This Paper Is Hip-Hop

This Paper Is Hip-Hop

In the early 1970’s, a community was created between artists in The Bronx that still influences several aspects of American culture today. When four unique lifestyles were combined, hip-hop was born. The musically influenced styles of deejaying and emceeing, the creative style of the graffiti artists, and the style and energy of the break-dancers are all key elements. Hip-hop is a community built off the four elements of deejaying, emceeing, breaking and graffiti, which has impacted today’s youth’s appearance, artistic expression and outlets for anger.

Most people could define hip-hop in a matter of seconds. “Its that crap on the radio” my father would say. Categorizing such a large topic as one a specific idea or “genre” is simply being ignorant. Hip-hop is not only a genre of music; it is multiple forms of art with varieties of impacts on society. Rather than trying to see hip-hop on people, choosing to look at the potential ways it has impacted their lives is often a better way of understanding.

Any individual can walk in every major city in America and identify several influences hip-hop has had the city’s youth. You do not need to listen for the loud rap music or admire the graffiti. All you have to do is notice the way people look. Hip-hop has been influencing the way people dress for decades. From advertising for big corporations to creating their own clothing brands, hip-hop artists of all types have managed to create a new look for today’s youth.

Most people do not realize that convicted criminals, such as 50 Cent and P. Diddy, have products on the shelves of major shopping centers all over America. This is an example of how Hip-hop allowed certain individuals to achieve success, which ultimately has impacted the way we live today. Big name rappers, dancers and painters eventually realize they have built up an image that is marketable and cease the opportunity to make money. Trends including straight billed hats, still possessing tags, became mainstream and flooded the streets. Many artists managed to outlast the trends and continue to profit through fashion.

Artists like the Wu-Tang Clan built empires by selling their style. “’The sound-Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Outkast-fit the mood, claustrophobic and swarming. Youths trooped through the cities in camouflage jumpsuits and combat boots and called each other “souljahs”’ (Chang 437). The Wu-Tang Clan had influenced the hip-hop youth in New York into imitating their unique style. Eventually they started a world wide clothing brand, Wu-Wear that is still worn today. “Envisioned as a full-on lifestyle brand, it eschewed the notions of collaborating with bigger companies and opted to sell its own branded clothing to capitalize on the groups success”(DeLeon 1).

Many people will argue that todays fashion trends have very little to do with hip hop. There is the possibility that all of these styles could evolve without the cultural influence of hip-hop, but how long would it take? The idea that hip-hop culture has had visible effects on society is almost unarguable. Walking down the street, the most easily identifiable music listener for a person is usually the hip-hop listener. From interpreting a posture or strut, to hearing slang, members of the hip-hop community allow themselves to be easily identifiable. It can be something as little as a hairstyle or as obvious as an XXL t-shirt of Tupac, hip-hop is everywhere. We see such a wide variety of style due to the multiple forms of expression that exist within hip-hop.

Historically, learning an instrument typically did not consist of scratching records. Going to dance class is usually associated with ballet and gymnastics, rather than breaking, locking and popping. Recently cities have been putting money towards public graffiti walls instead of paying to have them removed. These are just a few ways hip-hop has changed the artistic expression of today’s youth.

Graffiti and street art are possibly the most progressive forms of hip-hop because of the endless realm of possibilities artists have with their tools. Aerosol-art, another term used for graffiti, is found almost worldwide. Graffiti can be found in places that have never heard rap music, or seen break dancing. It is almost like a universal language of expression. One artist on the opposite side of the world can relate to someone else’s style and feel a sense of unity when viewing another artist’s work. Artists leave their thoughts and ideas on walls for the whole world to see. Promoting peace or pure destruction, every form of graffiti is expression. Hip-hop has traveled the world as an idea and marked its journey across the walls. Graffiti is found world wide, but has also submerged into another community of hip-hop, which is dance.

Hip-hop dance started off simple with breaking, popping and locking in the 1970’s. These were dance styles created in the African American communities of New York. Today the modern combination of these styles is referred to as break dancing or breaking. Breaking has evolved in many ways. Dance battles have become increasingly popular, even having studios built entirely off that style. Breakers dance passionately on street corners for free, while others imitate them on television programs like “Americas Best Dance Crew” for money. Video sharing sites like Youtube and Vimeo have become flooded with dance videos like the “Soulja Boy” and the “Dougie”. Early styles like breaking broke gender barriers in dance and allowed many males the opportunity they never felt available to express themselves. Breaking continues to expand and impact people daily. It is a key part of expression for youth in so many ways. Another key factor to the dance was the music.

When a simple record was scratched, a sound was created that revolutionized music. The turntable became the electric guitar of rap music. Deejays, or disc jockeys, would explore and create sounds that had never been heard before. They took a foreign device and used it to play how they felt. Along with deejaying, emceeing, or rapping also allowed an easier outlet. If you could speak, you could rap. This gave inspiration to many young people and helped them release their creativity. Since rapping did not require much skill, such as a beautiful voice, it was the first available form of musical expression for many troubled youth. Rapping became a way to gain a new identity. To poor and neglected youth, this was a way to be somebody. Rap allows the common person a chance to let their voice be heard and create a name for themselves. As we will see later, rap was also an escape from gangs for many. Since the 1970’s rap music has taken many forms and continues to grow everyday.

It cannot be denied that hip-hop has added to the potential ways of artistic expression among youth. The debate of whether this is a positive or negative effect is very much available. Although hip-hop is often associated with gangs, violence, drugs and sex, they do not define it. There are several positive aspects of hip-hop that can be put together to define and gain a better understanding of the term. Offering an escape from gangs, creating positive ways of expressing feeling, creating an identity and allowing a positive release of energy are all the ways hip-hop’s impact on artistic expression can be used to define it. Anger and violence can be looked at so many ways through hip-hop. A lot of violence has happened due to hip-hop, but hip-hop itself is not violent. Some of the greatest hip-hop artists are those who have acknowledged their anger and channeled it into their art. Therapy and counseling are not the only ways to get rid of anger. Writing a rhyme, making a beat, painting a wall or dancing to a beat are all ways that hip-hop allows people to take their minds off their troubles and focus their energy on something positive. Some of the most common themes in the rap music we hear today are about overcoming and personal growth. Many gang members turn to their roots in hip-hop to escape the lifestyle. Several rappers have been saved from gang life by getting record deals. Although there are a lot of negatives associated with hip-hop and the people around it, it has the potential to save lives and better futures. This is where the expression “Hip-hop saved my life” comes from. Gang violence had previously been the only way to gain respect and status in many troubled neighborhoods all across America. With the creation of rap, a positive alternative was created for those who wanted an escape from the gang lifestyle. It is undeniable that hip-hop offers a positive way for kids to release their anger.

An example of this comes from Cuidad Juarez, Mexico with the story of a young man name Daniel, who escaped gang life and gives all the credit to hip-hop. “Daniel admits he carried a gun and hung out with fellow gang members when he was younger. And he knows that he could have ended up like many of his friends, drawn into the drugs trade and very possibly murdered. But he found an escape through his love of hip-hop. The music, he says, gave him a way to be heard, just like guns had done before”(Caselli and George 1). Daniel is just one example of the situations people are able to escape from when they turn to rap and hip-hop. His situation is applicable to graffiti, dance and deejaying, because they also serve as outlets for people with similar problems. The four components of hip-hop; deejaying, emceeing, breaking and graffiti created a community which impacts the way todays youth dresses, expresses themselves artistically and deals with their anger. Brands like Wu-Wear are example of hip-hop’s impact on fashion. Innovations in breakdancing, graffiti, deejaying and rapping prove that it has expanded the possibilities of artistic expression. People like Daniel are example oh how hip-hop can save those involved in gangs and other negative lifestyles and help them deal with anger. All of these show how hip-hop is defined by understanding the impact it has on us today.

Works Cited

1.Caselli, Irene, and William L. George. "BBC News - Mexico Ex-gang Member Works to Tackle Juarez Violence." BBC - Homepage. 10 July 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .

2.Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: a History of the Hip-Hop Culture. New York: Picador, 2005. Print.

3.Christen, Richard S. "Hip Hop Learning: Graffiti as an Educator of Urban Teenagers." Art Crimes - The Writing on the Wall - Graffiti Art Worldwide. Fall 2003. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. .

4.Deleon, Jian. "Wu-Tang Forever:The History of Wu-Wear." 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. .

5.Okumura, Kozo. Far East Coast Is in Da House: Examination of Hip Hop Culture in Japan. Michigan: UMI, 1998. Print.

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