How Jazz Gave Birth to Hip Hop

At Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival, we don’t draw hard lines around what belongs on our stages. On Friday nights, in the beautiful setting of Moseley Park, Hip Hop, Rap, Jungle, and Drum and Bass sit comfortably alongside the Jazz which gives our festival its name. 

And this year is no exception. We’re welcoming Drum & Bass godfathers Fabio & Grooverider with The Outlook Orchestra, Reggae-Soul pioneers Soul II Soul, and UK Jungle royalty Goldie for a special DJ set on our Second Stage.

But what does a smokey, back-room, 1950s jazz club have in common with 1990s Brooklyn recording studio? At first glance, you’d be forgiven for overlooking the shared sounds and influences of the two prestigious genres, but look a little closer, and you’ll find a lot more than you think..

Both genres are Black American artforms, born out of protest against systemic inequality. Brothers in sound, Jazz and Hip Hop both emerged as prominent voices to generations who navigated segregation, migration, disinvestment and economic hardship. Jazz, in the early twentieth century, became a vehicle for Black expression and innovation, pushing musical and social boundaries simultaneously. Decades later, Hip Hop picked up that mantle. The tools are different, but the vision is the same. 

Hip Hop’s relationship with Jazz is not abstract, you can hear the connection in the music itself. Sampling culture in the 1980s and 90s brought Jazz records back into circulation, reframing them for a new generation. Legendary Hip Hop act, A Tribe Called Quest, drew on minimalist drum loops and warm double bass samples lifted directly from Jazz tracks, and are often cited as innovators of the Jazz Rap genre for their pioneering sound in the mid 80s and early 90s. Their track, Jazz (We’ve Got), considered as one of the band’s 20 top songs, samples Jimmy McGriff’s take on Jazz standard On Green Dolphin Street, as well as Don’t Change Your Love by Five Stairsteps, otherwise known as “the first family of soul”. To look through this lens is to consider how Hip Hop is a continuation and expansion of the musical structure that Jazz started, and how Hip Hop acts hold Jazz music in high regard. 

Improvisation offers another obvious parallel. Jazz musicians respond to one another in real time, adjusting to shifts in mood and tempo. In Hip Hop, freestyle and battle culture demand the same awareness of the room, opponents and how to collectively build momentum. It is an impressive skill, mastered by artists of both genres. 

Programming Hip Hop, Drum and Bass and Jungle at Mostly Jazz Festival is an acknowledgement of tradition and the deep respect between these genres. Jazz and Hip Hop speak across decades and are entwined in a way that deserves acknowledgement and respect.

So what connects a Jazz speakeasy and Brooklyn recording studio is much more than just nostalgia, it’s an evolution of sound.

Team Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul are always looking to explore new ways of experiencing music or discovering new people. Please send any requests, suggestions or invites onto info@mostlyjazz.co.uk.