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SRI LANKA CLUB SYMPOSIUM

TOASTMASTERS

Issue
October-November 2013

BEST OF THE BEST

“RHYTHM IN ACTION” TM Dushan Kanchana
“Music in the soul can be heard by the universe”
Lao Tzu

Good Evening………
We all love music. Isn’t it?
Yes. Music is the universal language that
people use to impress their feelings
towards the society. As we know there are
lots of varieties in world of music. All of
these styles have their own cultures,
societies & followers. Today, I am going to
talk about one of the most popular
cultures in the world of music. It has
many names but sweet & short it’s called
rap or hip hop.
There is no written history about the
origin of rap music. But most popular
belief is that it came from Africa. In 19th
century, slave business was very popular
throughout the world. Black Africans
were the main victims of that trade. Rap
was the way they used to express their
feelings to others. Rapping can be
delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a grey
area between speech, prose, poetry, and
singing. The word as used to describe
quick speech or repartee predates the
musical form. This was very similar to our
own poetries what we call kavi. It also
uses to express people’s feelings like love,
happiness or sadness. Because our elders
were living in a more peaceful & friendlier
society, outcome of their feelings were also
very smooth & polite. Africans & Caribbean’s didn’t have that much freedom in
their life. They choose a harder way in rap
rhymes ofte n addressing provocative
subjects such as sex, violence and
socio-political issues.

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Rapping first gained popularity in the U.S. in
the 1970s as a kind of street art, especially
among Afro- American teenagers. But it
wasn’t until 1979, when the Sugarhill Gang
released their breakaway hit, ‘Rapper’s
Delight, that record producers took notice of
this emerging musical genre. By the 1990s,
rap matured from an old-school style which
was based o¬n relatively simple lyricsto a
new school style, which was louder and
included more complex lyrics. Artists such as
The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg and Tupac
ruled the charts during this time, as did
Eminem one of the most popular white
rappers of all time.
For years, the debate has ensued about what
exactly the difference is between rap music
and hip hop music. Hip hop culture is defined
by the late '70s. Whereas hip hop strives to
push its listeners to look forward to a better
tomorrow, rap music is all about "telling it
like it is" in here and now.

As the time went by hip hop became a sub
culture in USA. It bullied the path to vileness
through the famous rivalry between East &
West Coast. In 1990s both parties tried to
dominate the music market with their record
companies. That was the beginning of so cold
gangster music. Underworld, drugs and all
sorts of garbage stuff entered the scene. It
cost the lives of most famous hip hop stars
like Tupac & Notorious B.I.G. This rivalry
continues throughout years up to now. As we
all know, Americans are very good when it
comes to marketing. They were spreader hip
hop culture throughout world. As usual
outside world welcomed it with both hands.

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Rapping is not the easiest thing to do.
It requires practice, knowledge & most
importantly natural talent. It’s too
difficult to get use that kind of culture
for Asian born people like us. That’s
why we always see our musicians
criticizing rap. Honestly, I am not the
hip hop fan but at the same time I like
to follow the trend of it. Most critics
are meaningless. We can’t decide
whether rap or hip hop bad by just
looking at Sri Lankan rappers. Most
of them are freaks. There are only a
handful of few genuine hip hop artists
in our Music field. Hip hop got the
power to change your mode. It’s not
the music to listen; it’s the music to
feel. Because hip-hop is the last true
folk art.

Hip hop Message
was more of a
positive, brighter
future type of
ballad. Rap, on the
other hand, is more
concerned with
what is going on in
popular culture.
They try to address
the pathetic part of
the society.

SRI LANKA CLUB SYMPOSIUM

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