Lasting Influence

While the use of the Roland TR-808 in “Planet Rock” had a profound effect on music, specifically hip hop, in the 1980’s, the drum machine’s influence also helped create new genres which are still prominent fixtures in our modern musical landscape. Many popular songs in the past decade have drawn on Bambaataa’s unique use of the Roland TR-808. In 2008, Kanye West released an entire album titled 808s & Heartbreaks which drew heavily from the synthetic sound of Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock” through the heavy use of the 808 throughout the album (Shaham). The most popular song off of West’s album, “Love Lockdown,” possesses many striking resemblances to “Planet Rock,” and these similarities serve to highlight the lasting influence of the 808 in Hip Hop. West’s “Love Lockdown” utilizes a thin texture which highlights the two main layers in a similar fashion to “Planet Rock”, the vocals and the synthetic drum beat. Both songs utilize an almost robotic timbre in the vocals as well as a prominent synthetic 808 drum beat to give the song a futuristic essence.