LO-FI HIP-HOP - Origin and Pioneers

Often, we notice these playlists on YouTube titled ‘Lo-fi Hip-Hop’ or ‘Lo-fi Chillhop’ with extremely appealing thumbnails. Out of curiosity, you click on them and actually end up liking the slow, relaxing beats. That is how I got myself hooked onto these lo-fi beats. The people that I know of who like lo-fi music have all had similar experiences. When I took an interest in lo-fi music, it had a small group of listeners, though now it is growing larger every day. I was always curious about the origin and pioneers of lo-fi music so, with some research, I managed to track down the people who played around with lo-fi music and made it what it is today, throughout the years. So, let’s get to it, shall we?

Wait a minute, what exactly is lo-fi music, you ask? Lo-fi or low-fi, as the name suggests, is music that is recorded in a lower quality as compared to its contemporary peers. It is also called DIY (Do It Yourself) music, which makes sense because artists would scrape together equipment (turned into instruments), make music and put it all together, to turn it into a song. Looking back, hip-hop originated in the same manner. This is probably why lo-fi and hip-hop are closely knit and basically form ‘lo-fi hip-hop’ that we see on YouTube.

The earliest samples of lo-fi music can be found dating back to 1950s. John Marshall Alexander Jr, who was popularly known as Johnny Ace, his stage name, had hit singles at that time. Taking a closer look at his song ‘My Song’, you can hear that the song was rushed. Even the co-writer of the song called it a fifteen-minute job! Despite its average quality, the song still managed to top the Billboard R&B charts.

In the 90s, many other hip-hop artists with their contribution to this genre started emerging. In 1991, R.E.M’s, Out of Time ruled the charts. In 1993, the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan came out with their studio album called Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In 2000s, rapper James Dewitt Yancey or J Dilla, collaborated with Otis Jackson Jr or Madlib to create Champion Sound. Together they were known as Jaylib; while Madlib produced the songs, J Dilla provided the vocals.

In recent years, musicians started producing lo-fi hip-hop music which were had more aesthetic. Two of these musicians are Nujabes (check out my article about his work) who added jazz and a mild Japanese feel to his work, and BSD.U. There are many emerging artists like saib, idealism, in love with a ghost, Luv Bird, etc who have built up a small audience. You might want to check these artists out, they never disappoint!

That is all for this time. Thank you for reading, have a great day ahead!

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