Transcript[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby
Tim is reading a book in a kitchen. Moby enters carrying a small robot called Rap Bot which is made from a boombox and a turntable.
TIM: Oh no, not another jazz bot. The last one played a trumpet solo that went on for six months.
Moby shakes his head no then Rap Bot raps.
RAP BOT: I'm a rap bot y'all, a funk machine. Make a beat bounce like a trampoline. Programmed by my main man Moby. Rhymin' hard like a brick of adobe.
TIM: Hey, a rap bot. That's pretty cool.
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what is the difference between rap and hip-hop? Thanks, Ethan.
Images show examples of hip-hop dance, art and fashion.
TIM: Well, as our little robot friend can tell you, hip-hop refers to a culture that originated in big cities during the late 1970s. It includes dance, art and fashion.
Rap Bot spray paints his name on the front of a microwave oven.
TIM: Um, Rap bot, I know it’s urban expression but I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tag the microwave. Thanks.
Two rappers are shown on a stage with an audience below.
TIM: Anyway, rap is the musical style that arose from hip-hop culture. There are many different styles of rap but almost every one involves speaking rhythmically over a beat. Usually lyrics rhyme and involve a lot of similes and metaphors.
Moby, Rap Bot, and Tim are standing in the kitchen.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Oh, similes and metaphors are ways of comparing things.
The word HOT, in bright red, is shown and pictures of a sunny beach, a fire, and a toaster pop up.
TIM: For example, when something is hot it could be hot like summer, or hot like fire, or hot like a toaster.
RAP BOT: Tried to get fresh with the microwave, Tim stepped in to make me behave. Now I feel confined like a piece of veal. Cause Tim runs this joint like he’s Kim Jong-il.
TIM: Yeah, like that. Also, most rap songs contain backing music that’s sampled. That means uses elements from other songs.
Rapper Puff Daddy is shown next to an album cover of the music group, The Police. Puff Daddy’s song, “I’ll Be Missing You,” is playing.
TIM: For example, Puff Daddy’s song, “I’ll Be Missing You,” borrows the melody from an older song called, “Every Breath You Take.”
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, rap music began around the same time as hip-hop but specifically in New York City.
An animation shows people dancing on a city street and a DJ spinning music.
TIM: Back in the 70s there were these big block parties in certain sections of Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens. The entertainment was provided by disc jockeys, or DJs, who’d spin disco, funk, or soul records to get people dancing.
An image shows DJs Cool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.
TIM: The best DJs, like Cool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, began developing new techniques to pump up the crowd.
The scene shifts back to Moby, Rap Bot, and Tim in the kitchen.
TIM: They’d isolate the break, the part of the song that prominently featured bass and drums, and play it over and over.
An image shows three breakdancers dancing.
TIM: Playing these danceable grooves gave b-boys, or breakdancers, the chance to show off their acrobatic moves.
TIM: As time went on the DJs developed new techniques.
An image shows a DJ with a mix board and two turntables.
TIM: They’d mix and match the beats from different records and create unique sounds by scratching, or spinning, a record back and forth under the needle.
Rap Bot joins Tim in the kitchen.
TIM: It would sound something like, Rap Bot, could you give us an example?
Rap Bot starts spinning his turntable making the scratching sound.
TIM: Basically, the DJs transformed turntables into musical instruments.
Moby blinks quizzically. Then an image shows a DJ and MC at a block party in front of a crowd.
TIM: Right, at block parties DJs and guys called MCs, or masters of ceremonies, would shout out and urge people to dance.
RAP BOT: Come on, throw your hands in the air. Wave them like you just don’t care.
TIM: MCs and DJs would also recite simple rhymes to entertain the audience. Gradually, these rhymes grew into full-fledged song lyrics and rap music as we know it was born.
An image shows a group of rappers.
TIM: Soon, rappers were performing with groups, or crews, of MCs who’d take turns rhyming to the beat.
Two rappers are shown facing each other with microphones in their hands.
TIM: Rappers from different crews also began battling each other to see who had the best lyrics and flow, or delivery.
Tim, Moby, and Rap Bot are shown in the kitchen.
TIM: It didn’t take long for hip-hop culture to move from block parties to the mainstream.
An image shows Sugar Hill’s Rapper’s Delight album cover.
TIM: The first big rap record, Rapper’s Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang, came out in 1979 and sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, in the 1980s, hip-hop exploded.
An image shows graffiti artists Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
TIM: Graffiti style artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat became rich and famous.
A man, a beat-box dancer, and a picture of a dancer labeled with the words Breakin’ 2 are shown on a TV screen.
TIM: B-boying appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows.
An image of four rappers is shown.
TIM: And rappers like Run-DMC and Kurtis Blow sold hundreds of thousands of records. The music changed a lot in the 80s, too. Lyrics about dancing and partying soon gave way to rhymes about race, politics, and the difficulties of urban life.
An image shows rappers Queen Latifah and MC Lyte.
TIM: And performers like Queen Latifah and MC Lyte led female rappers to success in a male-dominated field.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Yup, by the early 1990s, hip-hop had become a multibillion dollar industry.
An image shows Rap Bot wearing hip hop merchandise.
TIM: Hip-hop stars launched clothing lines and record labels and even marketed their own soft drinks and video games.
Tim, Rap Bot, and Moby are back in the kitchen.
TIM: Since then, rap music and hip-hop culture have continued to grow and thrive. And it looks like they’re here to stay.
TIM: So Rap Bot, I’m curious. Who’s your favorite rapper?
Rap Bot takes out an album cover with a man’s face on it while "The Moment" by Kenny G plays.
TIM: Kenny G? Wait a sec. He’s not a, he’s not a rapper, he’s a. But that’s jazz, this isn’t a rap bot at all, it’s a jazz bot in disguise.
Tim looks at Moby.
TIM: Oh man, you created a monster.
MOBY: Beep.
Tim covers his ears and frowns.
TIM: Make it stop!