Pop music star known for her synth-pop style and sexually provocative performance persona
Madonna
Electronic device that allows musicians to blend, manipulate, and ultimately create new musical sounds
Synthesizer
Poetic storytelling tradition with roots in the trickster tales of West Africa and a major influence in the formation of hip-hop culture and rap music
“Toasting”
Technique developed by Grandmaster Flash’s protege, Grand Wizard Theodore, which involved spinning a record back and forth on a turntable to create scratchy sound effects
Scratching
Progressive country artist who began as a songwriter, DJ, and cover artist of Roy Acuff tunes who rose to fame in the 1970s, collaborating with fellow “outlaw” country artist Waylon Jennings
Willie Nelson
Jamaican music blending Afro-Carribbean folk music and American R&B, characterized bby heavy backbeats and gritty, politically charged lyrics
Reggae
Song section marked by energy gain that precedes a chorus
Prechorus
“King of Pop” known for his signature “moonwalk” and collaborations with a wide variety of artists
Michael Jackson
Lead singer of the band Queen, known for his incredible range, flamboyant performance, and piano skills
Freddie Mercury
Influential early hip-hop trio that often blended rock and rap characteristics; first rap group to headline a national tour and appear on MTV
Run D.M.C.
Commercially successful female rap artist that often touched on themes of female and African American empowerment
Queen Latifah
TV channel launched in 1981 dedicated to music, musicians, and music videos initially
MTV
Female Latin pop artist from Cuba and member of the Miami Sound Machine who sold over 90 million albums worldwide
Gloria Estefan
English heavy metal band known for their hit “Smoke on the Water” (1972)
Deep Purple
Rock style blending punk and heavy metal, with heavy distortion and a “dirty” sound/timbre
Grunge Rock
Late 1980s variant of rap associated with southern California featuring highly stylized narratives of dilemmas faced by urban communities (poverty, drugs, and violence) often with darker lyric content
Gangsta Rap
1970s NYC (Bronx); socioeconomic challenges and decline; rhyming
Origins of Hip-Hop
African influence: emphasis on rhythmic complexity and improvisation; importance of DJs: heavy groove with strong backbeats; turntable use
Musical Characteristics of Hip-Hop
Idea of pushing the boundaries or playing with set expectations of a given musical style; usually a blend of musical styles and cultural elements; complex in form, harmony, and rhythms
“Progressive Music”
Progressive country; rebel/cowboy image
Waylon Jennings
Mix of Afro-Caribbean folk music and American R&B; Mento; Ska; Rock Steady; connection to rastafarian movement
Origins of Reggae
National hero in his native Jamaica for songs of determination, rebellion, and faith rooted in the Rastafarian belief system
Bob Marley
Addition to Verse-Chorus Form
Pre-chorus, post-chorus, intro and outro
Progressively more successful in pop music while continuing to cast both his music and his personal image in the light of rebellious rock ‘n’ rollers of the 1950s and the socially conscious folk rockers of the 1960s
Bruce Springsteen
