双语有声阅读:Not Merely Music: The Phenomenon of Hip-Ho

Not Merely Music: The Phenomenon of Hip-Hop 所向披靡嘻哈风
It seems that hip-hop music is ubiquitous1 these days, from popular radio to TV commercials. Whatever your opinion of hip-hop music may be, there is no denying it has impacted pop culture around the world, and shows no signs of slowing down.

Hip-hop brings with it its own unique terminology¹. “Rap” is the literal action of speaking over a beat. “Hip-hop” is both a kind of music and a culture, which includes four main elements: “emceeing” (rapping over a beat), “deejaying” (spinning records and mixing samples), “breaking” (an acrobatic form of dance), and “graffiti art”. Along with these are other distinctive².htmects of hip-hop culture such as language and fashion.

Hip-hop has its roots in the African traditions of percussion³ and oral storytelling. Its modern origins, however, can be found in New York City’s crime-ridden South Bronx in the early 1970s. Fed up with the insipid2 disco of the times, youth who were short on money but rich in ingenuity3 created a new, dynamic art form: verbally competing and chronicling life in the ghetto⁶ by rapping poetry over a beat.

The person regarded as the father of hip-hop is Kool Herc, a Jamaican who immigrated⁷ to New York at age 12. Around 1973, he began deejaying at house parties in the Bronx. To his infectious4 playlist of R&B, soul, and funk he added the Jamaican customs of “toasting” (talking to the crowd) and “dub talk” (speaking rhythmically⁸ over a beat). 

Hip-hop culture’s positive energy was fostered5 by Afrika Bambaataa, a former gang leader and dj who is regarded as the godfather of hip-hop. His efforts brought together the burgeoning6 hip-hop community and inspired gangs to battle creatively through rapping and breaking rather than through violence.

In the 1980s, as hip-hop became more popular, new offshoots developed. East Coast styles were generally hard-core,7 with rappers espousing¹⁰ political and social ideals, often from an afro-centric perspective. West Coast hip-hop was heavy on gangster¹¹ rap, filled with references to gangs, guns, and the inescapability of street life. The West Coast style caught the larger public’s imagination, and became wildly popular in urban and suburban¹² areas alike.

While some fans complain that today’s hip-hop has lost its edge and political message, the genre¹³ continues to expand, innovate¹⁴, and influence. Through its brief history, hip-hop has gone from just two turntables8 to samplers and live musicians; from rapping on a four count to increasingly complex verbal gymnastics; and from its roots in the South Bronx to the four corners of the world.

“Run” of the East Coast hip-hop band Run DMC once said that when people called hip-hop a fad¹⁵, they had no idea of the passion that lay behind it. Once considered a flash in the pan, hip-hop is set to continue its path of creation and celebration, bringing more and more converts along for the ride.

1. ubiquitous a. 无所不在的

2. insipid⁴ a. 枯燥乏味的

3. ingenuity⁵ n. 发明的才能

4. infectious a. 易传染的

5. foster v. 助长，培育

6. burgeon⁹ v. 萌芽，迅速发展

7. hard-core a. 核心的

8. turntable n. 转盘

现在，从大众广播到电视广告，嘻哈音乐似乎无所不在。不管你对嘻哈音乐的看法怎么样，无可否认它已经对世界各地的通俗文化造成冲击，并且没有减弱的迹象。

嘻哈风带来了一些专有术语：“说唱乐”是指配合节奏念文字的动作。“嘻哈”既是一种音乐，同时也是一种文化，嘻哈文化包含四大要素：“MC”（随节奏说唱）、“DJ”（转动唱片及混音）、“霹雳舞”（一种特技般的舞蹈），和“涂鸦艺术”。除此之外嘻哈文化还有其它一些特殊的方面，如语言和服装时尚等。

嘻哈文化起源于非洲传统的打击乐和口述故事。然而，现代嘻哈则是70年代初期来源于纽约市犯罪行为猖獗的南布朗克斯区。那些口袋空空却富于创新的年轻人，厌倦了当时流行的乏味的迪斯科音乐，便创造出了一种新的动感十足的艺术形式：通过配合节奏念词的方式，在言辞上相互较量，并且记录了贫民区的生活。

被公认为嘻哈之父的库尔·贺克是牙买加人，他是12岁移民到纽约的。1973年左右，他开始在布朗克斯区的家庭宴会中担任DJ。在他主持的节奏布鲁斯、灵歌和方克舞等极富感染力的节目里，他还加入了“toasting”（对群众说话）和“dub talk”（跟着拍子有节奏地讲话）等牙买加风俗节目。

培养嘻哈文化的正面力量要归功于曾做过帮派头目和DJ的阿弗里卡·班巴塔，他被公认为嘻哈文化的教父。他不仅努力把迅速发展的嘻哈音乐团体团结起来，而且还激励帮派份子在说唱和霹雳舞上进行创造性的互相较量，而不是通过暴力。

80年代，随着嘻哈风更加盛行，新的流派发展起来。总的来说东岸风格是核心力量，说唱歌手拥护以非洲为中心观点的政治和社会理想。西岸的嘻哈风主要是帮派份子的说唱，充满了关于帮派、枪枝和不可避免的街头生活等内容。西岸风格引起了更多群众的兴趣而为之激动，所以在都市和近郊地区都很受欢迎。

尽管有些嘻哈迷抱怨说，现在的嘻哈文化中，原有的锐气和政治信息已经没有了，但这种类型仍在不断扩展、革新并且发挥其影响力。在他短暂的历史中，嘻哈文化从仅有两个唱机转盘发展到了混音器和现场演奏的乐手；从四拍子的说唱到越来越复杂的嘴上功夫；从南布朗克斯的发祥地到世界的每个角落。

东岸嘻哈乐团“Run DMC”中的“Run”曾说：在有些人称嘻哈只是一种时尚时，他们根本不了解它背后的热情。一度被视为昙花一现的嘻哈风，却决心继续走他的创造与赞美之路，带领更多的归附者上路
 

1 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

2 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

3 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

4 insipid   

adj.无味的，枯燥乏味的，单调的

参考例句：

• The food was rather insipid and needed gingering up.这食物缺少味道，需要加点作料。
• She said she was a good cook,but the food she cooked is insipid.她说她是个好厨师，但她做的食物却是无味道的。

5 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

6 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

7 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

8 rhythmically   

adv.有节奏地

参考例句：

• A pigeon strutted along the roof, cooing rhythmically. 一只鸽子沿着屋顶大摇大摆地走，有节奏地咕咕叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Exposures of rhythmically banded protore are common in the workings. 在工作面中常见有韵律条带“原矿石”。 来自辞典例句

9 burgeon   

v.萌芽，发芽；迅速发展

参考例句：

• Seeds begin to burgeon at the commencement of spring.春天开始时种子开始发芽。
• Plants burgeon from every available space.只要有一点空隙，植物就会生根发芽。

10 espousing   

v.（决定）支持，拥护（目标、主张等）( espouse的现在分词 )

参考例句：

11 gangster   

n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒

参考例句：

• The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
• He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。

12 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

13 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

14 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。

15 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。