>honing in on the 'beat breaks' and eschewing large parts of a
>song for just its percussive or rhythmic or funky elements,
>i'd agree, is hip hop.

percussive breaks. i just wasn't being specific. that's where it becomes a genre, though. the decision to distill the funky drums is the revolution that makes the music a post-funk art form. WHO DID THAT FIRST?

>as a side note, when i wanted to create a school program based
>around using hip hop, this was something i was thinking of
>emphasizing. the pioneers of this art form, used to rummage
>through radio shack and basically do science projects on their
>own time.

this is the most important shit, though. the process and the mechanics of the craft. i hate how most academic approaches to hip-hop don't take the artistic process seriously and jump straight into the sociopolitical shit.