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The Competitive Aspects of Hip Hop Culture in Rap, Dance, and DJ Battles Timothy P Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2009 Head-to-Head Musical Conflict: The Competitive Aspects of Hip Hop Culture in Rap, Dance, and DJ Battles Timothy P. Storhoff Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC HEAD-TO-HEAD MUSICAL CONFLICT: THE COMPETITIVE ASPECTS OF HIP HOP CULTURE IN RAP, DANCE, AND DJ BATTLES By TIMOTHY P. STORHOFF A Thesis submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music Degree Awarded Spring Semester, 2009 Copyright © 2009 Timothy P. Storhoff All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve this Thesis by Timothy P. Storhoff, defended on March 23, 2009. __________________________________________ Frank Gunderson Professor Directing Thesis __________________________________________ Benjamin Koen Committee Member __________________________________________ Charles E. Brewer Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................................ v INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................. 1 1. THE IMPORTANCE OF COMPETITION IN HIP HOP CULTURE............................................. 5 COMPETITION AND THE RISE OF HIP HOP ............................................................................................... 6 THEORIES OF MUSICAL COMPETITION IN HIP HOP CULTURE................................................................. 15 2. WAR OF WORDS: THE FREESTYLE RAP BATTLE ................................................................. 20 THE WORLD SERIES OF HIP HOP.......................................................................................................... 20 RAP BATTLES AND FREESTYLING ........................................................................................................ 23 VERBAL DUELING TRADITIONS ........................................................................................................... 30 THE JOKING RELATIONSHIP AND THE ART OF INSULT........................................................................... 32 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 36 3. B-BOYS, B-GIRLS, AND HIP HOP DANCE BATTLES ............................................................... 38 HIP HOP DANCE FORMS...................................................................................................................... 38 A.T.L. – ALL TARGETS LEVELED ........................................................................................................ 41 FOUNDATION AND STYLE.................................................................................................................... 47 BREAKING DOWN B-BOY AND B-GIRL BATTLES.................................................................................. 50 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 53 4. UNDERSTANDING TURNTABLISM AND THE MODERN DJ BATTLE.................................. 55 THE HISTORY OF THE DJ AND THE DMC ............................................................................................. 55 UNDERSTANDING TURNTABLISM......................................................................................................... 58 ANATOMY OF THE DJ BATTLE............................................................................................................. 63 TURNTABLISM AND COMPETITION IN MODERN NORTH AMERICA ......................................................... 65 EQUIPMENT, TECHNOLOGY, AND THE EVOLUTION OF TURNTABLISM.................................................... 68 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 68 5. ORGANIZING CONFLICT: ISSUES, CONSEQUENCES, AND ORGANIZED HIP HOP COMPETITIONS................................................................................................................................. 70 WHY ORGANIZE? ...............................................................................................................................70 PARTICIPATION AND REPUTATION ....................................................................................................... 72 COMPETITION, CONTROVERSY, AND THE PRESERVATION OF TRADITION............................................... 75 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................... 79 CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................... 81 APPENDIX A – COMPETITION FLYERS, 1980-1983 ..................................................................... 86 APPENDIX B – FULL WORLD SERIES OF HIP HOP RULES AND REGULATIONS................. 95 APPENDIX C – HUMAN SUBJECTS APPROVAL AND INFORMED CONSENT FORM.......... 105 APPENDIX D - GLOSSARY............................................................................................................. 109 BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................................................. 112 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.............................................................................................................. 119 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Screenshot of the World Series of Hip Hop live webcast ...............................22 Figure 2. The All Targets Leveled arena before the competition ....................................42 Figure 3. B-boy Jesus doing a freeze in one of the ciphers .............................................44 Figure 4. “Barack Obama” doing some footwork in the arena........................................45 Figure 5. Two b-boys preparing to battle in the arena ....................................................46 Figure 6. A b-boy doing a baby freeze in the All Targets Leveled arena ........................49 Figure 7. A b-boy mimes firing two pistols at an opponent while in the cipher ..............53 Figure 8. A flyer from a 1981 Gong Show competition..................................................78 Figure 9. Flyer for a “Battle of the DJs” ........................................................................86 Figure 10. Gong Show and Talent Show flyer ...............................................................87 Figure 11. Flyer for an M.C. tryout where people could compete to possibly join Kool Herc’s crew, the Herculords ..........................................................................................87 Figure 12. Flyer advertising an MC Convention ............................................................88 Figure 13. Flyer advertising a battle between high schools.............................................89 Figure 14. Flyer for a 1982 performance with “A Catholic High School Throwdown”...90 Figure 15. Flyer in which the Funky 4 calls out other MCs to battle ..............................91 Figure 16. Flyer where Grand Wizard Theodore and The Romantic Fantastic Five call out Coldcrush to compete....................................................................................................91 Figure 17. Flyer advertising a battle between different regions of the city......................92 Figure 18. Dance competition flyer................................................................................93 Figure 19. Flyer advertising a talent show competition that offers a recording contract to the winner .....................................................................................................................94 iv ABSTRACT Competition has always been central to hip hop culture’s four primary elements of rapping, dancing, DJing, and graffiti writing. This thesis focuses on the competitive practices associated with hip hop’s musical elements: rap, dance, and DJ battles. In a battle, two opponents face-off directly and take turns attacking one another while presenting their own skills. I break down how these battles are conducted in each different type of performance, what is valued in those battles, and what is discouraged. In order to understand these battles, I look at how they were conducted in three distinct organized competitions which include the World Series of Hip Hop rap battles, the All Targets Leveled b-boy/b-girl competition, and the Battle for World Supremacy event in the Disco Mix Club’s World DJ Championships. Looking at these three events also allows me to explain the role of organized competitions in hip hop culture. Besides promoting and preserving these sometimes marginalized modes of performance, musical competitions also encourage performers to develop their skills while giving them opportunities to build their reputations and achieve financial success. v INTRODUCTION Competition has been an important part of hip hop since the urban culture’s
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