Kurtis Blow was signed to Mercury Records in 1979. This event was significant as it was the catalyst to an industry that …show more content…
The use of synthesizers and the TR-808 drum machine influenced other genres including techno, electronic dance music, and freestyle. The success of “Planet Rock” acted as a springboard for the sound that would become freestyle. This genre was born in the same areas as Hip-Hop and was largely popular among Latin Americans and Italians. Shannon is credited with the first freestyle hit, “Let the Music Play,” in 1983. Bambaataa was responsible for the early movement of Hip-Hop, including coining the term , and less than a decade later helped to spawn other cultures. Freestyle peaked up until 1989, beginning a rapid decline until the genre was dropped from several radio stations in the early …show more content…
Serving a maximum 4.5-year sentence stemming from a sexual assault conviction, Shakur was embattled during this period. On November 30, 1994, he was ambushed in the lobby of Quad Studios in New York, NY. He was shot five times and robbed. Shakur checked himself out of the hospital against his doctor’s orders, and went to court the next day to hear the verdict from his case. “Me Against the World” was well received critically and by the masses, remaining atop the Billboard Top 200 charts for over four weeks. Shakur explained that the intention of this album was to be more introspective and personal in order to display his love and respect for Hip-Hop as an art form. While he embraced the, “Thug Life,” persona that helped to sell records and build up his popularity, Shakur’s legacy will be remembered as a young black male describing life through the lens of disenfranchised people who fall victim to systemic