Hip Hop is a genre of music that originates from the Bronx, NY and a way of self expression, influenced by many cultural, political, racial and fashion events over the course of the years.
The meaning of Hip Hop nowadays has not been very positive just like how it was around the 80’s or around the time of our parent’s youth. Music is a weapon and when voices are not heard through just speech, people need a way to voice themselves, this is where hip hop comes into play. It has always been about voicing, expressing yourself in moments of struggle, pain, happiness or depression. This genre being related to many negatives thoughts is what made me want to tell you in where hip hop really stands and why it stands there.
“Now, up to this point, all this needs to be understood with regards to Hip Hop. Throughout history, music originating from America's Black communities has always had an accompanying subculture reflective of the political, social and economic conditions of the time.”(Hip Hop Corner 4) Hip Hop is old, older than its new fanatics and still has its old ones moving with it, one thing is true, it has its history with politicians, criminals, moments of innovation, struggle, pain and joy. With cultures changing day in and day out, Hip Hop has changed with it. The way it was played, coming to a creative creation (music), viewed, appreciated and evaluated is differently now then how it was in the 80’s. Because back then it was mainly used as the voice of the voiceless and this rumbling came from places of struggle where hope was something people could only dream of. Today after all these years people from all ages, race and beliefs still use this way of self expression as a way to voice themselves. The cultural impact Hip Hop has had over the world is undeniable and being a descendent of the culture it is only right to defend it.
The self expression aspect of hip hop is one of the most valuable parts of this music genre. It allowed communities from all over the world to express their feelings, pains, struggles etc. “…it offered young urban New Yorkers a chance to freely express themselves.” (Hip Hop corner 3) New Yorkers being only a part of this community shows you how much people relied on this form of expression to tell stories and have a voice when nobody really wanted to listen. “Hip Hop continues to be popular among today's urban youth for the same reasons it was a draw in the early days: it is still an accessible form of self expression capable of eliciting positive affirmation from one's peers.”(Hip Hop Corner 3) This form of self expression will be around for a long time no matter what happens to Hip Hop and that’s because every generation has its own moments of joy and struggles and needs a way to express this and Hip Hop is that weapon.
As Hip Hop made its first marks on into the mind of people some were still not sure about its role. Because it had a few collisions with law enforcement, like the young rap group N.W.A (Nigga With Attitude) from Compton, CA. Who used Hip Hop to talk about the problems in their neighborhood with albums like: “Posse” or “Straight outta Compton” that released in 1988. The problems they addressed where serious issues that they saw in their everyday life, but the suburban audience and the middle upper class did not appreciate how they were expressing themselves in their messages. N.W.A was not the only one to address serious matters in their songs. “A song about killing cops is sure to get mired in controversy. This song basically was created to protest against police brutality.”(Top10 List 4) A young Hip Hop artist by the name of Ice T made a song called “Cop Killer” which made a lot of noise and when asked why the edgy title and why so much violence he said: “Everything is censored, everything that's in the mainstream is censored, ya know. I think it's a word that's being thrown around a little too loosely. I mean cause I think people just gotta realize that yo, everything is censored, except in the underground you know we have free speech. But anything mainstream, network television, radio stations, or even record companies are at this point censored.” (A Rock Exclusive) Politics has always had some part in the evolution of Hip Hop positive or negative. That being the negative part, the positive part of that was that politicians at the time did take some major precaution to prevent police brutality. This does not mean that the kids from that neighborhood were living in peace. Many politicians have used Hip Hop artist as conductor to talk to the communities they cannot easily reach. For example in his run to the presidency Barack Obama received help from many Hip Hop artists. This was not only because he was the potential first African American president but it was also to encourage people to go vote and be part of something special and the outcome was excellent. Because for the first time in a long time the us saw the voters count increase.
With Hip Hop being new in the 80’s so were a lot of fashion trends. Many trends and dances came from artist who wanted to be different from the pack and tried new things and quickly saw that it worked for them. Actor Will Smith who debuted in the sitcom “Fresh Prince of Bell-Air” may be the perfect example of this Hip Hop influenced fashion. With the Flattop haircut, the Jordan’s, the bright colored shirts and lose printed pants, he embraced that fashion just like many did at this time. Dancing was something that you could not go without in the 80’s with dances like breaking, poppin lockin etc. Kids from all over the place were emulating these dances with no flaw. One epic dance move was the moonwalk, dance performed by Michael Jackson at Motown 25 a place that had some of the greatest performers perform. At this time it was not about copying anybody but more about being yourself and dressing how you please. There was no limit on how you could express yourself and on what you were allowed to do. This style slowly evolved with time but it was still influenced by Hip Hop and the people in it.
“Hip hop in the early 90’s was making the transition from a popular new genre to establishing itself in the industry. Early 90’s hip hop music had strong themes of afrocentricity, political and social consciousness. Lyrics were at a premium, black pride & empowerment were still valued, and people were rockin red, black and green with pride. Prominent 90's hip hop artists were Public Enemy, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest and Arrested Development.”(90’s hip hop classics) As seen in this article Hip Hop has mostly been used to empower the African American community in times of struggle. It did not only that, it also saved many lives from the gang violence that Hip Hop was so often related to. The names named in Hip Hop history or just a few of few to keep the list short. So many took advantage of the opportunity that Hip Hop offered them to leave the hood and taste some of the American dream. From places of struggle came Ice Cude (rapper, actor and movie producer) Sean “Diddy” Combs (rapper, actor, music producer and entrepreneur) and Sean “Jay-Z” Carter (rapper, music producer, entrepreneur and co-owner of an NBA franchise) those are just to name a few who took full advantage of the perks that come with being part of the Hip Hop community. With them making it they also made sure they would give back to their communities.
Hip Hop being so old, has had its ups and downs. From the troubling beginnings to its rise, it has always been a roller coaster of emotions. Whether today’s audience likes Hip Hop or not today’s youth can agree that it is still a way of self expression. Let your message be positive or negative Hip Hop has still the same function. It still influences today’s youth. From fashion to our culture Hip Hop is something that has finally been embraces by many. Young or old we all appreciate it being here and what it brings on different levels. Some may still be skeptical about it but everybody has their opinion. All can agree that Hip Hop has brought a lot of good and positivity and one thing is sure it is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Work Cited
D’s, David “Hip Hop Corner”
Heck, Mike “A ROC EXCLUSIVE: ICE-T SPEAKS OUT ON CENSORSHIP, COP KILLER, HIS LEAVING WARNER BROS., AND MORE”
Marauders, Midnight “90’s hip hop classics”
http://www.hiphoptop10s.com/articles/90shiphop.html
Rap Central “N.W.A. DISCOGRAPHY / N.W.A. ALBUM LYRICS”
Wier, Verdie “Top10 List 4”
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