1.Prologue
In our series “The Music of California", we’ve looked at how the psychedelic music that came out of the hippie movement centered in San Francisco in the 1960s influenced generations of musicians that came afterward.
In my last article, I wrote about how psychedelic rock influenced soul and funk musicians. (MUSIC & PARTIES 021, 022) This time I’ve put together a list of some of the contemporary R&B artists who carry on the traditions of psychedelic rock, psychedelic soul, and funk.
The rise of hip-hop from and underground movement into a genre of popular music coincided with the fading away of the disco craze in the early 80s. The hip-hop from this era is known as old-school hip-hop, which mainly consisted of party music that got the neighborhood jumping at block parties. It was music to dance your worries away to—a temporary escape from the difficulties facing African-American communities in the inner city. In the second half of the 80s, a more aggressive, angry, muscular version of hip-hop rose to prominence, called new-school hip hop.
In contrast to the hard-edged sound and attitude that came to characterize mainstream hip-hop, some explored a more jazzy, funky, fluid sound, choosing to pursue artistry over dollar bills. They had a more socially conscious, positive message, and their movement came to be called alternative hip-hop. That is not to say their stories did not involve violence or hard drugs. But they saw those things not as something to embrace or celebrate as part of black culture; rather, they sought to free their minds and overcome their circumstances through the accumulation of knowledge, through a transcendent sexual experience, or through spirituality. They saw the music itself as a way to rise up.
Allow me to step back for a moment, and talk about the concept behind this series. I’ve chosen to focus on the counterculture rather than the mainstream because that’s where we can find the essence of American music—its roots. The counterculture of “alternative" music did not develop as a response to the largely white mainstream. Instead, it was white America that took black music like blues, jazz, and R&B, stripped them of their edge and other unsavory elements, and filtered it through a mainstream lens for the general public.
In this article, I’ll be looking back over black music from the 80s onwards, and examining what each generation brought to the table. Through that process, I hope to get to the essence of psychedelic music and how black music is regarded in America.
2.A Tribe Called Quest and the Creation of Alternative Hip-Hop
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A Tribe Called Quest was formed in 1988, and is known for making music with socially conscious themes, in contrast to the aggressive, over-assertive, hardcore sound of mainstream hip-hop at the time.
A Tribe Called Quest joined the pioneering hip-hop/jazz group Jungle Brothers and De La Soul to found the collective Native Tongues in New York. In contrast to the hypermasculine hip-hop at the time, which was all about guns, cash, and gold necklaces, it explored an alternative sound that was about positivity, African roots, and playfulness. This collective had a big effect on shaping the so-called golden age of hip-hop.
A Tribe Called Quest’s second album Low End Theory is considered one of hip-hop’s towering achievements. Their jazz-influenced sound defined the alternative hip-hop movement. The phrase “low end" refers both to the place of African-Americans in the American social hierarchy and the emphasis the group’s sound places on bass.
Low End Theory (1991)
A Tribe Called Quest’s second studio album was ranked 153rd on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”
The track “Scenario" samples “Little Miss Lover" by Jimi Hendrix and “So What" by Miles Davis, among others. Then 19-year-old Busta Rhymes also makes an appearance—and leaves a big impression.
In contrast to the bass-heavy, stripped down sound of their second album, their 1993 release Midnight Marauders turns up the funk—an important element of alternative hip-hop. The track “Award Tour”, which depicts the group on a celebratory world tour, includes De La Soul rapper Trugoy the Dove in the chorus, and became a worldwide hit. The album marked the moment when the sound of the Native Tongues became something bigger than a “New York thing”, or an “American thing”.
Midnight Marauders (1993)
A Tribe Called Quest’s third original album is considered one of the classic works of the golden age of hip-hop.
3.The Positive Vibes of De La Soul
De La Soul is a hip-hop trio that was a core part of the Native Tongues collective along with A Tribe Called Quest and Jungle Brothers. Their kaleidoscopic sound is characterized by positivity and plenty of word play, and they are considered pioneers of alternative hip-hop and jazz rap.
De La Soul’s debut album 3 Feet High and Rising was a critical success, but its flower child-inspired album cover and lyrics about love, peace, harmony resulted in the group being dubbed “the hippies of hip-hop". The Village Voice called the album “the Sgt. Pepper of hip hop".
3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
De La Soul’s debut album is credited with introducing the hip-hop skit: humorous minutelong interludes in-between some tracks used to introduce the next song.
The group’s general positivity and desire to be themselves is best captured in the track “Me, Myself and I", which samples Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep". The music video depicts the trio in a high school classroom receiving a lecture about adhering to the mainstream, image-driven style of hip-hop. The deadpan delivery reflects the group’s characteristic dry sense of humor.
In the album, De La Soul attempts to push a sound that they refer to as the “D.A.I.S.Y. Age”, short for “da inner sound, y’all”. That may sound like hippie musings on its surface, but really, it’s just another way to say (straight from the) soul music. But they became frustrated with their forced-upon hippie label, and they followed the album up with a sophomore effort titled De La Soul is Dead. The cover depicts a cracked flower pot on its side with withering daisies spilling out of it.
Because De La Soul makes ample use of samples, licensing challenges have meant that the group’s music is difficult to find on digital streaming services. In 2014, to celebrate its 25th anniversary, it made its entire catalogue available for download for 25 hours.
4.The Southern Stylings and African Roots of Arrested Development
Arrested Development is an alternative hip-hop group whose sound emphasizes its members’ African roots and a positive vibe, which was in contrast to the gangsta rap genre that developed in the late 80s.
The group’s 1992 debut, 3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of..., is its masterpiece. It contains messages of African-American unity, compassion, and equality, representative of the hopefulness—or naiveté—of the early 90s. The album won the group a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The standout track “Tennessee" samples Prince’s “Alphabet St.", and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
3 Years 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of... (1992)
The title of Arrested Development’s debut album refers to the amount of time it took for Arrested Development to get a record deal.
The reggae-influenced “People Everyday" is essentially their interpretation of Sly & the Family Stone’s classic “Everyday People", set to a more laid-back, Southern pace of life.
Arrested Development released their second album Zingalamaduni in 1994. Unfortunately, their label was in the midst of a restructuring, and the album received very little promotion, despite positive reception among music critics. The group broke up in 1996 due to creative differences. It reformed in 2000 and has been active since, but it was unable to reignite its popularity in the U.S.; meanwhile, it has enjoyed a loyal following in Japan, with many of its post-2000 albums being released only in Japan. Whether or not the Japanese can truly appreciate their message is another matter.
Zingalamaduni (1994)
Arrested Development’s second studio album.
5.Outkast: Bringing Southern Hip-Hop Mainstream Respect
Outkast is a hip-hop duo formed in 1992 by Andre 3000 and Big Boi, high school classmates from Atlanta, Georgia. As their name implies, they rose to prominence in an era when mainstream hip-hop was all about the rivalry between West Coast hip-hop (led by rappers like Tupac) and East Coast hip-hop(led by rappers like The Notorious B.I.G.). Southern hip-hop had yet to break through to the mainstream. Outkast offered an alternative perspective based on life as African-Americans in the south, mixing southern slang into their lyrics and gradually establishing Southern hip-hop as a force to be reckoned with.
One of Outkast’s notable early albums is 1996’s ATLiens. The album features comic book-inspired artwork, a funky sci-fi aesthetic that evokes George Clinton and P-Funk, and a laid-back sound with strong gospel music, reggae, psychedelic rock, and country music influences. The album title is a portmanteau of “Atlanta" and “aliens", speaking to the experience of living in the South as an African-American.
ATLiens (1996)
Outkast’s second studio album is considered a classic of Atlanta rap.
It was around the time of the release of this album that Andre 3000 started dating Erykah Badu, who would go on to become a leading figure of neo soul. He began wearing outlandish clothes, and became a vegetarian.
Outkast’s magnum opus is its fourth album Stankonia (2000). The album was a shift from the more laid-back sound of its early work to high-energy beats influenced by the rave scene. The album is full of experimentation, and Andre 3000 not only raps, but also incorporates soulful crooning. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The track “Ms. Jackson”, which won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, was partly written for Erykah Badu’s mother.
Stankonia (2000)
Outkast’s fourth album was named 359th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Outkast’s best known song is arguably 2003’s “Hey Ya!", a chart-topping playful romp that blends soul, funk, and punk. The lyrics reflect on the state of relationships in the 2000s, and shows Andre 3000 in a contemplative mood about his relationship to Badu. The music video depicts eight Andre 3000s performing the song on a set inspired by the music programs on TV in the 60s. It’s a lot of Andre 3000 to take in all at once.
6.The Freewheeling Kanye West
Most people would not associate the self-proclaimed “greatest artist that God has ever created” with psychedelic music, but look closely and it’s clear his work is heavily influenced by both its music and its aesthetic.
Take the cover art of Kanye’s third studio album, Graduation, which was designed by Japanese contemporary artist Murakami Takashi. Murakami is known for mind-meltingly colorful, anime-inspired pop art. His favorite motif is the flower, and he blends together Nihonga, Ukiyo-e, otaku culture, and the grammar of contemporary art with a psychedelic flair. The same year that Graduation was released, Murakami held a large-scale exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), establishing his reputation in the U.S.
Graduation (2007)
Kanye West’s third studio album is said to have marked the end of gangsta rap.
Musically speaking, Kanye is known for sampling a wide range of artists—not just black artists like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye but white rock artists like King Crimson, Black Sabbath, and Steely Dan. He has pushed the boundaries of hip-hop to encompass a far wide-ranging vision.
In recent years Kanye has started to back away from his reputation as a blowhard and write songs that focus on themes like mental health and spirituality. On the song “Yikes” from his 2018 studio album Ye, he raps about his experiences with psychedelics, and tells himself to be careful so that he doesn’t meet the same fate as Michael Jackson(*40) and Prince. And at the end of the track he says that bipolar disorder is his “superpower”. Regarding his more recent political declarations, he has characterized himself as more of a “free thinker” than a “conservative”.
Ye (2018)
Kanye West’s eighth studio album.
