Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of
house music and
hip hop, that originated in both
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, United Kingdom and
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
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, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, United States in the mid to late 1980s.
British group the
Beatmasters' "
Rok da House
"Rok da House" is the debut single by British production trio the Beatmasters featuring hip hop duo the Cookie Crew. Released as a single in 1987, the song was a top 40 hit in at least seven countries. In the UK, its first release only managed a ...
" is known to be the very first hip house record, having been written and pressed to vinyl in August 1986. Other early hip house records by British artists include "
Pump Up the Volume" by
MARRS
MARRS (stylised M, A, R, R, S) were a 1987 recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox, which only released one commercial disc. It became "a one-hit wonder of rare influence" because of their international hit " Pump Up t ...
and "
Beat Dis
"Beat Dis" is a song by British act Bomb the Bass, a studio production 'group' formed by producer Tim Simenon originally as the Rhythm King All Stars, with producer Pascal Gabriel and Adele Nozedar from Indians in Moscow involved too.
From Bom ...
" by
Bomb the Bass, both from 1987.
History
Minor controversy ensued in 1988 when a U.S. record called "Turn Up the Bass" by
Tyree featuring Kool Rock Steady claimed it was the "first hip house record on vinyl". The
Beatmasters disputed this, pointing out that "
Rok da House
"Rok da House" is the debut single by British production trio the Beatmasters featuring hip hop duo the Cookie Crew. Released as a single in 1987, the song was a top 40 hit in at least seven countries. In the UK, its first release only managed a ...
" had originally been written and pressed to vinyl in 1986. The outfit then released "Who's in the House?" featuring British emcee Merlin, containing the lines "Beatmasters stand to attention, hip house is your invention" and "Watch out Tyree, we come faster". More claims to the hip-house crown were subsequently laid down by
Fast Eddie in "Yo Yo Get Funky!",
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 hit " It Takes Two", ...
with "
It Takes Two", and
Tony Scott
Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''D ...
's "That's How I'm Living".
After successful releases by the Beatmasters,
Deskee
Deskee is the stage name for Derrick Crumpley, a German-American house music artist.
Biography Early life
He moved to Germany in 1984 with his mother, who was a member of the Armed Forces.
Musical career
Deskee became the main DJ for the road sh ...
, Tyree, KC Flightt,
Doug Lazy
Doug Lazy (real name Gene Douglas Finley) is an American hip hop and dance music producer and DJ from Washington, D.C. Lazy scored a number of hip house hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including ...
and
Mr. Lee, hip-house became popular in the
acid house warehouse scene and
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
s. Hip house also garnered substantial chart success.
The style complemented sample-based records of the period, produced by British artists such as
S-Express
S'Express (pronounced ''ess-express''; sometimes spelled S'Xpress or S-Express) were a British dance music act from the late 1980s, who had one of the earliest commercial successes in the acid house genre.
"Theme from S'Express", which containe ...
,
Bomb the Bass and
M/A/R/R/S
MARRS (stylised M, A, R, R, S) were a 1987 recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox, which only released one commercial disc. It became "a one-hit wonder of rare influence" because of their international hit " Pump Up ...
.
Hip house's further crossover success would come in the form of two ground breaking records: "I'll House You" by the
Jungle Brothers
Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop trio composed of Michael Small (Mike Gee), Nathaniel Hall ( Afrika Baby Bam), and Sammy Burwell (DJ Sammy B). Known as the pioneers of the fusion of jazz, hip-hop, and house music, they were the first hi ...
and "
It Takes Two" by
Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 hit " It Takes Two", ...
. "I'll House You" is generally seen as a collaboration between
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
house-music producer
Todd Terry
Todd Norton Terry (born April 18, 1967) is an American DJ, record producer and remixer in the genre of house music.
Musical career
Todd Terry was influential in moving House music beyond the early Chicago house sound of 1984–86. He crosse ...
and the Jungle Brothers (an Afrocentric hip-hop group from New York). "It Takes Two" was described by ''
Hip Hop Connection
''Hip Hop Connection'' (''HHC'') was the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. It was described by rapper Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world".
History
Under the editorship of Chris Hunt, the magazine p ...
'' magazine as "...the first palatable form of hip-house for hardcore hip hop fans."
Hip hop rappers that would receive the hip house
remix treatment included Vitamin C,
Sweet Tee,
Raze, and
the D.O.C.
Tracy Lynn Curry (born June 10, 1968), better known as The D.O.C., is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. In addition to a solo career, he was a member of the Southern hip hop group Fila Fresh Crew and later collaborated with ga ...
Hip house tracks featured on popular dance compilations including
Telstar
Telstar is the name of various communications satellites. The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the fi ...
's ''Deep Heat'' compilation series and was championed by DJs such as To Kool Chris and
Chad Jackson.
As house music emerged as a worldwide industry by the late 1980s, U.S. acts such as
C+C Music Factory
C, or c, is the third letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''cee'' (pronounced ), plural ''cees''.
History
"C" ...
would use the hip house formula in hits such as "
Gonna Make You Sweat", as well as the
Eurodance genre - particularly with hits by the Belgian group
Technotronic
Technotronic was a Belgian electronic music project formed in 1987 by Jo Bogaert, who originally gained popularity in Europe as a solo artist with various new beat projects, including Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo. Together with rapper Manuela ...
, German groups
Snap!
Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of line-up changes over the years, including American singers, songwriters and rappers Thea Austin, Turbo B ...
and
Real McCoy
"The real McCoy" is an idiom and metaphor used in much of the English-speaking world to mean "the real thing" or "the genuine article", e.g. "he's the real McCoy". The phrase has been the subject of numerous false etymologies.
History
The phr ...
, and Italian
Lee Marrow
Lee may refer to:
Name
Given name
* Lee (given name), a given name in English
Surname
* Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee:
** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname
** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese ...
.
Influence on UK rave scene
Late 1980s hip house releases by UK artists such as
Double Trouble and
Rebel MC
Michael Alec Anthony West (born 27 August 1964 in Islington, London, England), better known as Rebel MC and Congo Natty, is a British jungle producer and toaster. He has also gone by aliases including Conquering Lion, Blackstar, Tribe of Issach ...
,
Blapps Posse and
Shut Up and Dance were an early influence towards the early 1990s UK
rave scene and the
breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore (also referred to as hardcore rave or oldskool hardcore) is a music genre of the very early 1990s that spawned from the UK rave scene. It combines four-on-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats usually sampled from hip hop. In ad ...
genre (and genres that developed from it such as
jungle
A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century.
Etymology
The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja ...
).
Hip house in the present day
A modern form of hip house became popular in the mid-2000s, known as electro hop,
with artists enjoying mainstream success towards the end of the decade and into the 2010s. These artists included
LMFAO
LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...
,
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
(most notably with his albums ''
Rebelution'' (2009) and ''
Planet Pit'' (2011)),
Flo Rida,
Far East Movement
Far East Movement (abbreviated FM) is an American hip hop and electronic music group based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and as of August 2018 consists of Kev Nish (Kevin Nishimura), Prohgress (James Roh), DJ Virman (Virman Coquia), ...
,
Hyper Crush
Hyper Crush is an American electro- hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, consisting of rapper Donny Fontaine, singer Holly Valentine, and DJ/ keytarist Patrick Ridge.
Background
Early career (2006–2007)
Hyper Crush, composed of three ...
,
Example (described as "rave-rap" or "
rave-hop
Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip hop, that originated in both London, United Kingdom and Chicago, United States in the mid to late 1980s.
British group the Beatmast ...
") and
Azealia Banks
Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. In ...
.
Electronic dance music DJs/producers also had hits in the genre, which featured vocals from rappers. These include "
C'mon (Catch 'em by Surprise)" by
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...
and
Diplo with
Busta Rhymes,
and "
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" by
Wolfgang Gartner
Joseph Thomas Youngman (born March 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Wolfgang Gartner, is an American DJ and music producer. Much of his music prior to 2010 was released through his own record label, Kindergarten, but he signed with Ultr ...
and
will.i.am
William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas.
...
. French artist
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta ( , ; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and music producer. He has over 10 million album and 65 million single sales globally, with more than 10 billion streams. In 2011, 2020 and 2021, Guetta was voted the number one D ...
had several hip house hits such as "
Memories
Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...
" with
Kid Cudi,
"
Where Them Girls At
"Where Them Girls At" (originally titled "Where Dem Girls At?") is a song by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, featuring vocals from American rapper Flo Rida and Trinidadian-American rapper Nicki Minaj. The track was released on 2 May ...
" with
Flo Rida and
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...
,
"
Gettin' Over You
"Gettin' Over You" (originally titled "Gettin' Over") is a song by French DJ David Guetta and American singer Chris Willis, from Guetta's fourth studio album, '' One Love''. "Gettin' Over You" features additional vocals by Fergie and hip hop ...
" with
LMFAO
LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...
and "
Little Bad Girl
"Little Bad Girl" is a single by French DJ David Guetta, featuring vocals from English recording artist Taio Cruz and American rapper Ludacris. It was released for digital download from 27 June 2011 by Virgin Records, serving as the second singl ...
" with
Taio Cruz
Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...
and
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
.
Hip house in the 2020s include "
Ego Death
Ego death is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity". The term is used in various intertwined contexts, with related meanings. Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term psychic death, referring to a fundamental transformation of the psych ...
" by
Ty Dolla Sign
Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...
, "
My High
"My High" is a song by British electronic music duo Disclosure, American rapper Aminé and British rapper Slowthai. It was released as the fourth single from the duo's third studio album ''Energy'' on 3 July 2020. The song was written by Howard L ...
" by
Disclosure
Disclosure may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Disclosure'' (The Gathering album), 2012
*Disclosure (band), a UK-based garage/electronic duo
* ''Disclosure'' (novel), 1994 novel written by Michael Crichton
** ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American ...
,
Aminé and
Slowthai
Tyron Kaymone Frampton (born 18 December 1994), better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, politic ...
, "
Believe What I Say" by
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, and "
Her
Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun She (pronoun), she.
Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Music
* H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer
**H.E.R. (album), ''H.E.R.'' ...
" by
Megan Thee Stallion.
References
{{House music-footer
Hip hop genres
Music of Chicago
House music genres
Fusion music genres
American styles of music
British styles of music
British hip hop genres