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Nothing’s Hipper Than Hip-Hop

http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/03/23 12:14 空中美语

　　From high school parties in LA, to the steps of Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, it seems that everywhere one goes these days young people are into hip-hop. A cultural movement based on rap music, hip-hop has four main components:“Mcing”(speaking rhythmically over a beat),“Djing”(spinning records and mixing songs together),“breaking”(a very physical dancing style), and“tagging”(graffiti art). In the last twenty years or so, this uniquely American phenomenon has taken the world by storm.

　　It all started in the poorest neighborhoods of New York City in the 1970s, when Jamaican DJ Kool Herc created rap by speaking words over reggae beats. Because the only things rap required were quick wits and an equally quick tongue, it caught on with young African-Americans who could not afford music lessons or instruments. Because it had no rules, rap offered them limitless freedom to express themselves. Through rap, they could say anything that was on their minds, as long as they said it with creativity and rhythm.

嘻哈当道酷炫无法挡(上)

　　近年来，从洛杉矶的高中派对，到台北中正纪念堂的石阶上，似乎不论走到哪，处处可见迷上嘻哈风的青少年。嘻哈是一种源自饶舌音乐的文化运动，主要包含4个主要部分：“Mcing”(配合节奏念饶舌歌词)，“Djing”(转动唱盘及混音)，“breaking”(一种肢体动作非常剧烈的舞蹈)，以及“tagging”(街头涂鸦艺术)。大约近20年来，这种原为美国特有的文化现象已经风靡全世界。

　　嘻哈始于20世纪70年代纽约市最贫穷的社区，当时一位牙买加DJ库尔·贺克随着雷盖音乐的节奏念出歌词，从而发明了饶舌乐。由于唱饶舌乐仅需要反应迅捷和巧舌快嘴，因此没有钱上音乐课和买乐器的非裔美籍年轻人开始流行起这种音乐。又由于饶舌乐并没有乐理规则，所以让歌手们有无限的自由可以表达自我。通过唱饶舌歌，他们可以说出任何心里所想的话，只要能用充满创意及节奏感十足的方式表达即可。

　　~嘻哈迷看过来~

　　MCing随节奏饶舌

　　MC即负责炒热气氛、与观众互动的人(即master of ceremonies或microphone controller之缩写)

　　DJing转动唱盘及混音

　　DJ为Disk Jockey的缩写(其两大主要工具为turntable唱机转盘与mixer混音器)

　　breaking / breakdancers霹雳舞／霹雳舞者(即hip-hop团体表演的街舞，多为高难度地板动作)

　　tagging (graffiti art)涂鸦艺术

　　tag作画者留下的签名(通常以像图案又像字的方式呈现，为涂鸦艺术极重要的成分)

　　gangsta rap帮派饶舌(80年代末兴起于美国西岸，内容多与都市罪案有关，充满暴力、色欲，是反映现实的一种音乐)

　　R&B节奏蓝调(Rhythm & Blues的缩写，为黑人流行乐，hip-hop即起源于R&B )

　　dub talk随拍子节奏说唱(toasting和dub talk是牙买加的音乐习俗，为饶舌乐前身)

　　Vocabulary

　　1.component n. a part of sth.成分；组成部分

　　Lowering costs was a key component of the businessman’s successful plan.

　　降低成本是这名商人主要的成功之道。

　　2.spin v. to turn sth. around very quickly使快速旋转

　　My three-year-old son enjoys spinning coins on the floor.

　　我三岁大的儿子很喜欢在地板上转硬币玩。

　　3.phenomenon n. sth. remarkable that happens or exists现象

　　The northern lights result from an unusual weather phenomenon that creates bright colors in the night sky.

　　北极光由一种不寻常的天气现象所形成，使黑夜的空中出现明亮的色彩。

　　4.wits n. pl. the ability to think quickly and use words in a clever way急智；机智

　　Simon used his quick wits to come up with a clever and funny answer to his mother’s question.

　　赛门急中生智想出一个聪明而有趣的答案回答妈妈的问题。

　　5.creativity n. the ability to be original or to think in new ways创造力

　　Our new co-worker has some great new ideas. She’s lucky to have so much creativity.

　　我们的新同事有些新颖的好点子。她有如此丰富的创意，真是幸运。

　　6.rhythm n. the beat of a piece of music or poetry节奏

　　The rhythm of the music made everyone want to dance.

　　音乐的节奏让每个人听了都不禁想随之起舞。

　　More Information

　　1.hip adj.赶时髦的；流行的(俚语)

　　2.be into sth. idiom对……极感兴趣的(非正式用法)

　　3.rhythmically adv.富有节奏地

　　4.graffiti n.涂鸦

　　5.Jamaican n.牙买加人(牙买加为Jamaica，位于西印度群岛；文中所指的reggae，即雷盖音乐，为该群岛盛行的音乐类型)

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