Modern hip-hop can be traced back to the legacy of a wide variety of musical influences, not least the avant-garde, rock, and most out of the box, the psychedelic sounds of Jimi Hendrix. A guitarist, singer, and songwriter of unparalleled talent, Hendrix elevated music beyond measure, leaving a legacy in his short but amazing career. His experimentation with distortion, feedback, and complex guitar playing influenced many artists, from rock to hip-hop.
In this post, we will discuss how Hendrix’s radical music philosophies have been translated into contemporary hip-hop and inspired one of its most prolific voices, Nayvadius DeMun Cash, aka Future. This Atlanta rapper has taken Hendrix’s unpredictability very seriously and even used his last name as a stage name to represent his desire to explore ideas in the same way.
Let’s jump in and find out how Hendrix continues to influence the new sounds of hip-hop.
What Would Be Jimi Hendrix’s Road If He Had to Live Longer?
Jimi Hendrix was driven by innovation. His experimentation with music redefined and articulated the possibilities of the electric guitar. He developed innovative sounds that defied the status quo through distortion, feedback and unconventional techniques of play.
This adventurous virtuosity elevated Hendrix’s craft and helped inspire other musicians of his generation and the future ones to go further in their musical imagination. Jimi Hendrix died at just 27 years old, but music producers and artists have always speculated that had he lived longer, he would have explored hip-hop and rap.
Eddie Kramer, Hendrix’s music producer, explained, “Jimi was aware of everything that was going on, he was a musical sponge. The next step? Who knows… He may have even gotten into rap.” Eddie Kramer told BBC 6 Music. The likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Chuck D, Fat Joe, Joey Bada$$, and Mos Def — just to name a few — have all sipped on Hendrix’s genius. Those samples attest to Jimi Hendrix’s legacy on Hip hop.
Future… Hendrix!
Future regards Hendrix as an icon and a role model. It seems like an awkward comparison here, but the 3-times Grammy winner like Hendrix for rock has done to hip-hop, bringing it to the next level. Future has used auto-tune, new beats, mumble rap, and naked lyricism to craft a style that’s been called “trap.”
For the rappers, music is a lifestyle – it’s surrounded by luxury and status objects – big cars, big parties, designer clothing, Patek Philippe and Rolex watches, and diamond-accented chains, just like the old days in the 60s when Jimi Hendrix was also a superstar.
Rappers like Future(Pluto) and his peer Drake are known to live lavishly while spending their extra cash gambling on just about anything from shooting dice and pitching quarters, to trying their luck in popular casino games. High-stakes gambles seem to be a thing with rock stars, and for Future, his risks and wild ventures seem to have paid off.
Did you know Future’s album “Hndrxx” from 2017 is named after his alter ego, Future Hendrix?
Jimi Hendrix Recorded a Rap Song in 1969 With The Last Poets
Jimi & The Last Poets had a mutual connection through Alan Douglas, an American record producer who worked with Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis, to name a few big names.
Jimi Hendrix, being a visionary, liked the band’s sound and wanted to jam with them. He brought in Buddy Miles on drums and Billy Cox (from Band of Gypsys), creating a unique fusion at the time between rock and rap.
Jimi Hendrix was one of the first outside of Motown to achieve this synergy between the two musical genres, apart from, of course, heavyweights like Earth, Wind & Fire, or James Brown.
