Electro-hop

Infobox Music genre
name = Electro Hop
bgcolor = darkblue
color = white
stylistic_origins = Electro Hip-hop
cultural_origins = 1980s, US
instruments = Synthesizer, Drum machine, Vocoder, Sampler
popularity = mid 80s
derivatives =
subgenrelist =
subgenres =
fusiongenres =
regional_scenes =
local_scenes =
other_topics =

'Electro-hop' (sometimes called 'Electronic Hip-Hop','Electronic rap' or 'robot hip hop') is a combo of either techno or electro with hip hop or rap. The electro-hop movement had came about after seeing the underground electro movement on the East Coast gain popularity with artists such as Mantronix, Man Parrish, Jonzun Crew, Newcleus, Planet Patrol etc. The electro sound was pioneered by Zulu Nation Leader and hip-hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa. This style of hip-hop had it's huge underground fanbase based primary in Southern California. An eastern strand of Electro-hip was born from DJ Arthur and Diesel D in late 2006. They hold a strong underground following in northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee; it likely developed independently of other influences.

History

The Electro-hop movement on the West Coast started around 1984 and ended around late 86, early 87.

Lonzo Williams was one of the early DJS on the west coast and many consider him the godfather of the west coast hip-hop who contributed to helping into ushering the electro-hop scene on the west coast. His Eve After Dark nightclub was important to the future of west coast hip-hop and was pivtal in creating the careers of Dr Dre and DJ Yella along with a lot of other west coast hip-hop talent getting noticed. The nightclub is also famous for being the place where Eazy E met experienced rock manager Jerry Heller who was interested in the underground electro-hop movement who in that period managed World Class Wreckin Cru, Egyptian Lover and a few others. The meeting of Jerry Heller and Eazy E which led to their partnership and the formation of Ruthless Records and the rise of gangsta rap.

The acts who represented electro-hop on the West Coast were artists such as Egyptian Lover, LA Dream Team, World Class Wreckin Cru, The Unknown DJ and even some early of Ice-T's records before he fully glorified gangsta rap the hip-hop genre that would become the main trademark of the West Coast that would help to overthrow the East Coast in popularity. Early Ice Cube records when he was in the group C.I.A. who get the attention of Dr Dre and would perform dirty raps together at organised parties. Other artists who represented the electro-hop scene such as Chris "The Glove" Taylor and Uncle Jamms Army

All artists typically blended a fusion of electronic music popularised by electronic pioneers Kraftwerk as well as using elements of the electro scene that was dominated by their East Coast counterparts using some elements of old-school hip-hop typically party-jam based lyrics along with some love-ballad influenced sounds with more emphasis on a heavy bass sound than their East Coast and Southern counterparts particularly used by the more popular electro-hop acts of that 1984-1986 period World Class Wreckin Cru.

The World Class Wreckin Cru's most well-known and best selling song Turn Off The Lights was a slow-moving electro ballad that would do reasonably well on the mainstream charts and helped electro-hop gain some if brief but moderate mainstream success. This was produced by Dre and Yella before they left the World Class Wreckin Cru over money disputes.

By the late 1980s the electro-hop movement seemed to fade into eternal darkness as a new hard-hitting, street-based, gun-touting, profanity-filled, controversial new hip-hop genre was stirring on the West Coast which was gangsta rap pioneered by Ice-T and popularised by controversial and amazingly influential gangsta rap group NWA. Although artists such as Arabian Prince who at one time was a founding member of the NWA and Lonzo Williams the founder of the World Class Wreckin Cru released a solo album Phases In Life after Dr Dre and DJ Yella left the World Class Wreckin Cru to join NWA were still bringing out electro-hop music. The Unknown DJ like Dr Dre and Yella would embrace the gangsta rap genre producing for gangsta rap artists such as Comptons Most Wanted, The D.O.C, JJ Fad, Above The Law and would reinvent hip-hop and change the landscape of hip-hop forever.

Although it should be noted that the sound/music production of some early NWA material particularly for their first album NWA And The Posse were very the roots of the World Class Wreckin Cru with the electro-hop/dance/club based sound. The early NWA had less of the stripped down, raw sound that the group were known for. Their landmark album Straight Outta Compton is where they rejected the electro-hop sound with the expection of the song Something 2 Dance 2 on the Straight Outta Compton album. Arabian Prince an early member of NWA who performed on NWA and The Posse and Straight Outta Compton would leave the group and continue his electro-hop roots on solo albums with limited success.

Even though the electro-hop sound died off the sound became influential in the development of G-Funk and a lot other hip-hop genres as well as being influential to many hip-hop producers including The Neptunes. Artists such as Egyptian Lover still perform music today and continue their cult legacy.

East Coast criticism

The electro-hoppers of the west coast when they first came onto the hip-hop scene were not welcomed with open arms by their counterparts on the east coast. Many of the east coast artists among the hip-hop purist core who were considered hardcore hip-hop felt that the west coast were lacking in originality and were just poor imitations of the electro scene as well as feeling that were not hardcore enough.

Although artists like LA Dream Team, Egyptian Lover and World Class Wreckin Cru knew that their sound was not hardcore as some of the east coast hip-hop artists, the electro-hoppers did carve out an identity in hip-hop and gained credibility with a small underground fanbase. It was only when west coast hip-hop evolved into gangsta rap that the east coast started to take the west coast seriously. Gangsta rap became the tool to mainstream acceptance for west coast hip-hop and to overthrow the east coast in music and popularity.

The criticism from the east coast towards their west coast counterparts during the mid-1980s was a sign of things to come as it escalated into the east coast/west coast feud during the peak of hip-hop in the 1990s starting with Tim Dog which unfortunately leading the Biggie/2Pac beef to more dangerous heights leading to a war between two coasts which shook the hip-hop world forever only ending with the deaths of 2Pac and Biggie Smalls.

Exposure

Eve After Dark was one of the bright spots that gave some electro-hop exposure. However probably the most important thing to give the west coast hip-hop exposure not just for electro-hop but beyond would be K-Day the first hip-hop radio station to play total non-stop hip-hop 24/7 ran by influential DJ Greg Mack. K-Day not only gave electro-hop exposure it also helped to get exposure for a lot of early gangsta-rap records and was influential in getting gangsta-rap off the ground as no other radio station would touch gangsta rap due to iy's lyrical content and seemingly violent nature. K-Day and Greg Mack pretty helped to launch Eazy E's career as Boyz N The Hood suddenly rose from an underground hit in Compton to increase of record sales due to the consisent record playing of the single on K-Day which help reach to a wider audience with also leading to preparation of the incredible impact that the influental gangsta-rap NWA would have on hip-hop and the world.

Notable artists

* World Class Wreckin Cru
* Grandmaster Lonzo
* Cli-N-Tel
* Egyptian Lover
* Ice-T
* Arabian Prince
* Uncle Jamms Army
* LA Dream Team
* DJ Pooh
* C.I.A.
* Sir Jinx
* Chris "The Glove" Taylor
* Unknown DJ
* Kid Frost
* Bobby Jimmy and the Critters

Notable songs

* C.I.A. - "My Posse" (1987)

Notable albums

* Egyptian Lover - "On the Nile" (1984)
* World Class Wreckin Cru - "World Class" (1985)
* World Class Wreckin Cru - "Rapped in Romance" (1986)
* C.I.A. - "My Posse" (1987)

Related genres

* Old school hip hop
* Electro music
* Miami Bass
* Techno
* House music
* Underground rap

Trivia

* Egypt Egypt by Egyptian Lover has appeared on the "" radio station Fresh 105 FM hosted by 2 Live Crew member/hypeman Luther Campbell.

* Well-known and widely successful gangsta rapper/g-funk pioneer Snoop Dogg used Egyptian Lover's My Beat Goes Boom as a template for a song called My Heat Goes Boom on his No Limit Top Dogg Album.

*Pics of Dre wearing a flashy, flamboyant, sequined jumpsuit and comestics during his World Class Wreckin Cru days are lampooned for riducle by Eazy E and Luther Campbell on their respected songs Real Muthaphukkin Gs and Cowards Of Compton.

* Ice-T and The Radio Crew appeared in the hip-hop films Breakin and Breakin 2.

Video clips

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External links

* http://www.westcoastpioneers.com
* http://www.rapdict.org/World_Class_Wreckin%27_Cru
* http://www.westcoastpioneers.com/interviews.html
* http://www.discogs.com/artist/World+Class+Wreckin%27+Cru
* http://www.discogs.com/label/Kru-Cut+Records
* http://wc08.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:2785
* http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_dance-elec.html
* http://hiphop.sh/wreckin