America has always boasted of a vibrant and diverse musical scene, owing to the large number of ethnicities and communities that have made the country their home. New Orleans, located in the Southern state of Louisiana, is an example of a site of musical creation and evolution pioneered by its historically predominant African-American population. It is the birthplace of jazz (known as ragtime) and a distinctive style of blues. Since the 90s, it has seen the emergence of a unique, underground subgenre of hip hop called ‘Bounce’.
Bounce music is exactly like its name – it is a brand of hip hop music meant for dance and was played across clubs in New Orleans. It is characterized by a high tempo, a distinctively catchy bass line, beat samples, repetition of words or phrases and ‘call and response’ lines. Two popular samples: ‘Triggerman Beat’ and the Brown Beat’ are at the base of most of bounce music. Much like hip hop, bounce songs too were characterized by a sharp commentary on social and political situations. The early bounce songs contained references to urban housing projects in New Orleans or to the marginalized communities. The hyper-energetic sound became a staple of the New Orleans musical scene and became a part of their culture. Following the mass displacement of the residents after Hurricane Katrina, this underground, cult subgenre of hip hop spread to different parts of America.
Bounce music in contemporary times
Bounce music never caught on in other parts of America due to very specific local references in the lyrics. However, it has always had a subtle but consistent presence in mainstream American music. One of America’s musical royalty, Beyonce shot the video for her song ‘Formation’ from the album ‘Lemonade’ in New Orleans, paying homage to her family background, while also featuring one of bounce’s most prominent artist—Big Freedia. Known as the ‘Queen of Bounce’, Freedia is one of the very few successful transgender artists in hip-hop, a genre historically known for its homophobic lyrics.
Recently, the hip-hop band N.E.R.D under Pharrell Williams’ company Interscope Records, released their album ‘No One Ever Really Dies’, featuring collaborations with artists like Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, M.I.A., Future, etc. The lead single from the album titled ‘Lemon’, featuring Rihanna has taken over the charts with more than 80 million views on YouTube. The song pays several homages to the subgenre, through the consistent repetition of the words “bouncin’ around”, following the suit of classic bounce songs, as well as the noticeably energetic and infectious ‘Triggerman Beat’ that plays through the length of the song. The song has several beats and vocal samples, intricately woven together, to give the song its hyper-energetic and danceable hook. Rihanna’s surprise rap verse turns the track up a notch, as the pop icon lends her nonchalant swagger and style, while spitting out verses like “Wave hello to the top” and “Its Rihanna nigga”, dissing her haters in the typical hip-hop style.
“Hate! You keep askin’ me where I’m from
Hate! About the borders and, “Did I run?”
Hate! Keep askin’ how I feel ’bout guns
Hate! There’s a light and dark army, which side you choose?”
The song, which has received critical review, also comprises of lyrics which offer a scathing critique of the political situation in the U.S. The song opens with the lines “The truth will set you free but first it will piss you off” and true to its word, talks about racial discrimination in the U.S., with references to deportation, gun control and violence against the African-Americans. Lemon’s biggest achievement is in presenting its hard-hitting lyrics in the background of an unabashedly catchy beat and riff. This contrast is both unsettling and effective, and the music video only compounds this effect. The video is very minimalistic and features Mette Towley, an African-American dancer dancing in an abandoned store. While the video features some kickass dance moves by Mette, there is an overwhelming sensation of both liberation as well as gloom, augmented by the lighting effects.
It is a cleverly produced track, with many nods to the New Orleans’ wildly contagious subgenre, Rihanna’s show-stopping rap and a hook that will never get out of your brain. It is only fitting that Pharrell looked to bounce for inspiration – a subgenre that meshes together diametrically opposed emotions through its discussion of politically and socially relevant issues set in a strikingly upbeat track.
Text by Meenakshi Viswanathan
Artwork by Sanjana Acharya
Article 19 