History of Punk and Metal Music

Sam Dunn's First Film

• Sam Dunn's first film was Metal: A headbanger's journey.

Chinese Metal Band

• Tang Dynasty was the first Chinese metal band.

Genres with Similar Horn Sections

• Ska, funk, and afro-beat share the same horn section.

Common Roots of Various Genres

• Ska, reggaeton, British punk, hip-hop, heavy metal, jazz, and folk music all share working-class origins.

Punk Genre

• Punk embraces a DIY approach to rock music, defined by rebellion against authority and rejection of middle-class values.

Hardcore Genre

• Hardcore punk is a style of punk characterized by amplified energy, faster tempos, and louder volume.
• The Ramones were an early hardcore punk band.

British vs. U.S. Punk

• British Punk: Predominantly white, working-class youth; politically focused; drew from various rock styles.
• U.S. Punk: Creative and economic resistance; DIY culture (fanzines, posters, mixtapes, indie labels, underground clubs, college radio).

DIY Culture

• DIY culture involved creative and economic resistance using underground clubs, home recording, mixtapes, indie labels, college radio, fanzines, posters.

Straight Edge Movement

• Straight Edge advocated for a clean lifestyle, rejecting drugs, alcohol, and casual sex.

Riot Grrrl Movement

• Riot Grrrl was a feminist movement focused on creative production.
• It was translocal, originating in DC and Washington state.
• It aimed to challenge feminine norms and put female artists in positions of power.

The Sex Pistols - "Anarchy in the U.K."

• The Sex Pistols were a key British punk band formed by Malcolm McLaren.
• The song "Anarchy in the U.K." praised anti-Christ and nihilism.
• The song protested the British monarchy and class system.

X-Ray Spex - "Oh, Bondage (Up Yours!)"

• X-Ray Spex provided a feminist voice to punk.
• The song challenged patriarchy, identities, capitalism, sexism, racism, environmental ruin, and even punk itself.

Ian MacKaye

• Ian MacKaye's musical career included Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Dischord Records, and Fugazi.
• He was a pivotal figure in the Straight Edge movement.

Kathleen Hanna

• Kathleen Hanna was an activist, feminist, musician, and artist inspired by Gloria Steinem.
• She was a spoken-word artist and singer, challenging sexism and violence against women.

Minor Threat - "Straight Edge"

• Minor Threat, formed by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson, pioneered a Straight Edge movement.

Bikini Kill - "Rebel Girl"

• Bikini Kill used "girl" as cultural resistance, focused on participation.
• Members sought to remove male dominance in environments.

Hip-Hop Genre

• Race: A form of social identification and stratification.
• Griots: West African historians, musicians, and storytellers; keepers of communal history (institutional memory).
• Preaching: Black churches provide autonomy and distinctive vocal styles.
• Black Arts Movement: Associated with the Black Panther movement, asserting African identity and resisting White power structures.
• Gangsta Rap: A style often characterized by hypermasculinity, misogyny, hypersexuality, and narratives centered around poverty, violence, and struggle.
• Women in Hip-Hop: A significant decline in female artists signed to major labels in the 1980s and 1990s, influenced by record label executives' demands for specific physical appearance standards.

Trap Music

• Trap music originated in Atlanta, Georgia.
• It combines elements of EDM, gangsta rap, and rapid hi-hats, booming bass.

Sugarhill Gang - "Rapper's Delight"

• The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" was a top 40 hit, combining West African influences with funk, disco, and Jamaican sound systems.

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - "The Message"

• "The Message" featured a political and social commentary, being one of hip-hop's first of its kind.

Run-DMC and Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"

• "Walk This Way" was an example of white rock crossing over into hip-hop.

Megan Thee Stallion

• Megan Thee Stallion was a rapper, singer, and philanthropist, who used social media and emerged as a viral freestyle artist.
• She was the first female rapper to be signed to 300 Entertainment.

Fela Kuti & Afrobeat

• Pan-Africanism: A belief system promoting unity and pride among people of African descent.
• Afrobeat: A musical genre combining African and Western musical elements (e.g., funk, highlife, bebop).
• Musical Precursors: Caribbean's mento and calypso.
  • Also, American jazz and rhythm and blues were strong precursors.
  • Afrobeat emerged from a meeting of these elements and Fela’s own experience with musical training — primarily Highlife.
• Fela’s Visit to L.A. (1969): Black Power movement influenced developments in Afrobeat.
• The Shrine: The shrine was named after a cell Fela was in.
• Kalakuta Republic: Fela's home and resistance.
  • A symbolic declaration of independence from Nigeria

Fela Kuti, "Zombie"

• A song that criticizes mindless obedience using imagery of soldiers.
• It was characterized by a catchy tune.

Reggaeton

• Transnationalism: The genre developed through global migration and cultural exchange.
• Caserios: State-funded housing projects.
• Hurban: A marketing category (Hispanic + urban).
• Underground/Musica Negra: Early reggaeton, characterized by underground DJs, and lyrics about gang life.
• Connections between nations: Reggaeton's development involved Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, and NYC, with musical exchange and common cultural identities.

Shabba Ranks - "Dem Bow"

• Shabba Ranks introduced a rhythmic pattern, which became a foundation for reggaeton.

Daddy Yankee - "Gasolina"

• Daddy Yankee brought reggaeton to the English-speaking market.

Ivy Queen - "Somos raperos pero no somos delincuentes"

• Ivy Queen combined hip-hop, reggae, and lyrical themes focused on female identity.

Becky G - "Bella Ciao"

• Becky G's work embraces multicultural identities, power, and alternatives to hypersexualization.

Bad Bunny

• Bad Bunny's focus is on cultural heritage (working class identity, political activism), LGBTQIA+ allyship, and Puerto Rican identity.

Global Metal

• Subsections about the spread and unique elements of metal in various countries (Brazil, Japan, India, China, Indonesia, Israel, Iran).

Ska Genre

• Hybridity: Combining various musical styles.
• Musical Precursors: Mento, calypso, jazz, and R&B.
• Alpha Boys School: A Jamaican orphanage and industrial school where many musicians emerged.
• Sound Systems: Used for outdoor performances, toasting, and socializing.
• Jamaican Independence: Ska became the national music of Jamaica.
• 2Tone: A British record label combining punk, ska, and reggae.
• Ska in other regions: Ska's impact on working-class youth in the UK, Latin America, and the US.
• Ska's cultural and spiritual influences: Jazz, R&B, tourism, military bases, radio.

Sonia Pottinger

• A prominent figure in the Jamaican music industry.

Theophilus Beckford - "Easy Snappin"

• A pioneering Jamaican pianist.

Skatalites - "You're Wondering Now"

• A key ska band solidifying the genre.

Millie Small - "My Boy Lollipop"

• Popular early Ska song.

The Specials - "Gangster"

• The Specials combined ska with messages of racial unity for the working-class youth in Britain.