Low Bap
Encyclopedia
Low Bap is a sub-genre of the Greek
hip hop music
scene, that emerged in the mid-1990s as the sound of the prominent Greek hip hop group Active Member
. It's characterized by slower tempo
and rapping
than usual, often combined with lyrics of political content. The words "Low Bap" don't have a specific meaning, they merely represent a perspective on life, society and politics that people in the movement have. The Low Bap movement has been expanded, so that today it includes bookstores, youth centers and specialized magazines. Cinematic attempts, concerts, and festivals have also taken place in an effort to broaden the scope of the movement, and introduce new bands to the genre's range of followers.
groups, Active Member
. In 1995, hip hop music was not well known in Greece. That time, Active Member managed to attract great discographic companies and signed up with the consortium Warner (Warner Music Group
). Some months later, the third disk of Active Member was produced, under the name To Megalo Kolpo (The Great Wangle), and became widely known. In that album, Active Member decided to rename hip hop as they had taken it in, thus naming it Low Bap.
All those that may come by, know what should be done. Each one in one’s way. Thus, Low Bap will proudly take all the credit and burden for the next step, that will lead to the fair ones. It will continue bothering history and it will believe even deeper in the dream. Noone chose those of us who do Low Bap, we chose it ourselves. Therefore, we owe it to us, to those that lost courage, to those that will come. Now, it’s the finest hour. So, let’s go…
, that is considered to be degrading, began the attempt of the creation of the new music scene, Low Bap, with Michalis Mitakidis, known as B.D. Foxmoor, being the leading person.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene, that emerged in the mid-1990s as the sound of the prominent Greek hip hop group Active Member
Active Member
Active Member is a Greek hip-hop/low bap group, founded in 1992 by Michalis Mitakidis ,Nikitas Klint and Dimitris Kritikos .-History:...
. It's characterized by slower tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
and rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
than usual, often combined with lyrics of political content. The words "Low Bap" don't have a specific meaning, they merely represent a perspective on life, society and politics that people in the movement have. The Low Bap movement has been expanded, so that today it includes bookstores, youth centers and specialized magazines. Cinematic attempts, concerts, and festivals have also taken place in an effort to broaden the scope of the movement, and introduce new bands to the genre's range of followers.
The beginning
In June 1992, during a live performance of Public Enemy in Nikaia, B.D. Foxmoor, X-Ray and MCD met each other and created one of the first Greek hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
groups, Active Member
Active Member
Active Member is a Greek hip-hop/low bap group, founded in 1992 by Michalis Mitakidis ,Nikitas Klint and Dimitris Kritikos .-History:...
. In 1995, hip hop music was not well known in Greece. That time, Active Member managed to attract great discographic companies and signed up with the consortium Warner (Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
). Some months later, the third disk of Active Member was produced, under the name To Megalo Kolpo (The Great Wangle), and became widely known. In that album, Active Member decided to rename hip hop as they had taken it in, thus naming it Low Bap.
Low Bap Manifesto
“Support your word with your life and vice versa”, or to make it short “you walk, you talk”: this is the path that leads to Low Bap. It is the new base of all that comprehend, think, feel, act and resist. In order for someone to understand the creation and evolution of this movement up to now, one should incorporate it in the revolutionary – in our days – procedure of self-respect. Above all, Low Bap preserves its reverence in the order of Life and it is a cultural revolution with selected aims and hard work. Since 1993, it is constantly present, with tens of records, books, magazines, shows, festivals, discussions, thousands of hours studio time, thousands of lyrics, and friends…we gathered together in this website the “tools” of our course. Here is the moment of “census”, promise, reorganising, love, encounter and truth.All those that may come by, know what should be done. Each one in one’s way. Thus, Low Bap will proudly take all the credit and burden for the next step, that will lead to the fair ones. It will continue bothering history and it will believe even deeper in the dream. Noone chose those of us who do Low Bap, we chose it ourselves. Therefore, we owe it to us, to those that lost courage, to those that will come. Now, it’s the finest hour. So, let’s go…
Place
At PeramaPerama
Perama is a port city and a suburb of Piraeus that lies on the southwest edge of the Aegaleo mountains. It creates the western terminus of the Port of Piraeus and there is also a port that provides ferry services to Salamis. The town has only one main road connecting Lambrakis and Ralli Avenues,...
, that is considered to be degrading, began the attempt of the creation of the new music scene, Low Bap, with Michalis Mitakidis, known as B.D. Foxmoor, being the leading person.