Industrial Rap

Read Harpsichord’s Comprehensive Guide on all genres relevant to the state of current pop, R&B, hip hop, and dance music.

Umbrella Genre: Hip Hop

Stylistic Origins: Industrial, Noise, Backpack Rap, Nu Metal, Political Rap, Horrorcore

Date and Location of Development: The mid-80’s in Bristol, England, United Kingdom and San, Francisco, California, United States; Evolved in the mainstream during 2013 by the way of Chicago, Illinois, United States native, Kanye “Yeezus” West

The Formation of Industrial Rock Music

In 1976, the English visual arts collective COUM Transmissions developed into a super music group called Throbbing Gristle. Throbbing Gristle then formed Industrial Records, a label that described the type of music that they made. Members of the collective hosted live performance art shows that involved the clashing of instruments, audio distortion, and abnormal sounds that wouldn’t fly on mainstream pop records. In 1977, Throbbing Gristle released the first industrial album known to man, entitled, The Second Annual Report . The opening track, “Industrial Introduction” features what appears to be a hollowed out sound of a speeding car. The album featured recordings of misplaced echoes, stereo feedback, and looping of synthesizers and a tape recorder. On “Slug Bait,” Genesis P-Orridge recites a creepy poem about a killer insect being personified as a cannibalistic human.

Industrial music focused on themes revolving around sexual perversion and lust, the occult, and facism. It essentially functioned as the rock equivalent to what hip hop would do with horrorcore. Obviously because of these blatant subject matters, industrial music became more of an indie music phenomenon. According to the ‘Oxford English Dictionary,’ the genre’s proto origins came from 1942 when ‘The Musical Quarterly’ called Dmitri Shostakovich's 1927 “Symphony No. 2,” “the high tide of industrial music.” The work had been criticized for its improvisational direction, which created inconsistencies in the sound. By the 60s the noise genre by acts such as Lou Reed was becoming a prominent aspect of critically acclaimed and genre bending rock.

As the performative sounds of noise and industrial collided in the UK, the USA started to get a hold of the phenomenon. The indie Chicago label Wax Trax! Records supported many industrial acts. In 1984, the Belgian group, Front 242 released the label’s first industrial album, No Comment . In 1985, the experimental English group, Coil, released the singles “Panic” and a cover of Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love” which focused on an industrial sound.

Album art for The Second Annual Report released by Throbbing Gristle in 1977.

The Beginnings of Industrial Hip Hop

In 1985, England’s Mark Stewart released his second studio album As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade . The album included songs such as “Bastards” and the single, “Hypnotised.” “Hypnotised” included grunting and the scratching of DJ vinyls– essentially becoming the first fusion of hip hop with industrial. He did a rap singing of the words, “pay it all back.” San Francisco's The Beatnigs released their 1988 self-titled album, which featured political hip hop records such as “C.I.A.,” “Malcolm X,” and “Pre-War America” which featured haunting looping as if aliens were taking over hip hop for the sake of mind control and to disturb the peace. The most notable mainstream single of the ‘80s, “Down In It” came from Nine Inch Nails in 1989 as their debut. It was the first ever song written by Trent Razor and featured a hip hop breakbeat– ultimately becoming one of the first pioneering rap rock songs.

A young Mark Stewart getting out his rage as a punk rocker.

In 1991, the Bomb Squad– who had produced for Public Enemy– did work on the New York natives Young Black Teenagers debut album. “My TV Went Black and White on Me” featured the sound of cars honking in traffic as they discussed skinheads and white supremacists. They aptly had another song entitled “First Stage of a Rampage Called the Rap Rage.” Over the course of the 90s as nu metal and rap rock started developing, some bands stayed true to the blend of industrial in hip hop, particularly in Germany. Steril is cited as one of the most influential bands in that movement.

The Beatnigs as a posse circa ‘88 made a statement in industrial hip hop.

Kanye West makes Industrial Rap Go Mainstream

Prior to the release of Kanye’s 2013 album Yeezus , the Sacramento, California posse Death Grips had released their debut studio album, The Money Store . A critically regarded success, the album featured the monotone, almost Rakim-like rapping of Stefan Burnett, aka MC Ride. The album reached No. 14 on Billboard’s Rap Albums chart. When Kanye West released the industrial opus, Yeezus he became the first rapper to debut at No. 1 with an industrial rap LP. Yeezus had been a departure from his original sounds, and resonated with many listeners. This ultimately ushered in a new stage of his career, leading to the popularity of Travis Scott, who produced on the album, as well as acceptance of JPEGMafia’s sound.