A historical reflection of Hip Hop Name: Jake Parker Student number: 100072668 Date: Friday, March 30, 2007 Professor: Mark Adam Let’s bring it back with that 01′ New York rap. Hip hop is amazing, straight up. It’s not Just the music, it’s everything involved with the four elements of hip hop; the emceeing (rapping), the Digging, the graffiti, and the break dancing. When I was younger I used to search for “hip-hop” and “rap” albums never realizing the difference that I have come to know and appreciate so much.
Rap is something you o and hip hop Is something you live. Rapping Is quite linear, with original styles mastering rhythm over a beat (Light, 1999). HIP hop Is a culture, but It’s also much more than that. It’s a way of voicing opinions to the masses, whether the rappers promote violence or deter violence; It’s all up to the listener. Hip hop Is a way of life; how you walk, how you dress, how you act, how you swear. It is an attitude. The roots of hip hop come from frustration, environments that were uncivil for human dignity (the Ghettos). From this environment came this creativity and style that no en could hold back.
I think it’s prudent to point out that this essay only covers an introduction and reflection to the vast and garish culture of hip hop and that to delve into every artist’s history and impact would be pleasing yet extensive in content. With that in mind, let’s look at the history and fundamental aspects that comprised this exuberant culture. The culture of hip hop primarily originated in New York City In the sass, particularly In the poverty stricken neighborhoods of the Bronx (Light, 1999). These forgotten youth used hip hop as a medium to express their troubles, to express how they felt about being In the underclass that so many were.
An underclass in which young black people are at the centre, but do not form the totality. This multicultural notion of class that has black youth in a central role is a mixture of black consciousness and gangster tropes, at one point posing the contradiction from which the speaker (or multiple speakers) is trying to escape as choosing between Getting paid or getting laid’ (Peddle, 2005, 85) This idea of Getting paid or getting laid’ provoked a mentality striving on the energy and culture hip hop pertained. This type of energy fused with the musical evolution gave rise to hip hop.
That musical evolution of hip hop started in many different ways. Firstly let’s look to the frustrated African American and Latino youth of New York, witnessing the musical revolution of disco. For these youth, Disco was a bit enslave because It was against what they stood for. You needed to be well dressed, and have money, both of which little to no one in the neighborhood had (Light, sort of musical insult by disrespecting the disco-tech by slapping girls, robbing people, and violating the disco-scene in general (Light, 1999).
Hip hop was a rebellion, to an extent, of disco. Where disco lacked in a soulful and meaningful representation of the underclass, hip hop broke threw with the creation of the break- beat, Digging, and emceeing. Hip-hoppers were segregated, and this posed a critical moment in hip hop evolution. Instead of waiting outside and degrading themselves to criminals, they sought a positive affirmation and set up basement parties, house parties, and block parties with one DC in rooms full with people (Light, 1999).
These became trendy and soon the popular culture was slowly creeping into these IP-hop events. With popularity augmenting, Masc. (who at the time didn’t “rap” but Newer simply the masters of the ceremony) would talk over the break-beats to promote their Ads. These Masc. all had their own style, even if one rapper did someone else’s same exact lyrics, their personality would trump any likeness of the two rappers sounding the same. Style was and still is the fundamental component to any type of art affiliated with hip hop.
If you asked the average hip hop fan what the defining song of hip hop was, odds are they are going to say “Rappers Delight” by the Sugarbird Gang. This is not necessarily an inaccurate answer for the general public Nas first exposed to this rather than such underground talents as Grandmaster Flash the Furious Five, the true pioneers of the rap game (Light, 1999). Moving on, inequality and urban poverty is what hip hop represented with a focus on supporting goodness. It was a vehicle for knowledge, wisdom, peace, unity, love and respect.
Today it is about making money and telling people what they need to hear rather than what they should or want to hear. What would have happened if hip hop ever happened, if this expression never came out? I do not think anything positive Mould have come from a cap on freedom of expression with a strong possibility of ‘lenience and crime rising. Gangs would be back to their old ways, without any positive staples that hip hop built, such as the 4 elements; the emceeing (rapping), the Digging, the graffiti, and the break dancing.
Without emceeing I can’t imagine what pop music would sound like, all the chart toppers base their rhythm and hooks on the soulful under touching of hip-hop and its pioneers. Digging would be totally askew room today’s standards with cross fading thanks to Grand Master Flash and scratching thanks to Grand Wizard Theodore (Light, 1999). Without graffiti youth might resort to some of the more criminal activities involved with gangs, and without break dancing, crews might exercise violence to end beef over territories.
All and all this sounds like a scary reality; as cliche as it sounds a world without hip hop is a Nor I can’t even imagine. Hip hop culture inarguably diminished inner-city gang idiolect by swapping physical violence with hip hop battles including rapping, beat going, break dancing, and graffiti battles. For that it should be praised and sought after instead of the over glorified violence and “Billing Billing” rap that is currently brain Gnashing people who have yet to be exposed to the true roots of the culture (Light, 1999).
A predominate notion about hip hop is, it’s always changing. It’s an evolutionary affair that involves hip hop constantly merging itself with other styles. This seems appropriate considering that it was based on the musical elements from genres like day Blonde gave props to Grandmaster Flash on Rapture, the Beastie Boys sampled CDC, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath any many of their mixes. Hip does not see in sack and White with Aerostatic and Run DIM remixing “Walk this Way”, and now Jay- z and Chris Martin are producing tracks together.
Hip hop once segregated by the disco clubs clearly has managed to overcome that genre and practices a tolerance to any new comer from any genre and more importantly race, gender, or walk of life. Hip hop is much more than Just an activity, a new shirt, or even going to a show, it’s expressing yourself with one of the 4 elements; it’s living with freedom of endless audio and iconic creativity. It’s not Just rapping, it’s the way you live your life and how your expression is handled in one of the most positive ways known.