必修七课文翻译Module 4 Music.docVIP

Module 4 Music Born in America All You need to Know About Hip Hop Part 1 . What is hip hop and how did it start ? Hip hop is an American cultural movement which started in the 1970s at block parties in New York ,especially in a district called the Bronx. There are four main aspects of hip hop :breakdance and graffiti art plus two types of hip hop music---DJ—ing and rapping . Rapping is also known as MC---ing（coming from the term master of ceremonies ）. The DJs at block parties in the 1970s played a lot of soul music and noticed that people preferred the percussion breaks in the songs because they werethe best parts to dance to . So they started repeating the percussion breaks . This is a technique used by DJs in Jamaica . There were a lot of Jamaicans in New York who brought the idea with them . At first ，they played a lot of reggae. Part 2 . What was the big breakthrough ? DJ Herc ,one of the most popular Jamaican DJs at the time , noticed that New York audiences didn’t really like reggae music, so he started playing other kinds of music, including rock and disco music . The percussion breaks were usually short , but Herc and other DJs made them longer by using two records on two turntables , side by side . Some of the DJs began speaking and shouting while the music played. Shouting DJs became known as MCs . And so the style of music known as rap was born . At the beginning , MCs often performed for hours, repeating words and phrases and then improvising. Later, they experimented with different vocal and rhythmic approaches , using rhyming words , often words from African-American culture . At the same time, people started breakdancing at block parties . MC Dark Star remembers the first time he heard a rap singer . “The moment I heard it, ” he said , “I knew it was a completely new kind of music ”. Part3 . Why was hip hop so successful ? There are two main reasons . Firstly , it’s cheap and easy—you just need two turntables and a microphone . Anyone can be an MC ,