Andrson launches Uploaded competition for unsigned artists
Andrson, an A.I. artist discovery platform, has launched Uploaded – an international song competition offering emerging musicians the chance to win a grand prize of €10,000. Open to artists globally, the competition runs until 11th November 2020 with monthly prizes available and will culminate in a live event showcase to declare the eventual winner – due to be held in Dublin, February 2021. Uploaded will not only reward unique musical talent, but will showcase some of the world’s best undiscovered artists.
Andrson invites all aspiring and emerging musicians, across all genres of music to enter by submitting an original song which will be judged by top level music industry execs. With no limit on the number of submissions, artists can enter up to one song per month until the competition closes in November – creating as much music as they like.
Each month, twenty-three artists will be chosen to advance to a semi-final whereby eventually the long list of semi-finalists will be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 talented finalists – chosen by a leading panel of handpicked judges from the music industry. The 10 finalists will then be invited to perform live in Dublin next year for a chance to battle it out to win €10,000. Additionally, a second prize will be available at the event offering the public a chance to vote for their favourite artist in the People’s Choice award and a cash reward of €2,500.
To enter the competition, artists can simply download the Andrson app from the App Store or Google Play, then upload their chosen song and lastly complete the entry form on the contest landing page. The grand final will take place in Dublin, in February 2021. The 10 finalists will be invited to perform their songs live in front of fans, music industry execs and a select panel of judges. Winners will be announced during the evening.
Neil Dunne, Co-Founder of Andrson, commented: “We want to be a course of inspiration and support to all budding musicians globally. By launching Uploaded, we hope w’eve created a space whereby not only can their music be heard by the right people, but ewe will hear the incredible talent from some of the best undiscovered musicians.”
To launch Uploaded, Andrson has partnered with children’s charity, Make-A-Wish Ireland. Twenty percent of sponsorships and donations from the competition will be committed to the charity – raising vital funds to help grant wishes to seriously ill children.
Uploaded is an opportunity for all budding songwriters to showcase their talents whereby their music will be judged on originality, lyrics, melody, composition and the potential to be a ‘smash hit’.
A sound-driven A&R platform, Andrson is a brand new A.I.-powered tool which connects emerging artists to the right industry professionals, helping them to become discovered. For more information and to enter Uploaded, head to andrsonuploaded.com.
For full rules and eligibility of the competition, please head to andrsonuploaded.com/rules.
Our partner UWL reaches top 40 in The Guardian's official guide!
Some excellent news has just come in! Our partner university, UWL (University of West London) has climbed an impressive 23 places to become one of the top 40 universities in the UK according to the influential Guardian University Guide.
The university is now ranked 34th in the UK – their highest position of any league table ever! They were also the top university in England for teaching satisfaction and the ranking reaffirms their position as the top modern university in England.
"We are so proud to be working with this progressive and outstanding university," says The Academy's own Mel Baxter.
Congratulations UWL!
About the University of West London
The University of West London is ranked as the top modern university* in London, 8th modern university* in the UK and ranked as the 50th university nationally by the Guardian University Guide 2019.
98% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation**.
You can read more about UWL on their website, add check out our London College of Music validated courses here.
Our Free Short Courses in Scotland are back!
Academy of Music and Sound’s free online short-courses have returned for 2020-21 offering ‘Sound Production’ and ‘Hip-Hop and Rap Beat-making feat. Steg Gilfoyle (A.K.A rap legend Steg G). The courses will be available to everyone living in Scotland.
We’re really excited to be able to bring back our short course programme in the new academic year, now fully adapted and optimised for online execution. This time around we’re brining back some of our favourites. The term kicks off with Sound Production, a week long free short course designed to explore the fundamentals of recording theory and best practice through streamed group classes and individual 1-1 lessons with the guidance of experienced industry professionals. Plus our songwriting course will be back as well as our Women In Music masterclass, previously led by Karyln King and Melisa Kelly.
There’s also the new addition of a hip-hop and rap short course led by Glasgow’s own hip-hop legend Steg G. It comes ahead of our newly announced hip-hop HND Pathway, which will be available for anyone studying the HND with us at either of our Scotland centres.
Each short course includes one to one and group sessions with our faculty and upon completion be posted a certification. All dates and more details for the rest of this year can be found via our dedicated short course page or scroll down for dates already announced.
Applications are open for all dates and you can apply here. If you’d like to speak to our Scotland teams about learning more, you can also get in touch with us at [email protected] for our Edinburgh centre or [email protected] for our Glasgow team.
We look forward to hearing from you all!
Sound Production
Glasgow Dates (2020)
- Starting Monday 21st September and concluding Friday 2nd October.
- Starting Monday 12th October and concluding Friday 16th October.
- Starting Monday 9th November and concluding Friday 20th November.
- Starting Monday 7th December and concluding Friday 18th December.
Edinburgh dates (2020)
- 6 weekend course starting Saturday 5th September and concluding Sunday 11th October.
- 6 weekend course starting Saturday 17th October and concluding Sunday 22nd November.
Hip Hop and Rap
Glasgow Dates (2020)
- Starting Monday 28th September and concluding Friday 2nd October.
- Starting Monday 12th October and concluding Friday 16th October.
Women In Music: Empowerment and Employability
Edinburgh dates (2020)
- This is online course will take place over two Weekends, starting on October 3rd and ending on October 11th.
Apply now
AMS Exeter welcomes new L3 students as record results achieved
AMS Exeter is set to welcome a wave of new students, as record results from this years class of 2020 was announced last week.
Last week it was Results Day for our RSL Level 3 Diploma students, and we were so pleased and proud to announce that there was a staggering 97% high grade pass results from our L3 Diploma students in Exeter!
Congratulations to all our incredible students who got their results last week. We know you all worked incredibly hard and we are certain the future is going to be very bright indeed!
"We are so so proud of our students and staff today," says Jemma of our Exeter team.
And it's good news for the next wave of L3 Students. Ahead of GCSE results day (20 August 2020) our Exeter centre announced that anyone who has applied and passed their audition for the L3 Music Diploma at AMS Exeter, has been automatically accepted and can look forward to starting their course at our Exeter centre in September – so for some, the stress is significantly off for results day. Well done to everyone who passed and thank you everyone who applied. We can't wait to meet you and see all your faces in September!
https://twitter.com/of_exeter/status/1296210062189494275
Check out our electrifying August playlist....
Our monthly playlist is back! Courtesy of AMS Glasgow.
We got some mixed vibes and all-round great tunes on our sunny August Scotland playlist, curated by our staff at AMS Scotland (Glasgow division). It features a whole host of great tracks, perfect to soundtrack these hot sunny days! There’s some brand new songs from the likes of Zoe Graham (Know By Now), Atlas Run (Abstain), Layaway (Until Then), static union (Can I Be Loved?) and The Black Denims (You Weren’t There)!
Enjoy the complete playlist in the player below!
We're the new sponsor of 'Artist of the Week in The Scotsman!
Our latest Artist of the Week in The Scotsman newspaper on Sunday is the classically trained pianist Kate E Lake!
We’re very pleased to announce that our Scotland division (made up of our Edinburgh and Glasgow teams) will be taking over and sponsoring the ‘Artist of the Week’ column in The Scotsman newspaper. The Scotsman is a renowned publication reporting on news since 1817, with a special focus on the arts and culture scene in Scotland. We’re thrilled to be supporting a column which puts front and centre young Scottish talent and emerging artists.
The latest feature, dubbed ‘Under the Radar’, focused on the incredible Kate E Lake. Kate is a professional pianist based in Scotland and will soon be releasing her debut EP ‘ROAMS’ of which she has worked with Royal Conservatoire alumus Gus Stirrat.
“Kate E Lake has had an interesting musical journey which has taken her from wanting to be Elastica’s frontwoman Justine Frischmann, to travelling to Dublin and Paris to study classical piano and then a stint singing jazz standards upon her return to Glasgow.
However, it was when she discovered a love for singing folk songs at parties, that she decided to strike out as a recording artist in her own right. Citing influences including Agnes Obel, Nils Frahm, Julia Houlter, Eric Whitacre and Debussy her quality compositions have a strong cinematic appeal, but could also slot seamlessly into a Celtic Connections bill.”
You can read the full article on The Scotsman here.
AMS Online team up with Ariane Cap
AMS online – the online university partner of Academy of Music & Sound – are now working with international educator, bestselling author and online teaching personality Ariane Cap. We are looking for bass players that might like to study with Ariane from September 2020.
AMSonline
At the start of 2019, AMSonline had a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate music qualifications validated for supported distance-learning with the London College of Music (University of West London). This meant that courses could be accessed worldwide with no need for conventional college lectures. The courses are delivered 100% online, so anywhere with an internet connection is now a workspace.
Ariane will be working with AMS Online from September 2020 on our online Foundation Degree in Music and Sound, where she will be taking the lead on her particular area of expertise – bass!
A Word from Ariane
“I am so happy to announce my collaboration with AMSOnline under the validation of the London College of Music/University of West London. Receive your Foundation Degree after two years studying at AMS Online with me as one of your teachers. On the Foundation degree students can choose to specialise in a certain instrument, and are entitled to an amount of support for that study by way of online video sessions. The curriculum is well rounded and practical.”
We are delighted that Ariane is joining AMSonline, and that we are able to offer her support for students that specialise in bass guitar and wish to study our Foundation Degree Music pathway.
A bit more about the Foundation in Music & Sound
The AMS online Foundation Degree is a combined academic and vocational qualification, equivalent to two thirds of an honours degree. It is anticipated that those who complete the Foundation Degree in Music & Sound will progress to the BA (Hons) top-up Music & Sound. The course is developed to mirror the modern music industry allowing students to gain the skills to be an independent multi-skilled music practitioner, fluent with various forms of multi-media.
The programme is validated by the University of West London and is equivalent to the first 2 years of a BA(hons). Throughout the course, students will:
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Learn skills to work in different industries, including music, advertising and gaming
- Gain practical skills while building a portfolio of music, contacts and experience
- Develop the ability to work freelance with several income streams
- Time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material
FAQ’s
How long is it?
This is a full time pathway (4×12 week semesters studied over 2 years).
Who is it for?
The AMS online Foundation Degree in Music & Sound is ideal if you wish to progress your studies from a BTEC Level 3 Diploma/Extended Diploma in Music or Music Technology and/or A level studies in a performing arts or related subjects.
Entry requirements?
Minimum of a 48 UCAS points plus a successful audition and interview. Experienced musicians without formal qualifications may be considered. FAST TRACK entry into the second year of the FD or the AMS online BA (Hons) programme is possible. Please contact our team for further information.
How do I find out more?
Applications are being taken now for the next start point, which is September 2020.
If you would like to find out more about your chance to learn with Ariane, please complete the form by clicking the link below.
Why Study in Edinburgh?
September is on the horizon, and we’re still very much open for applications for the new academic year. Edinburgh is one of our 2 AMS centres in Scotland, and could prove to be an excellent choice if you’re looking for an exciting, buzzing city to take your musical study to the next level. From free short courses which we change and mix up each semester, to our hugely popular HNC/HND in Music and our BA Hons in Music and Sound, AMS Edinburgh have a great range of courses for you to sink your musical teeth into.
So, whats the city’s appeal?
The Scottish capital has a long-established reputation in the international festival circuit, offering a fantastic fusion of culture, art and performance. Most notably, Edinburgh annually hosts the incredible Edinburgh Fringe Festival and their famous 3-day New Year party. With festivals and cultural events scheduled all year around, Edinburgh has countless entertainment and opportunities for musicians, as well as infinite eating out options, theatres and comedy nights. The Edinburgh Centre is certainly the the best place to be to gain your start in the Music Industry!
The city is home to some fantastic venues like, Sneaky Pete’s, The Queens Hall, Leith Folk Club, Bannermans, The Caves, and Stramash. And of course cultural structures and iconic places to visit like the famous Edinburgh Castle, Catton Hill and Authur’s Seat.
And it’s not far from some stunning beauty spots either – you can truly get the best of both worlds here.
What courses are available at AMS Edinburgh?
Free Short Courses | Each semester we update an exciting programme of free short courses. Most recently we’ve had some really fascinating courses on Women in Music, Sound Production, Hip-hop and Rap, and Working in the Music Industry. Most recently we adapted all our short courses – which are usually held in our studio and performance facilities in-centre – for online purposes due to the pandemic, and had some great responses from attendees! Keep your eyes peeled for next semester’s programme.
HNC/HND in Music | This specialist course for modern musicians is available at both our city centre facilities in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Our unique selling point has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway – this year we are thrilled to announce that we are now offering Hip-Hop & Rap as a pathway on our HND Music course. Accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), our HND is written in partnership with education professionals and industry experts, reflecting the current music industry and allows for further progression onto higher levels of study, expanding career opportunities and personal development. If you’re serious about your music, and want to take your creativity to the next level whilst studying an accredited undergraduate pathway then the HNC in Music could be for you.
BA Hons in Music and Sound – Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with recognised industry experience backed up with qualifications. Validated by the University of West London, the course has been developed to mirror the modern music industry, allowing students to learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills.
Facilities
Our Edinburgh centre boasts teaching rooms, rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional music tutors.
Learn from the pros
All our tutors and staff are working in music, and our courses are both delivered by and written by musicians. With that comes a great community, common goals and an immediate industry focus that you won’t get at your run of the mill college.
Alumni
Many of our past students are now working in music, check out our alumni page to find out more.
Who will I be learning from?
Our dedicated and passionate teaching team are all professional musicians with several years experience both in teaching and the music industry. You’ll be learning and working with a range of musical professionals, mostly have well established links with the Edinburgh and Glasgow music scenes and all have a wealth of knowledge.
On our singer-songwriter team, we’ve got Zac Scott a performer and artists with experience facilitating creative songwriting sessions across Scotland. He trained at Lincoln Center Education, New York and graduated with BA (Hons) in Contemporary Performance Practice at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. There’s also Georgia Smith our songwriting tutor – Georgia has a whole host of accolades from the likes of Scottish Jazz Awards, BBC Scotland and Society Magazine. In our vocals department is the wonderful Susanna Klayman, specialising in soul music she has over 12 years experience. Michael Mackay is one of our guitar tutors, an artist part of several local bands with a loyal following, and Ewan Gibson is our bass tutor, also part of many local projects.
If sound production is your thing, you’ll be learning first hand from Archie Biard. While Karyln King is our BA Course Coordinator, Music Business and Women in Music Tutor. Born in Glasgow, Karlyn is a prolific Popular Music academic, lecturer and researcher who regularly presents at industry conferences all over the UK, specialising in Rock n Roll history, Artist Development and Research. She is completing a PhD at University of Birmingham on vinyl record culture, and freelances in Artist Management.
What’s the deal with Coronavirus?
Of course, coronavirus has sadly impacted many of our local venues and arts centres, but with several of them having recently received Creative Scotland funding, and Edinburgh will surely be quick to get back on its feet.
Online learning: Since March we’ve swapped the studio for home and come September we’re confident we’ll be in a great position to offer flexible, online learning to students should we need to. We’re also spreading out, finding new spaces for learning so classrooms can be bigger and class sizes smaller. We were quick to adapt to the changes back in the Spring, and received some hugely positive feedback from our students.
Come September we’re readily adapting, in a great position to provide optional online learning and small class sizes should we need to. There’s still space on many of our courses for 2020/21 and we really look forward to hearing from you!
“Group tutor sessions and live online performances have kept me feeling involved and uplifted during these crazy times”
– Ella Crossland, Exeter student, April 2020.
How do I apply?
It’s simple. Just fill out a short online form, and we will get back to you in the following few days.
Take me to the application form.
And if you have any more questions or queries, feel free to to in touch with our friendly team! We’ll get back to you as soon as possible, and we really look forward to hearing from you, about your musical experience and your musical interests.
Contact us
An update on Bearded Theory 2020
In case you missed the recent news from Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering, the festival announced recently, after several postponements for 2020’s event due to coronavirus which has virtually cancelled every festival and live music event since March, that Bearded Theory’s Spring Gathering would be postponed until the May Bank Holiday 2021.
The event is now set to take place on May 27th to 30th 2021 which is their usual weekend, and they have already secured much of the original 2020 lineup and more, including Patti Smith, Toots and the Maytals, The Mission, Wilko Johnson, Peter Hook & the Light, Perocious Dog, Neville Staple Band, Bad Manners, Dub Pistols, Lucy Spraggan, Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club and 3 Daft Monkeys. Loads more will be announced across the festival’s 8 stages in the coming months.
In a statement the festival said, “Thank you for your patience while we have been getting our house in order. We have been consulting with various industry bodies, Emergency Services and our own contractors prior to issuing this newsletter and we are pleased to confirm we will be rescheduling the festival to May 2021 on our usual bank holiday weekend, May 27th to 30th.”
“Tickets will be automatically rolled over if you still want to join us but if you want a refund please do so by requesting one. To request a refund from Eventbrite please go to our website ticket page and click on the appropriate refund links. If you purchased via Gigantic please email [email protected] with your original booking confirmation. Refunds will be available until August 30th, 2020, please allow 28 days from request for the refund to hit your bank account from the ticket agent.”
As you may know, every year we at AMS host our One Big Showcase stage at the festival. We didn’t announce our 2020 lineup already this year, and we be rolling over our stage competition winners from 2020 to 2021, and will be going out with our One Big Showcase lineup in the near future! Check this space.
Read the full statement from Bearded Theory here.
Why Study in Exeter?
September is on the horizon, and we’re still very much open for applications for the new academic year. Exeter would be a great place to decide to study with AMS – with course options in RSL Level 3, Foundation Degree in Music and Sound, BA Hons in Music and Sound, and of course our hugely popular M.MUS in Popular Music Performance, it’s also a great dynamic, interesting, student oriented city in its own right.
So, whats the city’s appeal?
Exeter is such a dynamic cultural hub, which is steadily and surely getting back on its feet after coronavirus. In terms of music, it’s got much to offer with independent venues like Exeter Phoenix & Old Firehouse Exeter, Northcott Theatre , Lemon Grove, the Corn Echange, and home to lots of incredible independent shops and the unique and quirky Gandy Street. Exeter has also has its share of music related enterprises including the famous Manson Guitar Works, who make guitars for the likes of Matt Bellamy (Muse) and Mikey Demus (Skindred)!
Exeter has always been a historic and cultural hub, but in 2019 the Cathedral City truly came into its own. New, quirky bars and cafes opening left, right and centre make Exeter a fun and vibrant city to explore throughout the year. Being so close to the countryside also gives Exeter a special appeal – you’re just a short hop one way to the stunning South West Coastline, and a hop in the other direction to the picturesque beauty spot that is Dartmoor National Park. Best of both worlds!
It also means that proper muddy festivals are not far away either; Beautiful Days (run by the Levellers) happens every year (well, apart from 2020…..) as well as the cheerful Chagstock Music Festival in the heart of the moors – plus you’re only a short hop on the train to Glastonbury, home to the most famous festival of all.
What courses are available at AMS Exeter?
RSL Extended Diploma Music Practitioners Level 3 – This popular course internationally recognised qualification with regular updates to mirror the developments within the music industry. It is written and developed by industry specialists with education professionals. Fully-accredited by OfQual and DfES, it is the equivalent to 3 A-levels with an outcome of up to 168 UCAS points.
Foundation Degree in Music & Sound – Our bespoke Foundation Degree is developed to mirror the modern music industry, helping students gain the skills to be independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multimedia. The Foundation Degree in Music & Sound is fully validated by the University of West London, which encompasses the London College of Music. A Foundation Degree is a combined academic and vocational qualification, equivalent to two thirds of an honours degree, it is anticipated that those who complete the Foundation Degree in Music & Sound will progress to the BA (Hons) top-up in Music & Sound.
BA Hons in Music and Sound – Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with recognised industry experience backed up with qualifications (Fast-Track). Validated by the University of West London, the course has been developed to mirror the modern music industry, allowing students to learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills.
M.Mus Popular Music Performance – In partnership with the London College of Music and University of West London, this qualification has been developed to address the needs of contemporary musicians on a practical, academic and professional basis delivered by highly qualified professionals active in the music industry. Explore in-depth an area of musicianship that interests you, combine practical and academic study with extensive ensemble work and individual tuition to expand and develop your competitive edge, and gain academic recognition to explore theories and ideas.
Who will I be learning from?
Our dedicated and passionate teaching team are all professional musicians with several years experience both in teaching and the music industry. You’ve got the likes of Ben Green our Foundation course coordinator + RSL production tutor – a talented guitarist and frontman for Exeter band Pattern Pusher, as well as a hard working sound production engineer and producer, recording for many local acts. Emma Waston, our BA course Coordinator, RSL and Foundation degree vocal tutor – an experienced professional musician, namely a vocalist and music teacher, specialising in music performance, music event management and the music industry.
Another member of our Foundation team is Steve Down, who’s been teaching guitar and music theory for over a decade, as well as being an active professional musician. He graduated with a 1st Class degree in Music from Southampton University and Masters in Jazz from LCM, and has since worked live and in the studio with many artists including Joss Stone, Jeff Beck and Beverley Knight, having also performed at prestigious venues and events worldwide like Wembley Stadium, and The Royal Albert Hall. Over in the office we’ve got Laura Wright who heads up our centre management, but also a professional and talented musician in her won right. And that’s to name but a few of our great staff!
Meet the tutors on our Exeter Staff Spotlight page.
What’s the deal with Coronavirus?
Of course, coronavirus has sadly impacted many of our local venues and arts centres, but with several of them having recently received Arts Council England funding, we think Exeter will be quick to get back on its feet.
Online learning: Since March we’ve swapped the studio for home and come September we’re confident we’ll be in a great position to offer flexible, online learning to students should we need to. We’re also spreading out, finding new spaces for learning so classrooms can be bigger and class sizes smaller. We were quick to adapt to the changes back in the Spring, and received some hugely positive feedback from our students.
Come September we’re readily adapting, in a great position to provide optional online learning and small class sizes should we need to. There’s still space on many of our courses for 2020/21 and we really look forward to hearing from you!
“Group tutor sessions and live online performances have kept me feeling involved and uplifted during these crazy times”
– Ella Crossland, Exeter student, April 2020.
Attend an open event
Want to learn more and chat to our team one-on-one? Lucky you, we’ve got a virtual open day coming up and there’s plenty of places left! Join us on Zoom on 13th August to meet some of our team, including our foundation tutor Ben Green, and get an in-depth, comprehensive look at our courses and get all your burning questions answered. Applications for AMS are generally ongoing and there is no official closing date. We can’t wait to (virtually) meet you all!
How do I apply?
It’s simple. Just fill out a short online form, and we will get back to you in the following few days.
Take me to the application form.
And if you have any more questions or queries, feel free to to in touch with our friendly team! We’ll get back to you as soon as possible, and we really look forward to hearing from you, about your musical experience and your musical interests.
Contact us
What is hip-hop and why does it matter?
Want to study hip-hop? Apply for our HND in Music or our free short course (for Scotland residents only).
Our brand new Hip Hop and Rap HND pathway will kick off next academic year and we want to provide some important context ahead of time. In light of recent #BlackLivesMatter protests bringing to light racial inequalities, it feels vital to highlight hip-hop’s Black American roots. White audiences and society uses and commodifies, co-opts and even steals a Black culture a lot – and it is important we check ourselves wherever we can.
Students on the HND will also get a Hip-Hop Reading List alongside their primary course material, which outlines some great readings on the significance of hip-hop as Black pop culture – how it has been represented, received, and produced. The current Black Lives Matter protests evoke a familiar message that hip-hop has spoke since it began. For decades hip-hop has spoken truth to power and challenge the status-quo. Protest and resistance have been common elements of the music, evoking the fight for racial equality and communicating anger at socio-economic conditions that shaped the lives of many Black people. Today, not a lot has sadly changed and many of hip-hop’s messages are still incredibly relevant.
Since it emerged in the Bronx in the 70s and 80s, Hip-hop has become hugely influential – mainstream music, a “cultural and artistic phenomenon” and a multibillion-dollar global industry. It’s important to understand how hip hop came about within the historical context of the African American experience but it is also important not to fall into common cultural misconceptions and associations of hip hop. It can be interesting to examine how representations of Blackness operate in American pop culture and vital when approaching the subject as an area of study.
We owe many popular music forms to the Black community. Rock and Roll, Techno, Jazz, Disco – you name it. Some of these genres have been subject to ‘whitewashing’ throughout history, such as Elvis becoming known as the ‘King’ of Rock n’ Roll which was originally pioneered by African American musicians, or current fears that European electronic music is erasing its Black origins (read about the campaign called ‘Make Techno Black Again’).
Hip-hop is slightly different. For the most part it’s very much still read as ‘black culture’ – even synonymous with black culture (which can be problematically essentialist). Hip-hop culture is a global culture – we use, enjoy, implement, and borrow from the culture in music, fashion and elsewhere. Hip-Hop was born in New York of Black, Latino and marginalised communities, and hip-hop in the mainstream developed to largely to be seen as Black. Developing an awareness of ‘hip-hop history’ can be important to understanding how the contemporary west treats and represents Blackness and how Black popular culture works in the mainstream.
Born in the Bronx, New York in the 1970s in African American and Latino urban neighbourhoods, hip-hop was a fusion of various cultural forces and influences. It emerged in a period of “urban renewal” for American cities, with a new kind of resegregation happening and white-flight to the suburbs; terms like inner city and underclass were reinventing America’s racial vocabulary. In this midst of what Professor Trica Rose calls the “post-civil rights era ghetto segregation”, a flourishing new youth culture emerged. “Hip Hop is an oppositional cultural realm rooted in the socio-political and historical experiences and consciousness of economically disadvantaged urban black youth of the late 20th century,” as Layli Phillps says.
Hip-hop emerged in part, as a reaction to the socio-economic conditions in Black and Brown neighbourhoods. The culture was broad and not just about the music; beatboxing, DJing, street art, graffiti, dancing, braids, hairstyles all emerged as part of hip-hop culture. ‘Hip hop’ generally refers to the overall culture, while ‘rap’ (or MCing) referred to the rhyme creation and lyricism, originating in the battle raps that would take place on the streets.
Kickstarted by the likes of Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa, music at first was largely party anthems, often played in block parties and in the underground scene (see the 1982 film Wild Style). “It was Herc who laid the groundwork for everything associated with Hip Hop today” says The Independent, “the Jamaican-born DJ would often speak over a rhythmic beat – known within the music genre as toasting, and at parties in his high-rise apartment, he would extend the beat of a record using two players, isolating the drum “breaks” by using a mixer to switch between the two – or as it’s more commonly know: scratching.”
The music was a product of its socio-economic conditions and it grew to actively express these too, giving it a political edge. Protest rap or conscious rap grew in the 80s and 90s with the likes of Public Enemy, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, NAS, Mos Def, and N.W.A. – and would often make reference to the Black Power movement of the 50s/60s. It was a reactionary response to mainstream culture – an oppositional force. In the 80s early gangsta rap also emerged, (N.W.A., Ice T, KRS One, Eazy E, Westside Connection) and often crossed over into the political or protest.
Rappers have been criticising the violence of the police and law enforcement on Black people, particularly Black men, since the emergence of political conscious rap in the 80s. Hip-hop reflected and responded to various racial inequalities such as the American Prison Industrial Complex, where Black men are disproportionately incarcerated (what Michelle Alexander calls quite convincingly the ‘New Jim Crow‘), white police brutality against Black bodies, and the socio-economic conditions of Black urban communities leading to factors like Black on Black crime.
Once hip-hop entered the mainstream it became increasingly commoditised and increasingly consumed by white audiences. The ‘gangsta image’ was seized on in pop culture, and in this became a popular and essentialist way to view this generation of Black youth.
Hip-hop has a lot of important things to say. But as the culture became commodified and popular to the masses, certain things – like references to violence, ‘Thug’ or ‘gangsta’ lifestyles, and even misogynistic lyrics – were heightened in order to sell more records. Problematically these were often taken as literal representations of Black life and Black people often too got seen as synonymous with hip-hop. Many have argued that there is a lot more to be taken from hip-hop than these base-level assumptions and stereotypes.
“Many critics of hip hop tend to interpret lyrics literally as a direct reflection of the artist who performs them. They equate rappers with thugs, see rappers as a threat to the larger society, and then use this ‘causal analysis’ (that hip hop causes violence) to justify a variety of agendas: more police in black communities, more prisons to accommodate larger numbers of black and brown young people, and more censorship of expression. For these critics, hip hop is criminal propaganda. This literal approach, which extends beyond the individual to categorise an entire racial and class group, is rarely applied to violence-oriented mediums procured by whites,” says hip-hop scholar Tricia Rose.
Aspects of rap lyric and video content are continually criticised in the mainstream for its representation and treatment of women, although several critics (such as Tricia Rose and Imani Perry) have worked to reclaim black women’s positioning within the genre. There are many female participants in hip-hop culture – and have been since it first emerged. Studying the work of female artists can open up a space for more transgressive and nuanced interpretations of hip-hop culture, they say.
It is true that much of hip hop’s sexual politics (from male producers) involve demeaning representations of women, but the dialogue and interaction of the sexes in hip-hop is complex. Moreover, black female rappers have asserted a prominent space in hip hop and this deserves particular attention. From the start rappers like MC Lyte and Queen Latifah exploded onto the scene with empowering, assertive tracks like Ladies First and U.N.I.T.Y.
Conscious artists like Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu have been hugely acclaimed and work to celebrate Black womanhood, and even the ‘female Gangsta rappers’ like Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown arguably created some transgressive space for Black female performers in hip-hop. Overall several scholars have argued for a articulation fo women’s role in early hip-hop and for highlighting the oppositional and empowering stance many of them hold.
In her book Black Noise, Tricia Rose explores rap’s sexual politics, looking at the ways black women rappers negotiate—either by resisting or unwittingly perpetuating—dominant sexual and racial narratives in American culture. She puts female rappers in dialogue with black male rappers, and argues that there is a conscious and race-specific negotiation of cultural terrain taking place.
Literature by black female writers such as Hazel Carby, Angela Davis and bell hooks also speaks to the complexity of black female expression and specifically the black American female experience – Rose sees this complexity as operational in mainstream hip hop spheres, and argues black female rappers have a voice worth exploring critically.
Since hip-hop has become such a global entity, it’s produced some of the world’s biggest stars. Many prominent artists like Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, Jay Z, Kanye and Will Smith have become what we could call a ‘mogul’ often crossing over into other industries like fashion or Hollywood and creally creating a brand out of their star identity, becoming incredible successful business people . Other creators in hip-hop like Russell Simmons (Def Jam) have become known as hip-hop moguls – entrepreneurs who are understood as coming from the ‘hip hop generation’.
These producers emerged during the period in which hip-hop became mass commodified, which eventually coincided with a political context of Neoliberalism. America’s Neoliberalism also introduced the concept of a post-racial society (prominently in the US, but also mirrored in the UK) – reinforced and/or determined in America by the election of President Obama, the first Black president. Illusions of a post-racial society worked alongside successful Black figures to creative an illusion that the US was rid of racial injustice – systemic or otherwise. In fact, long-standing racial inequalities still exist and many of hip-hop’s original arguments are still very much relevant.
“Many academics have argued that hip-hop was ‘complexly determined by some of the worst social trends associated with neoliberalism: soaring inequality, extreme marketisation, mass criminalisation, and chronic unemployment.’ While many political rappers adopted oppositional stances to these trends, mainstream hip-hop culture often celebrated materialism and enterprise with all the gusto of individuals who have ‘made it’ against terrible odds” says hip-hop scholar Eithne Quinn.
Today, hip-hop still has a political edge, arguably continues a return to the consciousness and resistance of some early protest hip-hop, and a step away from the hyper-commodified, hyper-sexualised versions of the music in the 90s/00s. Hip-hop is and was more than a music form, and has an enduring and particular significance. It became the voice of a generation – a generation who now lead the way with the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
“The hip-hop-savvy radicalism of #BlackLivesMatter has liberated commercial rap from its default modern setting — the one that birthed the breezy millennial perception that “hip-hop” was a synonym for a consumer market where rowdy, rhyming negro gentleman callers and ballers sold vernacular song and dance to an adoringly vicarious and increasingly whiter public – a fair portion of whom are undeniably apathetic to race politics and the New Jim Crow, per Michelle Alexander’s groundbreaking study of present-day judicial abuses,” commented Rolling Stone in 2015.
There’s so much to unpack in hip-hop, it’s impossible to cover it all in a short article – be it whiteness in hip-hop, it’s sexual politics, prosecuting rap, a hip-hop education or hip-hop filmmaking, we hope this has provided a small start to doing just that. While hip-hop must not been seen as the ‘blueprint’ for ‘describing’ the Black community or all African American people collectively, however it can be important to understand the impact and production of hip-hop in these specifically racial terms, and connect it to it’s history – and the arguments hip-hop has been making about the treatment of African Americans and Black people in the U.S (and UK) for decades.
This article was written by Isobel Trott, our social media editor. Isobel has an MA Degree from the University of Manchester where she specialised in hip-hop culture, African American representation and film.
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Sources
“From Black Power to Hip Hop: Racism, Nationalism, and Feminism“ – Patricia Hill Collins
“Yo’ Mama’s Disfunktional”: Fighting the Culture Wars in Urban America“ – Robin Kelley
“Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop“ – Imani Perry
“Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America“ – Tricia Rose
“The Hip-hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip-Hop and Why It Matters“ – Tricia Rose
“Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement” – S. Craig Watkins
“That’s the Joint! The Hip-Hop Studies Reader“ – Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal, ed
“Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap” – Jeffrey Ogbar
“Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap” – Eithne Quinn
“Occupy Wall Street, Racial Neoliberalism, and New York’s Hip-Hop Moguls” – Eithne Quinn
“A Furious Kinship: Critical Race Theory and the Hip Hop Nation“ – Andre Douglas Pond Cummings
“Oppositional Consciousness within an Oppositional Realm: The Case of Feminism and Womanism in Rap and Hip Hop” – Layli Phillips, Kerri Reddick-Morgan, Dionne Patricia Stephens
Representing: Hip-Hop Culture and the Production of Black Cinema – S. Craig Watkins,
The Spike Lee Reader – Paula Massood, ed.
Black Talent and Conglomerate Hollywood: Will Smith, Tyler Perry and the Continuing Significance of Race – Eithne Quinn (2013)
“What is this ‘Black’ in Black Popular Culture” – Stuart Hall
Reel to Real – bell hooks
Wild Style (1982 film, Dir Charlie Ahearn)
Teacher Spotlight! Gateshead edition
Whether you’re a new starter, or old timer at AMS Gateshead, why not take some time to get to know our incredible staff and tutors. These guys work tirelessly to provide a diverse, dynamic, and exciting music curriculum. Many of them were also previous AMS students and enjoyed it so much, they decided to stay! Find out more in the bios below.
LUKE ELGIE
Luke Elgie is a Gateshead based Bass Player/producer who has had multiple plays on BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2. With his main musical projects, SHIELDS and Penguin, he has toured The UK and Europe and played Glastonbury festival, Reading and Leeds Festival, BBC 6 Music Festival, Hyde Park Calling Festival and Melt Festival, to name a but a few.
His music has also been used by the likes of BT Sport, British Airways, Ubisoft, Asos and Wateraid. As well as continuing to work on multiple studio projects Luke is a session bassist for Callum Pitt and Cattle and Cane and also performs regularly in multiple function bands.
JAKE FLETCHER
Jake is a songwriter and producer working out of Mono Studios in Newcastle and Gateshead. Signing with Soul Kitchen Music Management in 2015, he has previously worked on writing sessions with Ivor Novello Award nominee Iain Archer amongst others. Resulting in airplay on Radio 1 as ‘BBC Introducing Track Of The Week’, he has also supported prominent artists such as Jake Bugg, Primal Scream, Sundara Karma and Sunset Sons around the UK.
As a member of the electronic genre bending duo Drive, his recent work is inspired by the films of John Hughes, analog and the mediums of 80’s nostalgia; Super8, Polaroids, VHS and Cassette Tapes. You can listen here: bit.ly/listentodrive
LISA MURPHY
With 17 years working as an educator and music producer, Lisa has designed and delivered industry-focused music technology and production courses to students all over the UK. She runs Blast Recording Studios, a professional music recording and production studio in Newcastle-upon-Tyne who’s clients include the likes of Take That, The Arctic Monkeys and Sam Fender.
Alongside teaching music production at the Academy of Music and Sound, Lisa also works as a professional music producer in the local music industry.
LILY BROOKE
Original material with a modern edge, Lily Brooke is a singer songwriter from the North East of England. Specialising in piano, vocals and songwriting, the artist has captivated audiences live and online reaching over 28k twitter followers. Her eclectic repertoire merges pop music with darker, twisted tones to create a unique alternative pop sound.
She has performed at some of the region’s biggest festivals and won competitions like the Pride of South Tyneside award; previous winners include renowned artists like Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix. More recently, Lily has headlined and supported acts at o2 Academy Newcastle and released her debut single Kaleidoscope.
Lily has shared stages with other festival headliners such as UB40, Atomic Kitten, Five, The Futureheads and DeadMau5 at the Evolution Festival to crowds of over 25,000 people.
MICKY CRYSTAL
Micky Crystal is a guitar player, producer and educator who has been teaching for AMS Gateshead for a number of years specialising in the Guitar and Theory courses. Micky has a wealth of experience not only as a teacher but also as a touring musician / artist playing all over the globe extensively. (You can read his tour CV below.) He has written and performed on major label album releases which have charted throughout the UK and Europe as well as making it to major magazine front covers. He is a part of the JamTrackCentral Artist Roster and is a Victory Amps, Elixir Strings and Bare Knuckle Pickups artist.
UK, USA, Japan, Ireland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Paraguay and Colombia.
TOM LARTHE DE LANGLADURE
Tom has been playing professionally since 2007 and has had a varied career to this date – currently he teaches at the Academy in Gateshead as the Drum Tutor and has been doing so since 2015. Tom is also Director at Yamaha Tyneside, based in Whitley Bay who provide musical tuition to people of all ages for Drums, Keyboard and Guitar and is a UK instructor for Yamaha Europe.
Tom also plays drums for a variety of bands, working as either a permanent member or as a session musician and has toured Europe and the UK extensively with his band SHIELDS. A career highlight was when SHIELDS won a slot to play Glastonbury in 2015. Tom currently plays with two function bands, operating in the North East during the busy wedding season – Phil Davids and the Good Times Band provide soul and funk covers while The Richard Sutton Band are a party band with a nod to the classic sounds of 90’s UK indie.
Starting aged eleven, Tom enjoyed his drum lessons at School but it wasn’t until he formed his first punk ska band at the tender age of fifteen that he realised this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Unsure of his direction after School, he applied to do the Jazz, Popular and Commercial Music degree at Newcastle College and graduated as a Bachelor of Music three years later. The people he met on that course have become the same people that shared in all of Tom’s successes up to this point and after graduating he immediately went into drum tuition and found it to be incredibly rewarding and something he had a natural passion for.
Currently Tom is busy running his School with his partner as well as spending lots of time providing online content for his students. He’s looking forward to getting back into the fray of live music very soon as it is something very important to him. Tom is also expecting to be back in the studio later this year working for a variety of artists to help arrange their songs and bring them to life before their release.
STEVE IRELAND
Steve, Centre Manager at AMS Gateshead, is a professional bassist with over 5000 gigs and numerous recording credits to his name. He has released 5 albums and resides in the North East of England but is in his own words “100% Scottish”. Steve has a MMus in Popular Music Performance which he gained here at AMS.
Although he grew up on Rock and roll, Steve is a lover of modal jazz, Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report, John Coltrane and of course Miles Davis. Steve has played all over the globe in many different settings from touring Taiwan With Seb Roachford (Polar Bear) to playing in the Dance band on the QueenMary 2, he has been there seen it, done it and got the t-shirt to coin an expression.
His current bands include New Breed Revolution and an upcoming Jazz project with Sid White and Paul Gowland.
NICK JENNISON
Nick Jennison is a guitar player, vocalist, producer and educator, as well as a leading contributor to LickLibrary and Guitar Interactive Magazine and a PRS Guitars international artist. As a session player, Nick has played on chart-topping major label releases in the USA, Japan and the UK, as well as a number of high profile game soundtracks.
Nick has worked with AMS Gateshead for a number of years now, delivering Guitar, Vocal, Theory and Production modules. He previously studied his BA with us and passed with Honours in the First Class…. It was never in doubt!