Hip-Hop Evolution Season 1
Hip-Hop Evolution is a Netflix original series that reviews the history of major hip-hop movements all over the United States. The series includes interview with some of the original moguls of the industry (Uncle Luke, P Diddy, etc.,). Where did hop-hop begin? While most people would say New York, it does depend who you ask. Hip-hop evolved from other forms of music and black folk traditions in separate parts of the country in different ways. Eventually different styles would converge and influence each other. I will use the Hip-Hop Evolution series to continue to build on my historical background of hip-hop as well as to continue to observe the evolution of content, production, and purpose of hip-hop music.
Drake: Room For Improvement
Drake is arguably the most successful musician of all time, let alone rapper. But Drake’s career is unique in the many transformations it has taken. He started out as a self proclaimed “Back-Pack-Rapper.” He intentionally identified as a “underground artist.” Today he is the face of the mainstream music scene. How did this happen? Neoliberal principles compelled Drake to make certain choices in his career that could then be exploited by record labels to produce what many would call insincere. I being my journey through Drake’s career at his first mixtape, Room for Improvement. I will observe the content of Drake’s early music to later compare it to his more current and mainstream music. I will detail the transformation in content and presentation that Drake goes through.
Currently I am bringing Drake’s career into the context of hip-hop history.