2023年经济学人 嘻哈音乐将变得更全球化(2)

 

    In turn, American artists are taking more cultural cues from global hip-hop.

    美国音乐人也相应地从全球嘻哈音乐中获得了更多文化线索。

    Ice Spice, one of America’s brightest new rap talents, uses the British drill sound popularised by artists like Central Cee.

    ICE Spice是美国最耀眼的说唱新秀之一，她使用了Central Cee等歌手带火的英式drill风格。

    Burna Boy, a Nigerian artist, is helping¹ popularise afrobeats, a genre² from west Africa and its diaspora, among American rappers.

    尼日利亚歌手Burna Boy正在让afrobeats在美国说唱歌手中流行起来，这是一种来自西非及其侨民的音乐类型。

    Some think that afrobeats could become as influential³ as the South has been in shaping hip-hop’s sound.

    一些人认为，afrobeats在塑造嘻哈音乐方面可能会像南方嘻哈一样具有强大影响力。

    (The South spawned⁴ trap, a subgenre of rap music characterised by booming drums with melodic⁵, auto-tuned vocals⁶.)(南方嘻哈催生了trap音乐，trap是说唱音乐的一个子流派，特点是低沉的鼓声和有旋律的、经过修音的人声。)American hip-hop has always been inspired by other, global music: early records sampled Ethiopian jazz.

    美国嘻哈音乐一直受到其他国家音乐的启发：早期唱片采样了埃塞俄比亚爵士乐。

    But this is the first time that artists in other countries are taking on Americans’ dominance in hip-hop so directly.

    但其他国家的歌手如此直接地挑战美国人在嘻哈领域的主导地位，这还是第一次。

    The rise of global stars dovetails with a second trend, which is hip-hop’s surprising wobbles at home.

    全球明星的崛起与第二个趋势相吻合，即嘻哈音乐在美国的地位令人惊讶地有所动摇。

    In 2023 a hip-hop album did not top the American charts until July, the longest wait in 30 years.

    2023年，一张嘻哈专辑直到7月份才登上美国排行榜榜首，这是30年来等待时间最长的一次。

    Hip-hop made up 42% of the top 50 most-streamed songs on Spotify in America in 2020 but accounts for just 16% so far this year, according to Chartmetric, a data firm.

    根据数据公司Chartmetic的数据，2020年，嘻哈音乐在美国Spotify播放量最高的50首歌曲中占了42%，但今年到目前为止只占了16%。

    Country and Latin music have been gaining share.

    乡村音乐和拉丁音乐的占比一直在增加。

    The charts do not fully⁷ illustrate⁸ any genre’s broader cultural influence, but they have still prompted some soul-searching.

    这些排行榜并没有充分说明任何一种曲风的广泛的文化影响力，但仍然引发了一些反思。

    Some are concerned that hip-hop is experiencing a “mid-life slump” in America.

    一些人担心嘻哈音乐正在美国经历“中年衰退”。

    The easiest explanation is that hip-hop’s biggest American stars, such as Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone, are more established and are less focused on churning out hit releases than they used to be.

    最简单的解释是，美国的嘻哈巨星，如肯德里克·拉马尔和波兹·马龙，如今比以前更有名气，也不再那么专注于制作热门专辑。

    Some emerging stars, such as Juice Wrld, have died young, and with them the potential for new albums, even if they remain among the most-streamed rappers.

    一些新星，如朱斯·沃尔德，已经英年早逝，随之逝去的还有创作新专辑的潜力，即使他们仍然属于播放量最高的说唱歌手之列。

    It may also be that listeners feel hip-hop has strayed too far from where it started.

    也可能是听众觉得嘻哈音乐已经偏离其初衷太远。

    What began as an anti-establishment movement in the Bronx has now become the “cultural arm of capitalism”, says Tricia Rose, a professor at Brown University who was among the first people to study hip-hop.

    布朗大学的教授特里西亚·罗斯是嘻哈音乐研究的先驱之一，他表示，嘻哈音乐最初是在纽约布朗克斯区发起的一场反正统运动，如今已成为“资本主义的文化武器”。

    Materialism⁹ is rampant¹⁰ in lyrics¹¹ and lifestyles.

    嘻哈歌词和生活方式中物质主义泛滥。

    “Rappers from the favelas now go to Prada to buy socks,” laments¹² Mr Sauthon, the Brazilian hip-hop executive.

    “贫民窟的说唱歌手现在都去普拉达买袜子。”巴西嘻哈音乐主理人索顿哀叹道。

    Many criticise¹³ the rise of trap and “mumble rap” (a term for rap songs whose lyrics are hard to decipher) for a perceived lack of lyrical depth.

    许多人批评trap和“mumble rap”(歌词很难理解的说唱歌曲)的兴起，因为人们认为这些音乐缺乏抒情深度。

    But defenders¹⁴ point out how hip-hop has retained its anti-establishment roots, being invoked¹⁵ by young people and political activists¹⁶ globally, from Pretoria to Palestine.

    但嘻哈音乐的捍卫者指出，嘻哈音乐没有丢失其反正统根源，从南非的比勒陀利亚到巴勒斯坦，世界各地的年轻人和政治活动人士都在用嘻哈音乐表达反抗。

    And despite all the talk of a hip-hop downturn in America, its influence remains¹⁷ indisputable.

    尽管所有人都在说嘻哈音乐在美国开始没落，但其影响力仍然无可争议。

    Morgan Wallen, today’s most popular country singer, uses trap-inspired beats and sings with a rap-like cadence¹⁸.

    当今最受欢迎的乡村歌手摩根·沃伦也用trap曲风的节奏，并以说唱式的抑扬顿挫来唱歌。

    Recent albums from Taylor Swift are replete¹⁹ with swear words.

    泰勒·斯威夫特新出的专辑也充满了脏话。

    “I’m not sure that would’ve happened before hip-hop,” says Adam Bradley, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

    “我不确定要是没有嘻哈音乐，这些现象会不会发生。”加州大学洛杉矶分校的亚当·布拉德利教授说。

    Far from being ready for a mic-drop, hip-hop is just starting a new sort of tour: with more artists from more countries embracing the genre than ever.

    嘻哈音乐还远远没到华丽谢幕的程度，新的巡演才刚刚开始：来自更多国家的更多歌手比以往任何时候都更喜欢这一音乐类型。

    Middle age has never looked so good.

    中年从没有如此精彩过。

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 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。

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

5 melodic   

adj.有旋律的，调子美妙的

参考例句：

• His voice had a rich melodic quality.他的音色浑厚而优美。
• He spoke with a soft husky voice in a melodic accent.他微微沙哑的声音带着一种悠扬的口音。

6 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

9 materialism   

n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上

参考例句：

• Idealism is opposite to materialism.唯心论和唯物论是对立的。
• Crass materialism causes people to forget spiritual values.极端唯物主义使人忘掉精神价值。

10 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

11 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

12 laments   

n.悲恸，哀歌，挽歌( lament的名词复数 )v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• In the poem he laments the destruction of the countryside. 在那首诗里他对乡村遭到的破坏流露出悲哀。
• In this book he laments the slight interest shown in his writings. 在该书中他慨叹人们对他的著作兴趣微弱。 来自辞典例句

13 criticise   

v.批评，评论；非难

参考例句：

• Right and left have much cause to criticise government.左翼和右翼有很多理由批评政府。
• It is not your place to criticise or suggest improvements!提出批评或给予改进建议并不是你的责任！

14 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

18 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

19 replete   

adj.饱满的，塞满的；n.贮蜜蚁

参考例句：

• He was replete with food and drink.他吃喝得饱饱的。
• This immense space may be replete with happiness and glory.这巨大的空间可能充满了幸福和光荣。