美国国家公共电台 NPR Hip-Hop Starter Kit: DaBaby, Rico Nasty, Noname, Lil Baby, Sm

 

DAVID FOLKENFLIK, HOST:

We've been starting this new year off with some music.

(SOUNDBITE OF MONTAGE)

ANDREA BOCELLI: (Singing in non-English language).

TRAVIS SCOTT: (Rapping) Made this here with all the ice on in the booth.

LEANN RIMES: (Vocalizing).

(SOUNDBITE OF INSTRUMENTAL SONG MONTAGE)

FOLKENFLIK: We're introducing you to genres² of music you might not listen to or maybe you think you're not a fan of. Today, we're going to talk about hip-hop with Briana Younger. She's a music editor and writer at The New Yorker. And she told us hip-hop got its start in the 1970s in New York City and then just exploded.

BRIANA YOUNGER: The genre¹ travels everywhere from there. You know, you end up with the West Coast. That's, of course, your Tupacs, your Snoop Doggs. Travel south, you get OutKast, Geto Boys, 8Ball and MJG. And then it just kind of evolves into this melting pot wherein all of these regions and these sounds and these styles come to play with each other and just - for better - got weirder³ and weirder.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE LONDON")

YOUNG THUG: (Rapping) I'm a run the compound. I supply the cigarettes and bread. I got a main and she gone ride. She took a quarter and she fled. I'm in the Lamb, so she gone ride. I see the pain in shorty light brown eyes. I'm at The London with some big thighs⁴, no fries. She eat steaks with the fish sides.

YOUNGER: That is "The London." And Young Thug is a rapper from Atlanta, who, arguably, has one of the most unique voices in current rap. As we heard a little bit there, that - the high pitched, squeakiness of it - instantly recognizable.

FOLKENFLIK: And you mentioned a little bit about regional differences. There were a couple of tracks you wanted to mention that sort of evoke⁵ Southern rap.

YOUNGER: Well, Southern rap is probably the style that's most recognizable and associated with hip-hop today. Outside of the usual suspects, superstars like Drake, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B, the new names you're more likely to see on, say, the Billboard⁶ charts are making trap and Southern-inspired rap. It's fun rap. You hear it a lot at parties, clubs. It's not super cerebral⁷, though, contrary to some schools of thought, it's also not entirely⁸ brainless.

FOLKENFLIK: So let's hear a little bit of that.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BABY")

WHEEZY: Wheezy out of here.

YOUNGER: So I've singled out this Lil Baby and DaBaby song called "Trap" (ph) because they're just kind of two sides of the Southern coin. Lil Baby has this more melodic⁹, woozy, sing-songy flow that's come to be very popular these days, while Dababy has more attributes of a technician in the way that he uses, like, his syllables¹⁰ and fits them within the flows. So this song is called, aptly, "Baby."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BABY")

LIL BABY: (Rapping) Baby ain't a trapper, he a rapper. Baby making classics. Baby in the hood¹¹ getting active. Baby keep it real with his people. Baby like a preacher. Baby probably still sell [expletive].

DABABY: (Rapping) Huh? Baby probably still got them bows. I tell my [expletive] I'm faithful, but I still got the [expletive]. Baby getting jiggy on stage with the Glizzy. Baby CEO, he shake the game like he Diddy. You would think...

YOUNGER: Another high-energy sound, though, of the moment is this sort of punk, hardcore style of rap. I think Rico Nasty is one of its foremost practitioners¹². A lot of her music is just super visceral. It makes you want to go to, like, a rage room. After all, there is now a new generation of artists and fans who have grown up on both rock and rap music. And so they kind of just come to play in the music of Rico Nasty and her peers.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RAGE")

RICO NASTY: (Rapping) I just booted up, so I'm concentrated. How much money can I make on vacation? Walk up in the party, know they eyebrows¹³ raising. Two bands on my shoes...

FOLKENFLIK: So I think you can make a pretty good case that it's aptly named "Rage."

YOUNGER: Yes, that song is "Rage."

FOLKENFLIK: You got anything a little bit more mellow¹⁴ for us to listen to?

YOUNGER: Of course. For that, there's rappers like Mavi, who is from Charlotte and a student at Howard U, in fact. He's definitely more cerebral, very lyrical in the traditional sense, very technically¹⁵ skilled in terms of his wordplay, his use of syllables and cadence¹⁶, very message-oriented And there's, like, a whole slew¹⁸ of young and upcoming rappers in this sphere, this kind of lo-fi, loop-centric style that will incorporate things like experimental jazz. And that really demands and rewards attentive¹⁹ listening.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SELF LOVE")

MAVI: (Rapping) Snatched me by the eye, said I'ma fight whether I like or not. And she told me reasons why, but that's the private part. Burnt the midnight lighter²⁰, killed the drive in me to tie the knot. My game slop, but if I name-dropped you, you still got my heart. Driving off...

YOUNGER: And another region that kind of basks²¹ in the mellowness²², even though it's ironically the home of gangster²³ rap, is the West Coast - sunny California. They've done a really good job, I think, at preserving their specific regional sound, kind of that bass²⁴ heavy, like, funky²⁵ bass. And Buddy²⁶'s "Trouble On Central" just plops you right there in the middle of Los Angeles.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "TROUBLE ON CENTRAL")

BUDDY: (Rapping) Just so good at being in trouble. Spending my days out in the ghetto²⁷. Mama say that I need to be careful going downtown on the blue line metro²⁸.

FOLKENFLIK: And you've talked about, in the past, the idea that there's a poetic²⁹ element to a lot of hip-hop we can listen for. Give me an example of that.

YOUNGER: Obviously, hip-hop has evolved from poetry. But the Midwest in particular of late has done a really fantastic job of kind of calling on that lineage of, like, spoken word and bringing it up to date.

(SOUNDBITE OF GHETTO SAGE¹⁷ SONG, "HAAGEN DAZS")

YOUNGER: There's this newly formed supergroup called Ghetto Sage. It's made up of Smino, Saba and Noname, who all tend to make that kind of super vibey, laid-back rap that also very explicitly³⁰ dabbles³¹ in more poetic forms. They only have one song collectively to their name under Ghetto Sage. It's called "Haagen Dazs."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HAAGEN DAZS")

SABA: (Rapping) ...Look like I'm in boots. One hand on the wheel, but I whip it, it feel like a ten to two. They killing³² for tennis shoes. But the people dying out here for less, though. Meanwhile, them same shoes that the clubs said ain't the dress code. You say you fresh, though. I'm on the bread. I'm on the pesto. I'ma invest, though. She feel the heart...

FOLKENFLIK: OK. So if somebody's ready to give hip-hop a try, what should they choose to listen to?

YOUNGER: Well, I do want to say, you know, we barely even scratched the surface here.

FOLKENFLIK: Yeah.

YOUNGER: There really is something for every taste, every sensibility. That said, diving into maybe the Dreamville compilations³⁴ - "Revenge Of The Dreamers III" could be an interesting place to start simply because they assembled so many different rappers from so many different styles, so many different regions and just put them all in dialogue with each other, which is what hip-hop is all about.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COSTA RICA")

GUAPDAD 4000: (Singing) I got fans in Costa Rica. I got bands in Costa Rica. I got fans in Costa Rica. I got bands in Costa Rica.

JACE: (Rapping) I got the Mike Jack³⁵ nose just before the vitiligo. Norman Bates with the eights, I'ma go psycho. Laundromat with a temper, this a vicious cycle. Feel like Rihanna, [expletive] go wherever I go.

FOLKENFLIK: That's "Costa Rica" from "Revenge Of The Dreamers," a compilation³³, a suggestion from Briana Younger of The New Yorker. Briana, thanks so much.

YOUNGER: Thank you for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "COSTA RICA")

GUAPDAD 4000: (Singing) I got bands in Costa Rica. I got fans in Costa Rica. I got bands in Costa Rica.

1 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

2 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

3 weirder   

怪诞的( weird的比较级 )； 神秘而可怕的； 超然的； 古怪的

参考例句：

• Actually, things got a little weirder when the tow truck driver showed up. 事实上，在拖吊车司机出现后，事情的发展更加怪异。

4 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

6 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

7 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

8 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

9 melodic   

adj.有旋律的，调子美妙的

参考例句：

• His voice had a rich melodic quality.他的音色浑厚而优美。
• He spoke with a soft husky voice in a melodic accent.他微微沙哑的声音带着一种悠扬的口音。

10 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

11 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

12 practitioners   

n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师）

参考例句：

• one of the greatest practitioners of science fiction 最了不起的科幻小说家之一
• The technique is experimental, but the list of its practitioners is growing. 这种技术是试验性的，但是采用它的人正在增加。 来自辞典例句

13 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

14 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

15 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

16 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

17 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

18 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

19 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

20 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

21 basks   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的第三人称单数 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• The cat basks before the fire. 猫常在火炉前取暖。 来自辞典例句
• The serpent coils in the grass of the streets, the lizard basks in the solitary halls. 毒蛇盘绕在街头的草丛中，蜥蜴在残败的大厅中自由爬行。 来自辞典例句

22 mellowness   

成熟； 芳醇； 肥沃； 怡然

参考例句：

• I love these colours because they symbolize mellowness, abundance, strength and happiness. 我喜欢这秋色，因为它表示着成熟、昌盛和繁荣，也意味着愉快、欢乐和富强。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• The mellowness of the cuckoo report the come of spring. 杜鹃甜美的叫声报告了春天的来临。

23 gangster   

n.匪徒，歹徒，暴徒

参考例句：

• The gangster's friends bought off the police witness.那匪徒的朋友买通了警察方面的证人。
• He is obviously a gangster,but he pretends to be a saint.分明是强盗，却要装圣贤。

24 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

25 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

26 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

27 ghetto   

n.少数民族聚居区，贫民区

参考例句：

• Racism and crime still flourish in the ghetto.城市贫民区的种族主义和犯罪仍然十分猖獗。
• I saw that achievement as a possible pattern for the entire ghetto.我把获得的成就看作整个黑人区可以仿效的榜样。

28 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

29 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

30 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

31 dabbles   

v.涉猎( dabble的第三人称单数 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资

参考例句：

• He dabbles in local politics. 他开始涉足地方政坛。
• She dabbles in painting as a hobby. 她学点绘画作为业余爱好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

33 compilation   

n.编译，编辑

参考例句：

• One of the first steps taken was the compilation of a report.首先采取的步骤之一是写一份报告。
• The compilation of such diagrams,is of lasting value for astronomy.绘制这样的图对天文学有永恒的价值。

34 compilations   

n.编辑，编写( compilation的名词复数 )；编辑物

参考例句：

• Introductory biology texts tend to be compilations of conclusions. 导论式的生物学教科书，多倾向于结论的汇编。 来自辞典例句
• The original drafts were mainly chronicles and compilations of regulations. 初撰本主要以纪事本末体和典志体为主。 来自互联网

35 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。