The New School: Hip Hop At 50
In the mid-1980s, the sound of hip hop shifted away from the funk and soul break beats of the first generation and embraced electronic beats, drum machines, and complex sampling.
In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, hip hop experienced a significant evolution in sound, style, and popularity. The sound of hip hop shifted away from funk and soul break beats and embraced electronic beats, drum machines, and complex music sampling, heard in the music of the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. MCs evolved the style of rapping by developing an intricate style of lyricism and multisyllabic rhymes and wordplay, highlighted by innovators such as Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, and MC Lyte.
The Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill
The Beastie Boys used clever wordplay, inventive genre splicing and sampling, and elaborate music videos to become one of the biggest groups in America, while also being vocal supporters of social causes and global issues.
“No Sleep till Brooklyn” was from the Beasties’ debut studio album Licensed to Ill - the first rap album to top the Billboard charts. The lyrics were written by Michael “Mike D” Diamond. Slayer guitarist Kerry King played the guitar riffs and solo on the track.
Revolutions - Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill (2012) by Beastie BoysRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Revolutions - Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill
Beastie Boys’ Licensed to Ill grew the the genre from the one-on-one relationship between MC and DJ and helped bring a full narrative to the ears in a sound that would be the template for future hip hop.
Run-D.M.C. / Beastie Boys flyer
This flyer was distributed at one of the venues on the Run-D.M.C. / Beastie Boys 1987 UK tour to discourage fans from creating havoc after the show.
The rise of music television shows like Yo! MTV Raps and the creation of independent record labels like Def Jam established a national platform that moved beyond the underground scene in New York. Through music video, hip hop artists became trendsetters with fans adopting their styles: Run-D.M.C.’s lace-less Adidas shoes, Salt-N-Pepa’s track jackets, and LL COOL J’s boombox and Kangol hat. This era saw the rise of artists who achieved significant commercial success and crossover appeal.
LL COOL J
LL COOL J was still a teenager when he became the face of Def Jam records with hard-hitting singles like “Rock the Bells.” Through the 1980s, LL became one of the best-selling hip hop artists of the decade, leveraging his music career into movies, TV, fashion, and fitness.
LL COOL J Ring (c. 1989)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
LL COOL J ring
LL COOL J has worn this signature four-finger ring in numerous promotional photos and on the cover of his fourth studio LP, Mama Said Knock You Out. “[‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ was] another way of saying that LL has been such an innovator,” rapper Eminem said of the song.
LL COOL J
Hats have been a part of LL COOL J’s signature style from the very beginning, from Kangol bucket hats to leather top hats to dapper flat caps. For LL (born James Todd Smith), fashion means “bringing that hip hop sensibility to everything” he wears.
LL COOL J and Eminem perform (2021) by Rock & Roll Hall of FameRock & Roll Hall of Fame
LL COOL J and Eminem perform
LL COOL J and Eminem perform "Rock The Bells" at LL COOL J's Induction.
The New School was a time of significant growth and innovation for the genre, as it continued to evolve, push boundaries, and achieve wider mainstream acceptance. It was the moment that proved that hip hop was here to stay.
Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell of Run-D.M.C. tuxedo
Run-D.M.C. was Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell of the Hollis neighborhood of Queens. They were key to ushering rap music into its second wave, as the first rappers to go platinum and to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone.
Rolling Stone magazine
This Rolling Stone issue marked the first time a rap group was featured on the magazine’s cover. “I was a shy, nerdy, geeky kid but hip hop empowered me,” D.M.C. said. “I can use this [music] to not be afraid to tell the world who I am.”
Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. talks about his Induction (June 24, 2009) by Rock & Roll Hall of FameRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. talks about his Induction
2009 Inductee Darryl McDaniels talks about his Induction in front of the Run-D.M.C. exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum.
Joe Perry Guild X-100 Blade Runner electric guitar
This guitar was used by Joe Perry in the music video for Run-D.M.C.’s 1986 remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” a watershed crossover of rap and rock. The song was the first hip hop track to make the Top 10 on Billboard's singles chart and was an MTV video rotation mainstay.
"Walk This Way" video (1986) by Run-D.M.C. and AerosmithRock & Roll Hall of Fame
"Walk This Way" video
The official music video for "Walk This Way" by Run DMC featuring Aerosmith.
Salt-N-Pepa (1994) by Photographer Matthew RolstonRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Salt-N-Pepa
As an all-female crew with a platinum debut album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, Salt-N-Pepa broke down doors for women in hip hop. They were among the first rap artists to cross over into the pop mainstream, laying groundwork for the genre's widespread acceptance in the 1990s.
Spinderella performs (February 15, 2012) by Rock & Roll Hall of FameRock & Roll Hall of Fame
Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa performs
Spinderella performs at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum, demonstrating one of the sets she used to spin in her earliest days as a member of Salt-N-Pepa.
Salt-N-Pepa jacket
Salt-N-Pepa wore these jackets during the first hip hop residency on the Vegas strip in 2018. “Many women come up to us and share how we helped them get through a challenging relationship, through college, or how we inspired them in many ways to go for their dreams,” Salt said.
Rakim
“Eric B.” Barrier and Rakim’s debut studio LP, Paid In Full, was a paradigm for the golden age of hip hop. Released in 1987, it boasted complex lyrical flow by Rakim and influential heavy sampling by Eric B., setting the stage for rap’s next era.
MC Lyte jacket
On April 19, 1988, NYC-born Lana “MC Lyte” Moorer released her critically acclaimed debut LP Lyte as a Rock, the first full-length album by a solo female rap artist. MC Lyte wore this jacket during the 2006 VH-1 Hip Hop Honors ceremony.
Dana Owens (Queen Latifah) yearbook
With songs like "Ladies First" and "U.N.I.T.Y.," from her debut album All Hail the Queen, Queen Latifah used her platform to address social issues and promote female empowerment. Her lyrics often conveyed messages of self-respect, strength, and independence.
"U.N.I.T.Y." video (1993) by Queen LatifahRock & Roll Hall of Fame
"U.N.I.T.Y." video
Official music video for "U.N.I.T.Y." performed by Queen Latifah.
Queen Latifah Shirt (c. 1989)Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Queen Latifah shirt
Rapper/DJ/VJ Sway Calloway said, “I thought [Latifah] was very important as a powerful Black woman, who stood with a straight spine and wore African garb, and celebrated her history and where she came from. We needed that kind of messaging as kids.”
As hip hop reached a worldwide audience, artists focused even more on political and social issues, with the goal of raising awareness and sparking societal change through their music.
Rock Hall EDU is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's online portal and resource guide for teachers and parents offering free lesson plans, artifact images, and materials, videos, playlists, and writing prompts all designed by Rock Hall Education staff.
Rock Hall EDU celebrates the sound and experience of youth culture across generations with Hip Hop's 50th Anniversary Collection. Use this collection to explore some of the top hip hop names over the style's first 50 years, and then go beyond Inductees and seek the newer sounds of artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lizzo. Kick back and keep things old-school, and investigate how scratching, playing a song's break, dynamic lyrics, and keen business sense contributed to hip hop's unique sound.
The Hip Hop @ 50: Holla If Ya Hear Me exhibit opened at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on June 30, 2023.
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