The Beat Generation: Rap And Electronic – A Match Made In Heaven Or Hell?

posted in: Music News • Urban

Here at The Beat Generation we’re consumers and lovers of many things”most of them electronically influenced. Philosophically speaking, we’re big fans of collaboration. Mashing, jamming, subverting the norms and coming together. What could be better than that? Heavy beatz. Poise and swagger. Larger than life figures mixing with a mob mentality. These are some of the features that both the best rap music and electronic music have in common.

Let’s not get anything confused. Rap music and electronica have had intertwined histories together. “Rappers Delight” is basically a disco track with spoken word over it when you think about it. Other early pioneers like Afrika Bambaattaa inbued rapping in the 80s with a distinctly electro flavor. But the 90s were not kind to electro-ified rap production. We chalk it up to the whole live instrumentation movement. With musical forces like The Roots and OutKast leading the path, it would be hard for any other trend to stand in the way. But tastes have shifted from a more organic sound and soul sampling hip-hoppers have gotten back in touch with the club. Rappers love to party and the club kids have always loved a strong beat. I mean as anyone who’s been to college knows, you share the same room with anybody and before long you’ll start adopting the same mannerisms.

All that doesn’t mean that their relationship has been the most stable. Far from it, especially in recent years their relationship has grown more… maybe not tempestuous or rocky, but more inconsistent. When the lowest of lows are accompanied by the highest of highs. Because for every David Guetta or Wolfgang Gartner there’s an LMFAO or a 3OH!3.

Speaking of Guetta, the guy has been on a rip the past couple months. And you know what, he’s earned all the success he’s had so far and it doesn’t look like he’s going to slow down any time soon. He’s worked with Akon, the Black Eyed Peas, Flo Rida, Kelly Rowland… the list goes on and on. Guetta is currently in the studio gearing up for his next record, tenatively set to drop in September of this year. We mentioned his hack attack earlier in the week. What can we say, dude’s a little protective. Check out his track with Kid Cudi and his fantastically awkward dance moves in the video for Cudi’s track “Memories” below.

When talking about electronica and rap we can’t leave out Pharrell Williams and by extension The Neptunes and N.E.R.D. Pharrell’s work, both solo and in his two other projects careens through a number of different styles bouncing and balancing between rockist tendencies and techno funk, frequently making room for both styles in the same production. All his production work over the years has earned Pharrell some cred in the dance world; he did the vocals on Swedish House Mafia‘s single “One” in 2010 and N.E.R.D’s newest album Nothing features production credits from Parisian house masters Daft Punk. You can watch the video for the product of that collaboration, “Hypnotize U”, below.

It’s not like some of the artists on OurStage aren’t in on this trend. Brooklyn-based rap group OMG have found success in the Electronica Channel with their track “Blah,” a song with a little light electro flavor, a lot of bounce and b-boy swagger. And swedish producer/songwriter Jonay occupies the other end of the spectrum, crafting club bangers more in the style of the currently ubiquitous stateside Top 40 dance producers. His track wouldn’t sound out of place in a DJ’s set in between guys like will.i.am, Pitbull or Flo Rida. You can check out the two tracks below.