Ghetto Rock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ghetto rock is a genre of music which combines musical elements of primarily hip hop, hard rock, and metal. Elements of jazz and reggae have also been known to appear in Ghetto Rock. Unlike the rap rock of the 1990s and early 2000s - performed by bands like Rage Against the Machine, Body Count, Hed P.E., Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Kid Rock, et al. - ghetto rock is instrumentally heavier, contains rhymed lyrics whose flows are ostensibly influenced by old school hip hop (Dr. Dre, Snoop, NWA, Public Enemy, Run DMC, et al.), and contains highly sophisticated drum, bass, and guitar rhythms and techniques.

Most notably, however, ghetto rock has its roots in the African American urban experience. Ghetto rock bands have Black MCs who ryhme about their tribulations on the streets. Unlike the white-fronted bands of rap rock, ghetto rock MCs make use of controversy around race and socio-economic classes, marked by ample use of the word "nigga" or "nigger". This differentiation has given ghetto rock much more 'street cred', appealing to a Black audience, not just privileged white college students and frat boys.

Many music industry experts attribute the origins of ghetto rock to a NY-based band called Kongcrete. With drop-down, wall-of-sound chords, screeching guitars, growling lows, intelligent rhymes, vicious popping/slapping, and beats that made their music fitting for both the moshpit & dance floor, Kongcrete's divergent influences created a new high-energy sound which A&R people could not classify. Record companies took notice of Kongcrete's appeal to a Black crowd and began calling Kongcrete's music "hip rock" and "heavy hip hop" in order to differentiate the band from its rap rock predecessors. Eventually the term "ghetto rock" took hold, reflecting the band members' experience living in projects and ghettos.

Kongcrete originally began with a shared vision between Taiwah "Full Metal" Aguilar(vocalist) and Jack "EvildoG" Jankowicz (guitarist) in 2000, but it did not crystallize until the arrival of Jeffery "AnonymousEvilChinaMan" To (bassist) and Gene D. Williams (drummer) in late Summer of 2004. All 4 members shared a common dissatisfaction with white rap rock, and they sought to create a sound that better reflected the Black urban experience, the band's differing ethnic perspectives, as well as the musical tastes of Black youth.