined the possibilities of sound. For hip-hop, this was expressed through the turntable manipulation pioneered by DJ Kool Herc in 1973, when he extended and looped breakbeats to energize crowds. House musics innovators turned to the drum machine to create the genres foundational four-on-the-floor dance rhythm. That rhythm, foreshadowed by Eddy Grants 1977 production of Time Warp by the Coachouse Rhythm Section, would go on to shape house musics distinct pulse. The track showed how electronic instruments such as the synthesizer and drum machine could recast traditional rhythmic patterns into something entirely new. This dance vibein which a base drum provides a steady four-four beatbecame the heartbeat of house music, creating an enduring structure for DJs to layer bass lines, percussion, and melodies. In a similar way, Kool Hercs breakbeat manipulation provided the scaffolding for MCs and dancers in hip-hops formative years. Marginalized communities in urban centers like Chicago and New York were at the forefront of these innovations. Despite experiencing grinding poverty and discrimination, it was Black and Latino youtharmed with turntables, drum machines, and samplerswho made these groundbreaking advances in music. For hip-hop, this meant manipulating breakbeats from songs like Kraftwerks Trans-Europe Express and Numbers to energize B-boys and B-girls; for house, it meant extending discos rhythmic pulse into an ecstatic, inclusive dance floor. Both genres exemplifiedand continue to exemplifythe ingenuity of predominantly Black and Hispanic communities who turned limited resources into cultural revolutions. From this shared origin of technological experimentation, cultural resilience and creative ingenuity, hip-hop and house music grew into distinct yet globally influential movements. The message and the MIDI By the early 1980s, both genres had found their feet. Hip-hop emerged as a powerful voice for storytelling, resistance and identity. Building on the foundations laid down by DJ Kool Herc, artists like Afrika Bambaataa emphasized hip-hops cultural and communal aspects. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Flash elevated the genres technical artistry with innovations like cutting and scratching. By 1984, hip-hop had evolved from its grassroots beginnings in the Bronx into a cultural movement on the cusp of mainstream recognition. Run-DMCs self-titled debut album released that year introduced a harder, stripped-down sound that departed from disco-influenced beats. Their music, paired with the trios Adidas tracksuits and gold chains, established an aesthetic that resonated far beyond New York City. Music videos on MTV gave hip-hop a new medium for storytelling, while films like Beat Street and Breakin showcased the features and tenets of hip-hop culture: DJing, rapping, graffiti, breaking and knowledge of self cementing its cultural presence, and presenting it to a world outside the U.S. But at its core, hip-hop remained a voice for the voiceless that sought to address systemic inequities through storytelling. Tracks like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Fives The Message vividly depicted the reality of living in poor, urban communities, while Public Enemys Fight the Power and Tupac Shakurs Keep Ya Head Up became anthems for social justice. Together these artists positioned hip-hop as a platform for resistance and empowerment. Becoming a cultural force Unlike hip-hops lyrical storytelling, house music focused on the physicality of rhythm and the collective experience of the dance floor. And as hip-hop moved away from disco, house leaned into it. Italys father of disco, Giorgio Moroder, showed the way with his pioneering use of synthesizers in Donna Summers I Feel Love. Over in New York, Larry Levans DJ sets at Paradise Garage demonstrated how electronic instruments could create immersive, emotionally charged experiences as a club that centered crowd participation through dance and not lyrics. By 1984, Chicago DJs Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy were repurposing disco tracks with drum machines like the Roland TR-808 and 909 to create hypnotic beats. Knuckles, known as the Godfather of House, transformed his sets at the Warehouse club into euphoric experiences, giving the genre its name in the process. House music thrived on inclusivity, served as a safe space for Black and Latino members of the LGBTQ+ communities at a time when hip-hop was severely unwelcomingof gay men. Tracks like Jesse Saunderss On & On and Marshall Jeffersons Move Your Body celebrated freedom, love, and unity, encapsulating its liberatory spirit, as rap music and hip-hop culture embarked on its mainstream journey with songs like Run DMCs Sucker M.C.s (Krush Groove) and Salt-N-Pepa debuted their album Hot, Cool, & Vicious. As with hip-hop, by the the mid-1980s house music had become a cultural force, spreading from Chicago to Detroit to New York and, eventually, to the U.K.s rave scene. Its emphasis on repetition, rhythm, and electronic instrumentation solidified its global appeal, uniting people across identities and geographies. Mainstays in modern music Despite their differences, moments of crossover highlight their shared DNA. From the late 1980s, tracks like Yo Yo Get Funky by Fast Eddie and Ill House You by the Jungle Brothers merged house beats with hip-hops lyrical flow. Artists like Kaytranada and Doechii continue to blend the two genres today, staying true to the genres legacies while pushing their boundaries. And technology continues to drive both genres. Platforms like SoundCloud have democratized music production, allowing emerging artists to build on the decades of innovations that preceded them. Collaborations, such as Disclosure and Charli XCXs Shes Gone, Dance On, highlight their adaptability and enduring appeal. Whether through hip-hops lyrical narratives or houses rhythmic euphoria, these genres continue to inspire, challenge and transcend. As the 2025 Grammy Awards celebrate todays leading house and hip-hop artists and their contemporary achievements, it is clear that the legacies of these two genres are mainstays in the kaleidoscope of American popular music and culture, having come a long way from back-to-school park jams and underground dance parties. Joycelyn Wilson is an assistant professor of ethnographic and cultural studies at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Category:
E-Commerce
A funny thing happened after I stopped using Clicks, the keyboard case that effectively turns an iPhone into an oversized Blackberry: The phone by itself suddenly seemed punier. I mean that in terms of both size and mightiness. Because while Clicks’ four rows of physical keys stretch an iPhone to comical length, they also add a bunch of powerful shortcuts for getting things done. My typing hasn’t gotten any faster with Clicks, but things like copying, pasting, and switching between apps has become more efficient. The first Clicks keyboard cases launched a year ago, with tech YouTuber Michael Fisher and Crackberry blog founder Kevin Michaluk co-founding the company to scratch a highly specific itch. The iPhone 16 versions, which just launched in January, have a more sculpted key design that’s easier to type on, while also adding MagSafe accessory support and USB-C data transfer. They are no less niche, though. As before, the price is $139 for regular-sized iPhones and $159 for the Pro Max and Plus modelsnot the kind of purchase one makes without being super committed to the concept. But the most I used Clicks, the more I wished for a version that included everything but the keyboard. Not faster, but more satisfying I’ve been using Clicks on an iPhone 16 Pro Max for the past few weeks now. While there’s a learning curveespecially with using modifier keys for punctuationI’ve become pretty adept at thumb typing on Clicks’ physical keys. Still, every time I perform a typing test, the results are about the same with or without Clicks. The reality is that on-screen keyboards have become pretty efficient on their own. Between gesture typing and auto-correct, a practiced touchscreen typist can rattle off emails or text messages without having to scrutinize each letter, so there’s little time gained from having physical keys beneath the thumbs. And while Clicks does free up screen space that an on-screen keyboard would normally occupy, the evolution of smartphone design plays against Clicks here as well: Our phones have gotten taller in large part to accommodate the on-screen keyboard, with apps becoming increasingly adept at keeping important details within view. Rarely did I feel like Clicks was freeing up essential space. At best, the typing upside with Clicks is vibes-based. While I never owned a BlackBerry and don’t feel the nostalgia of using a modern-day homage, the tactile keys still feel substantial in a ways that software keys don’t. On some level, writing with Clicks feels a little more like an accomplishment, even if it’s not any faster. Keyboard command center The Clicks keyboard is about more than just typing, though. The real utility is in its ability to execute commands. On the most basic level, Clicks supports the same keyboard shortcuts you’d get by connecting your iPhone or iPad to a Bluetooth keyboard. Instead of shaking your phone or using the unreliable three-finger swipe gesture to undo, you can just click Cmd+Z. Instead of tapping the exact point of text insertion and waiting for the tiny “paste” button to pop up, you can just click Cmd+V. You can even use app-specific shortcuts, such as Cmd+T and Cmd+W to open and close new browser tabs in Safari. Navigational shortcuts are even better. Hitting Cmd+Space brings up Spotlight, where you can access apps, contacts, and Shortcuts just by typing a letter two and hitting Enter. Unlike the touchscreen version, which requires a return to the home screen, the keyboard shortcut works from anywhere, even inside other apps. Combined with some other navigational shortcutsCmd+H for Home, Globe+N for notifications, Globe+C for Command CenterClicks lets you quickly get around iOS without taking fingers off the keyboard. There’s also a hidden feature that goes a step further, letting you set up custom keyboard commands to run automations from the iOS Shortcuts app. It requires some rooting around in Accessibility settings, but in the end you can have keyboard shortcuts for things like launching a favorite app, taking a quick note, or opening your preferred AI assistant. It’s kind of like having a bunch of iPhone 16 Action Buttons lined up on the bottom of your phone.\ Unforeseen consequences Too bad these extra capabilities come with some significant trade-offs. Obviously, there’s the size of the thing. The iPhone 16 Pro Max with Clicks just barely fits in my pants pockets and isn’t comfortable to sit with, so I’ve been more prone to just plopping it onto the nearest table. Other annoyances are just inherent to using a physical keyboard instead of the on-screen one: If you use a third-party password manager like Bitwarden, there’s no persistent bar above the keyboard for accessing passwords or two-factor authentication codes. You can auto-fill logins through an on-screen pop-up, but this doesn’t let you select alternative logins and sometimes failed to work properly. One-handed typing takes more effort, especially with the phone being more top-heavy. While Clicks has a button to bring up the on-screen keyboard, it’s still more cumbersome to type on with a full row of physical keys under your palm. Cicks’ backlit keys don’t light up until you press them, so a lot of times I had to guess at the first keystroke while trying to type in the dark. (I wish the keys lit up whenever you tapped on a text entry field, but I’m not sure if iOS allows for that.) Clicks’ unusual shape can lead to some awkward charging and docking scenarios as well. Clicks doesn’t fit at all in my car’s wireless charging tray, and I have to flip the phone upside down to use the upright wireless charger on my nightstand. And while Clicks for iPhone 16 has MagSafe support, it’s too tall and heavy to fit on the MagSafe vent mount in my wife’s car. The case for a keyboard-less Clicks In the end, Clicks’ slightly more satisfying typing experience doesn’t seem worth all those trade-offs to me. But when I went back to using my iPhone by itself, I missed having all of Clicks’ extra shortcuts under my thumbs. What I really want from Clicks, then, is everything but the thing for which it’s best-known. Instead of a full keyboard, give me a version with just a single row of shortcut keys, allowing me to efficiently manipulate text, navigate iOS and trigger my most-used Shortcuts. Take the iPhone’s Action Button, in other words, and multiply it by eight or 10 at the very bottom of the phone. Dispensing with physical keys for typing wouldn’t slow me down at all, but it would sidestep Clicks’ biggest compromises while preserving its greatest strengths. Would a company founded by former Blackberry addicts countenance such a thing? I don’t know, but I’d probably buy one.
Category:
E-Commerce
Last week, in an article for Fast Company, author and tech executive Rebekah Bastian wrote about why she doesnt read productivity books. The vast majority of these books are written by men who dont shoulder the majority of parenting duties, she says. Like so many working women, I carry a substantial portion of the second shift at home: cooking, homework help, bedtime routines, and general emotional support, she writes. The big chunk of uninterrupted time that these authors count onwhether its a 5 a.m. stretch of ‘sacred hours’ or a mini-sabbatical to reboot creativityjust doesnt exist in my life. If I tried to follow their advice, Id be setting myself up for failure or burnout. Bastian discusses some of the more sustainable habits that she incorporates into her life, including multitasking when appropriate. While fixating on maximizing productivity can lead to burnout, there are reasonable ways, such as this, to try to get more done in less time: Embrace No Sometimes the best way to make space for what you want or need to do is to decline opportunities that dont advance your goals. Of course this doesnt work for every situationsometimes we all have to take on projects that we dont want to do. But its still worth practicing pausing before agreeing to new assignments, writes Mikaela Kiner, founder and CEO of uniquelyHR. Its sometimes helpful to ask, If I dont do this, will it matter in three weeks, three months, three years from now? says Kiner. This way, youll get a more accurate picture of whether your lack of participation is genuinely critical. Prioritize creativity and rest As we race to our jobs, churn through never-ending to-do lists, and run from meeting to meeting, eyes glazed over from the frenzied nature of our daily lives, many of us believe that we need to work this way in order to deserve rest, writes Katina Bajaj, cofounder and chief well-being officer of Daydreamers. But downtime is critical to happiness and well-being, she says. The antidote to our productive nature is simple, but often overlooked. The key is to wake up a part of ourselves that weve numbed in order to exist on the hamster wheel: our naturally creative minds. Pursuing creative projects and prioritizing rest help make the time you spend working more productive, says Bastian. Creative hobbieslike aerial arts or art projectsare also productive, because they nourish my mental health. And rest is productive, because it replenishes the energy I need to show up fully in work and life.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||