THE EVOLUTION

OF THE MC

BY NAVIGATOR

What is the definition and function of an MC? Master of Ceremonies, Mic Chanter, Toaster, Rapper, Lyricist, Poet, Presenter, Host or maybe even a Conductor are all names that could be used in conjunction with the term. There are many ways to deliver lyrics, interact with the crowd and a DJ, project or record your voice. In Jungle / Drum & Bass the two main applications of MC’s skills are linking the DJ,music and audience together and lyrically performing over tracks being played. As an MC myself, I have experienced the overwhelming feeling a vocalists gets when everything gels together perfectly in the studio or an electric crowd response is obtained. The adrenaline rush is incredible. For me there is no higher feeling and I have been addicted to it for over 25 years. Contrary to popular belief, it didn’t all start with Hip Hop. The evolution of the MC began as more of an impromptu live performance and lifestyle rather than the vocal art it has become accepted as today. It undoubtedly has a firm foundation in Roots Reggae and Hip Hop Culture and has now gained a wealth of international respect. It all really began with Reggae music, which is a direct descendant of the Ska, Rocksteady, Bluebeat era of the late 1950s early 60s. Singers of that time would ad-lib or improvise over spaces in the track, much in the same way as MCs do today before and in between their rhymes. Early pioneers include Prince Buster, Desmond Decker, Scottie and Toots & the Maytals. When Reggae came to the forefront the lyrical toasting aspect came into play, the original Jamaican dancehall DJ / MC used to play or select records and also hosted, chatted or toasted on the microphone. The vocal version of the track would be played first, name checking the singer or the studio it was recorded in, then the flipside (or part two) was played, otherwise known as the version, dub or instrumental. The DJ / MC would then perform freestyle lyrics or rhymes over it. Hence the term “Ride ‘pon the rhythm, ride ‘pon the version” or “Sit down ‘pon top of the rhythm, sit down ‘pon top of the version .The classic Jamaican film The Harder They Come starring living legend Jimmy Cliff, includes several scenes that portray how it was done. U-Roy was the first Jamaican MC to record vocals and have chart success as a toaster. King Stitt, Lord Comic, Dennis Alcapone and many others were doing the same thing. U-Roy had three hits in the late 60s, Wear You To The Ball, Wake The Town and Rule The Nation in the Top Ten for several consecutive weeks. He gained credibility and recognition as an artist, catapulting him into the history books as the Godfather. This paved the way for a new wave of toasters to be accepted into the Reggae music industry as recording artists. Sir Coxsone Dodd – Studio 1, Duke Reid – Treasure Isle, Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee, Joe Gibbs, King Tubby’s and Prince Jammy’s, were some of the most famous producers and studios with whom artists wanted to record. These studios produced the hottest rhythm tracks of the late 60s / early 70s. A turning point came when studios started recording singer / toaster combination versions of those classic tunes, normally using the song’s chorus as a hook and then having the toaster perform the verses. After a while it became apparent that the toasters were gaining popularity in their own right. The studios built very powerful sound systems that they would play parties with. This was an ideal way of promoting the records, the artists and the studio name. A difference was now marked between the selector and the toaster. The selector played the tunes and dub plates of new tracks. Dub plates are one off pressings that might never be released. The most popular toasters would frequently attend these parties performing their hits. Sound systems were a breeding ground for the upcoming new generation of toasters who were being inspired by established stars. Pirate radio stations and rave parties could be viewed as the modern day equivalent of the opportunities that the original sound systems provided.

 In the mid-late 70s Reggae changed to a more Roots and Culture Dub style as opposed to the more Country & Western or Motown Soul influenced era that had preceded it. The Rastafarian movement emerged and had a huge influence on the sound and the lyrics of the music being recorded. Reggae Dancehall had developed its own identity and its message was of a more conscious nature, promoting freedom from mental slavery, denouncing ‘Babylon’ as the political system that was brainwashing the people. Producers were recording tracks and voicing them themselves, which led to many becoming producer / artists. It was a trend that caught on very quickly and kick started a lot of careers, for instance, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Jah Shaka and Prince Fari. The music became very raw and sparse, vocals were used as an intro and then delayed to lead into the rough basslines and equalised drums, snares and beats,which is why it earned the tag Dub or Dubwise. But there were still vocal versions of all the tracks. Linton Kwesi Johnson, a Jamaican Dub-poet, also had considerable success. His style of delivery is spoken word as opposed to melodic and is comparable to today’s chart topper The Streets. The lyrical content of Linton’s recordings were stories of real life experiences and racial discriminations that West Indians and their offspring often encountered from British nationals and authorities whilst living in England during the 60s and 70s. When Sound Systems played at parties, the vocal side of the tune was used as an introduction to the instrumental. This left of space for the toaster to improvise or freestyle, pushing him to the forefront as a presenter and lyricist. Everything runs in cycles and in the late 70s / early 80s Reggae Dancehall became firmly established. Sound systems emerged having a strong presence worldwide. The migration of West Indians, especially Jamaicans, to Europe and America spread the message far and wide. Many people aspired to be a selector or DJ, much the same as the youths in the UK are aspiring to be producer / DJs or MCs nowadays.

The classic Reggae film / documentary set in Jamaica called Rockers is another example of how it was, it stars a whole host of singers, DJs, MCs, musicians and other people that were at the forefront of the industry. For an insight into how the sound system circuit ran in the UK in the mid 70s to early 80s, check out the film Babylon which starred Brinsley Ford of Aswad. Babylon is typical of how the UK youths of that time got their inspirations to make it out of the ghetto struggle and achieve success in music. Catchphrases that toasters were known for gained them fame and popularity. For example, General Echo who performed on a sound called Stereophonic the Bionic, would sing, “People are you ready, BO! Oh lord, to come do the stereophonic rock steady, BO! Oh Lord.” With no disrespect intended to late, great Jungle MC Stevie Hyper D, but “Junglists are you ready, BO! Oh lord have mercy” was his interpretation of General Echo’s lyrics. Even the word ‘Jungle’ was derived from samples of famous Reggae Dancehall MCs who made references to Jungle and Junglists. In Kingston, Jamaica there is a notorious ghetto area much like a UK housing estate or the New York City projects. It’s called Tivoli Gardens, it is like a concrete jungle, hence the name ‘Jungle’ and people who live there are referred to as ‘Junglists.’

The 80s were the decade of the new school. The lifestyle referred to as Hip Hop Culture started to make its mark internationally. Young African American, Hispanic and White communities initially inspired it, but the influx of Jamaican sound boys into New York City was also a major influence. Breakdancing, Graffiti Writers, Street Apparel, DJing & MCing all became synonymous with the term Hip Hop. The DJs played all styles of music including: Reggae, Calypso, Motown and Soul. The drum patterns behind Hip Hop are broken beats otherwise know as breakbeats, as exemplified by living legend James Brown’s Funky Drummer. Kool Herc, the founding father of Hip Hop DJing, used two decks to mix and scratch records together at block parties, which led to the rise in popularity of people like Grand Master Flash, Afrika Bambaataa and others. In 1979 Sugar Hill Gang reused the backing track from Le Chic’s Good Times and had the first massive worldwide hit with Rappers Delight. The media tried to dismiss it as a short-lived fad, but the music captured the hearts and minds of the youth and gave them a way to escape the oppression of the system. It was seen as a way to express their pain, disillusionment and struggles, and became a source of hope and encouragement to help elevate self-esteem. The menial positions usually on offer to people from an underprivileged background and the need to have the formal qualifications for a better job were superseded by the opportunity that Hip Hop gave these aspiring artists.LL Cool J, KRS1, Public Enemy, Run DMC, and NWA became spokesmen and leaders for the movement. They helped start record labels like Def Jam, selling the music on the streets because the majors had no idea how to promote this genre of Street Culture. Little did the majors know that Hip Hop would go on to become the multi-million selling phenomenon it is today. More recently new school rappers like Jay Z, 50 Cent and Eminem have risen to prominence. Later that decade saw the birth of modern Dance Music through the inception of House music. At the same time the birth of digital and computerised influenced production made programming beats not just something musicians could do. Doors opened to a whole new dimension in making music in home studios and truly revolutionised the meaning of the term ‘recording studio’.

In 1985-86 Reggae Dancehall went digital. The first digital hit was called Under Mi Sleng Teng sung by Wayne Smith, the story is that he was switching off a Casio synthesiser and it made a sound that caught his ear, he recorded the sound, played a bassline with it and the rest is history. It started the Digital Dancehall era, which was capitalised to great effect by the likes of King Jammy’s. He also had a sound system and an army of singers and MCs who all went onto become stars in their own right. One very successful act was Chaka Demus & Pliers who had a string of hits like Murder She Wrote and Tease Me. The Dancehall scene went through a change during this period; sound systems like Stonelove started gaining popularity, the selectors became more vocal again and started to clash with each other, seeing who had the best dub plates and the slickest tongue. The DJs or Toasters became stage show artists, performing their songs with a live backing band. They would also clash with each other lyrically; in both cases whoever got the biggest response from the crowd would win. In the mid / late 80s came the rise of Techno from Belgium and Acid House in the UK; both are direct descendants of House music. Reggae Dancehall, Hip Hop, Breakbeat and House were also bombarding Britain. Up-and-coming producers were fusing them together, which created a hybrid sound that gave the UK an identity of its own. MCs were always a part of it, becoming steadily more and more popular. By the beginning of the 90s the Rave Scene embraced Hardcore and subsequently Jungle exploded with a ferocity that would be felt worldwide. The vast majority of established UK MCs of that period like Rebel MC, General Levy, Top Cat, Rodney P and Roots Manuva graduated from Reggae Dancehall or Hip Hop Sound Systems. The natural progression of the music gave UK MCs access to large fan bases and they continued to command respect at home and internationally as their careers progressed. UK MCs reinvented and launched themselves in a variety of ways; some were hosts like Moose and Creed. Others were more lyrical like myself. The UK Rave scene paved the way for a new wave of record labels, pirate radio stations and illegal parties. The classic Jungle documentary A London Something Dis is a good reference guide to understand what that period of time was like for the array of people involved. Further development in the mid 90s saw the emergence of UK Garage making another huge impact, in much the same way as Jungle did. Jungle evolved into what we now know as Drum & Bass; pushing MCs like Skibadee, Shabba, Foxy and Eksman to the forefront. The creative cycle has bred new sub genres of MCs, flows and styles.UK Garage has now evolved into Dubstep, Sub-low or Grime. MCs like Dizzee Rascal, Wiley and Shystie are heralded as the sound and expression of the future. Even the way in which words and street slang in lyrics have mutated over the years has almost created a new language. Innovative music and vocal expressions reminds us that we have to remember where we came from, to know where we are and where we are going in the future. Who knows whatwill be the latest thing in 2010?

Article originally written by Navigator and published in a book named All Crews: Journey's Through Jungle / Drum and Bass Culture by Brian Belle-Fortune