RAP E HIP HOP: ORIGINE ED EVOLUZIONE. EMINEM AND PINK SPEAK OUT ON BULLYING.

Il rap ha origine nella musica dell’Africa Occidentale e della musica Afroamericana, ovvero la black music. La nascita come genere musicale può essere collocata attorno agli anni ’70, e bisogna fare riferimento all’hip hop. Quest’ultimo genere nasce nel 1973 e si divideva in due grandi filoni: musica da divertimento e ballo (Pete DJ Jones, Eddie Cheeba) e elaborazione di testi messi su musica aventi un senso sociale.

La commercializzazione dell’hip hop avvenne nel 1979 con la pubblicazione di due brani che sono: “King Team III” e “Rapper’s Delight”.

Durante  i primi anni ’80 l’hip hop assunse delle modalità di elaborazione ed espressione dei testi e più complesse, dando attenzione a delle forme metaforiche nei testi. Ci furono artisti, come Kurtis Blow, che divennero dei fortissimi artisti pop e ricavarono notevoli incassi e industrializzarono la musica, quindi perdendo gradualmente il significato con cui quella musica era stata creata.

Dall’ hip hop quindi passiamo alla sua evoluzione e al dominio del rap. Il massimo splendore di questo genere si può vedere attorno al 1993 a New York e la sua caratteristica importante vedeva un perfezionamento sia della tecnica che dei soggetti trattati nei testi. Possiamo trovare diverse tipologie di rap:  rapcore (fusione rap-rock);  electro rap (fusione rap-house music);  latin rap (fusione rap-reggaeton).

Parliamo di una corrente del Gangsta Rap e di come si è sviluppato; l’inizio di questo periodo è segnato dal brano “6n’Da mornin’” di Ice T nel 1986. In passato, negli USA esistevano delle lotte fra gang della East Coast e della West Coast e si sono potuti evidenziare dei rapper protagonisti di questo periodo, ovvero Tupac e Notorious B.I.G. Questo genere voleva essere uno strumento di espressione e di protesta di stampo sociale, infatti troviamo temi di: disagio sociale, droga, rapimenti, discriminazioni razziali, ecc.

Al giorno d’oggi, invece, esiste un genere che si è evoluto da quelli che abbiamo affrontato, e si chiama trap. Il trap affrontava i temi principali del disagio sociale però poi è stato modificato e io sto ascoltando degli autori come Capoplaza, ma le caratteristiche stilistiche si sono modificate per essere più abbordabili ad un pubblico più giovane .

Tornando agli artisti che, più di altri, hanno parlato apertamente del tema del bullismo e del disagio sociale dovuto alla diversità, vorrei porre l’attenzione sulla canzone di Eminem uscita nel 1999 e il cui titolo è Brain Damage. Nel testo l’artista  racconta  degli atti di bullismo di cui è stato vittima a scuola e di come, dopo aver subito l’ennesimo pestaggio da parte di un bullo, sia finito in coma.

Questo di seguito il testo:

BRAIN DAMAGE

"Scalpel"
"Here"
"Sponge"
"Here"
"Wait he's convulsing!" "Ah"
"He's convulsing!"
"Oh my" "We're gonna have to shock him!"
"Oh my God!" "We're gonna have to shock him!"
"Oh my God!"

These are the results of a thousand electric volts,
A neck with bolts "Nurse we're losing him, check the pulse!"
A kid who refused to respect adults,
Wore spectacles with taped frames and a freckled nose.
A corny lookin' white boy, scrawny and always ornery,
'Cause I was always sick of brawny bullies pickin' on me.
And I might snap, one day just like that
I decided to strike back and flatten every tire on the bike rack.
My first day in junior high, this kid said,
"Just you and I, three o'clock sharp this afternoon you die"
I looked at my watch it was one twenty,
"I already gave you my lunch money what more do you want from me?"
He said, "Don't try to run from me, you'll just make it worse"
My palms were sweaty, and I started to shake at first.
Something told me, "Try to fake a stomach ache, it works"
I screamed, "Ow! My appendix feel like they could burst!
Teacher, teacher, quick I need a naked nurse!"
"What's the matter?" "I don't know, my leg, it hurts!"
"Leg?! I thought you said it was your tummy?"
"Oh, I mean it is, but I also got a bum knee!"
"Mr. Mathers, the fun and games are over.
And just for that stunt, you're gonna get some extra homework."
"But don't you want to give me after school detention?"
"Nah, that bully wants to beat your a** and I'm a let him"

Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs, what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go they keep playin' my song

Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs, what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go they keep playin' my song
Brain damage

Way before my baby daughter Hailey,
I was harassed daily by this fat kid named D'Angelo Bailey.
An eighth grader who acted obnoxious, 'cause his father boxes,
So everyday he'd shove me in the lockers.
One day he came in the bathroom while I was pissin',
And had me in the position to beat me into submission.
He banged my head against the urinal 'til he broke my nose,
Soaked my clothes in blood, grabbed me and choked my throat.
I tried to plead and tell him, "We shouldn't beef"
But he just wouldn't leave, he kept chokin' me and I couldn't breathe.
He looked at me and said, "You gonna die honky!"
The principal walked in and started helping him stomp me.
I made them think they beat me to death,
Holdin' my breath for like five minutes before they finally left.
Then I got up and ran to the janitor's storage booth.
Kicked the door hinge loose and ripped out the four inch screws.
Grabbed some sharp objects, brooms, and foreign tools.
"This is for every time you took my orange juice,
Or stole my seat in the lunchroom and drank my chocolate milk.
Every time you tipped my tray and it dropped and spilt.
I'm gettin' you back bully! Now once and for good.
I c***ed the broomstick back and swung hard as I could,
And beat him over the head with it 'til I broke the wood.
Knocked him down, stood on his chest with one foot.
Made it home later that same day.
Started reading the comics, and suddenly everything became gray.
I couldn't even see what I was trying to read.
I went deaf, and my left ear started to bleed.
My mother started screamin', "What are you on, drugs??
Look at you, you're gettin' blood all over my rug!" (Stop!)
She beat me over the head with the remote control,
Opened a hole and my whole brain fell out of my skull.
I picked it up and screamed, "Look b****, what have you done?"
"Oh my God, I'm sorry son" "Shut up you c***!"
I said, "F*** it!" took it and stuck it back up in my head,
Then I sewed it shut and put a couple of screws in my neck.

Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs, what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go they keep playin' my song

Brain damage, ever since the day I was born
Drugs, what they used to say I was on
They say I never knew which way I was goin'
But everywhere I go they keep playin' my song
Brain damage

It' brain damage, I got brain damage
It's brain damage,
It's probably brain damage.

Eminem, comunque, non è l’unico artista ad aver denunciato il tema del bullismo. Anche l’artista pop Pink, infatti, nel 2011ha pubblicato una canzone di denuncia verso gli atti di bullismo. Il pezzo in questione si chiama F**kin’ Perfect.

Qui di seguito il testo della canzone e una breve intervista all’artista:

F**KIN’ PERFECT

Made a wrong turn, once or twice

Dug my way out, blood and fire
Bad decisions, that's alright
Welcome to my silly life

Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood
Miss "No way, it's all good", it didn't slow me down
Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated
Look, I'm still around

Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever ever feel
Like you're less than fuckin' perfect
Pretty pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me!

You're so mean, when you talk, about yourself you were wrong
Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead
So complicated, look how big, you'll make it
Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game
It's enough! I've done all I can think of
Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same

Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than fuckin' perfect
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me

The whole world's scared, so I swallow the fear
The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer
So cool and limed and we try, try, try
But we try too hard and its a waste of my time
Done looking for the critics 'cause there everywhere
They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair
Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time
Why do we do that, why do I do that?
Why do I do that?

Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel
Like you're less than fuckin' perfect
Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me!
You're perfect, you're perfect

Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing
You're fuckin' perfect to me