Today I’ll be sharing with you, a brief insight on Hip-Hop.As I grew up listening to Hip-hop and actually gaining interest in the art forms, i noticed major stereotypes and discriminations against it.
The Rivalry against it is political,social and religious.As a major lover of the culture i saw a huge need.There is a lack of information that causes this war against it.
So I woke up one morning and finally decided, after months of contemplation, to create a blog that counteracts that.
I will be uncovering the following key topics:
•The Groove in the name “Hip-Hop
•The Heart of the Culture
•From Street to Mainstream
•The Booming Art forms of the Culture
•The Chance of Profit in Hip-Hop
•The Social Role and Script of Hip-Hop.
The Groove in the name of Hip-Hop:
“Hip-Hop”.The words in their own nature have a certain groove to it. They are vibrant and they make you want to just stand on your feet and chant.The word was first established by Kieth “Cowboy” Wiggins, a member of Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five.
The word imitates the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers.Its funny how such a big and diverse movement could come from a beginning as humble as a rhythmic sound.It was sign of disrespect and now it has transitioned into new music and culture.
Sugarhill Gang then popularized the word in 1979 on the hit song “Rapper’s Delight”.The song goes “I said Hip-Hop, the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop, and you just dont stop.”
I don’t know the lyrics to the song that well so just click on the link if you want to listen to it:
The Heart of the Culture:
What is Hip-Hop? What is Rap? And what is the difference between the two. Hip-Hop is a cutlure which has a twist of many different art forms within it.This includes Rapping, Djing,B-boying/B-girling (Breakdancing) and graffiti. Rap is a musical form of vocal delivery with rhyme and rhythmic cadence to a certain beat.
Hip-Hop has a branched stream of elemnts other than the ones i mentioned above, namely:
•Culture and Knowledge
•Street Entrepreneurship
•Fashion and Style
•Street Language
•Beatboxing
So in simple terms we could say that Hip-Hop is a way of life. Hip-hop was created by the minority in a demographic that was written off and regarded as marginalized community. It is a mediuim of different forms of expressions and views. It was created to cope with the social and political struggles in these communities.The perfect example is Gangstar Rap. It originated from a crime-driven community, where the crime rate is always at its peak. So the minority used it to express the harsh realities of their environments. Hip-Hop is an artistic movement, a protest to the new modern struggles faced by minority.
KRS-One: “Rap is what we do,Hip-Hop is how we live.”
From Street to Mainstream:
It all started in the Bronx, New York City 1970. The pioneers are Jamaican-born DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell and Cindy Campbell. It started at a back-to-school party that was hosted where the two relayed between two records isolating the percussion.This would then be later known as a musical element called scratching.That was the Birth of Hip-Hop.
The second element is rapping,which all began with men who tried to outdo each other in originality of their language.It then developed with aspects such as flow,cadence, vocal delivery and so on.Rap is the forefront of Hip-Hop as it has gained a worldwide popularity and has generated an income-vehicle for most aspects and elements of Hip-Hop.
Now it is a global culture which has gained success into the mainstream industry. It gave a chance to every artist to showcase their art. Artists from all over the world are starting to conform to the culture and its not only artists,but almost everyone.
The Booming Art forms of Hip-Hop:
Although there may be various art forms within the movement, only a few of them are really the cutting edge.
1.Rap:
Rap is a musical form of vocal delivery with rhyme and rhythmic cadence to a certain beat. It is mostly compared to spoken word poetry. This is the art form which has generated millions of dollars ever since its existance. This is because its history precedes Hip-Hop culture itself. It goes back to the african oral historians, praise singers, pastors, Muhammad Ali, James Brown and poems of The Last Poets.
2.DJ:
A DJ is a person who plays records for the crowd.Popular ones are radio DJs and turntablists.Now, a turntablist is a person who uses record players to manipulate different sounds on the records.
3.Producers:
A producer is a person that composes the song and beat in the record studio.There is a vast network of Hip-Hop producers right now. The new digital world has even made it easier for composers to work on their laptops and computers.
4.Music Video Artist:
An artist who creates,designs and directs music videos. Music video artists play a vital role as they are able to make the message of the rapper’s song, to spread across and make more sense on what he/she was talking about.
These art forms are the cutting edge of Hip-Hop.They are a saturated market within the mainstream industry. They popularized the culture in such a way that it was able to grow,and reach every minor community all over the world. Many of the Hip-Hop gurus and legends were able to have influence through these mediums of art.
The Chance of Profit in Hip-Hop:
Given that Hip-Hop gained worldwide followers,a vast opportunity of profit emerged from the people.This allowed entrepreneurship in within the minority.It gave the same marginalized communities who were politically and socially written off,to have a second chance in the economy. Given the history of the racial conflicts with the oppressors, these communities were mostly suffering in poverty.
Today,we have Hip-Hop record labels,clothing brands,video studios,magazine companies and so forth.It all started from a simple mimmick of the rhythmic cadence of marching soldiers,to creating these art forms as a way of expressing their struggles and now it is a industry flooded with million dollar business opportunities.
The Social Role and Script of Hip-Hop:
There is a war against this artistic movement.There are stereotypes and discriminations against it. I believe that can only be a result of lack of understanding. If people were able to understand its origins. If people were able to view it just like any other culture that has to be learned about then the war would end.
Hip-Hop has solved the social and environmental factors of the modern world.Although it may have its downside drama,but it has brought huge impact to the scene. The youth started participating in these art forms and it gave them a purpose. It is a coping mechanism that counteracts issues such as :
•Gang initiations
•Drugs
•Crime
•Murder
After the rise of new social media platforms such as online streaming services,people discovered the influence this art movement. It was able to save a lot of lives. It was able to take a young black child from poverty to wealth. It has been able to revive belief in the minority.
Just like KRS-One said:”Rap Is What We Do, Hip-Hop is How We Live.”
Watch this YouTube video to gain more insight: History of Hip-hop in the Bronx
SUPPORT:Make sure to drop any suggestions on what topics i should cover in the next post.We value your opinion on Hip-Hop Heads.We want to grow this community and provide you with the best content we can.
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