Just as any other type of culture associated with music and dance, Hip-Hop has claimed its rightful place in American culture. What started as a form of expression for urban youth under different means of oppression has now become a worldwide, influential, trendsetting way of life. Hip-Hop was born in the streets of South Bronx, New York. Hip-Hop music started with a sound derived from the remnants of funk music being spliced together and played for long periods of time.
The powerful economic effects that Hip-Hop has left behind are; marketing, advertising, and commercial attitudes that have changed the way that the average consumer shops. Hip-Hop has always been involved in most of the political movements of youth in America since the 70's. The term that is used for this is called "Hip-Hop Activism". Movie director, Spike Lee, used Hip-hop Activism in his movie "Do The Right Thing", by displaying African Americans in the inner city neighborhoods protesting for change in their environment. The soundtrack for the movie was the famous song "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy.
Hip-Hop culture uses expression by the means of four specific elements.(Turntablism, Dance, Rap, and Graffiti) These elements were created in the early days of the culture and have continued to live on in youth in America. They are a part of mainstream America as well, due to what we now watch on television.
Turntablism started with the DJ, or Disc Jockey, who was considered to be the star of the show during a party. An MC (Master of Ceremonies) was supposed to be the hypeman who directed the attention and energy of the show to the DJ. Over time, the MC began to get the most attention from the show by telling stories, complimenting themselves, or lyrically showing off. Therefore, the end result was the birth of rap. The MC became what was known as a rapper. During the shows people would jump around, waving their hands like they were at a rock concert.
In the streets and sometimes in clubs with large dance floors young kids assembled to show off their dancing skills by doing a variety of acrobatic and rhythmic moves which make up all of the styles of hip hop dancing. Usually, they would take old cardboard boxes, cut them up, and spread them out like a pallet. Then they would spread them out and form a floor using tape to strap it down. They would carry a large cassette player also known as the boombox or beatbox. A breakdancer, also known as a B-Boy, would have a crew of other dancers that would battle other crews or put on their own shows to build respect and publicity in the streets. They sometimes were just as popular as the MC or DJ. They knew how to rock a show the same way but used amazing acrobatics and moves to pull it off.
In those same streets, along the sides of buildings, and even subway trains, a new type of art was formed. Beautiful colors and symbols expressed the feelings of those who were oppressed and in poverty. To this day, almost every major city or hip hop capital in America will have some display of Graffiti on its streets. Graffiti, just as any other form of hip-hop, has found its way to other countries all over the world.
Ultimately, the hip-hop culture has survived and continued to evolve throughout the new millenium. What some criticize as a fad or trend has outlived expectations and set precedents as to how Americans live. Hip-hop is a way of life. It will never die. It will only grow and prosper through change. That is what America continues to do. It has its positives and negatives. Through time all of the necessary changes will come about.
The powerful economic effects that Hip-Hop has left behind are; marketing, advertising, and commercial attitudes that have changed the way that the average consumer shops. Hip-Hop has always been involved in most of the political movements of youth in America since the 70's. The term that is used for this is called "Hip-Hop Activism". Movie director, Spike Lee, used Hip-hop Activism in his movie "Do The Right Thing", by displaying African Americans in the inner city neighborhoods protesting for change in their environment. The soundtrack for the movie was the famous song "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy.
Hip-Hop culture uses expression by the means of four specific elements.(Turntablism, Dance, Rap, and Graffiti) These elements were created in the early days of the culture and have continued to live on in youth in America. They are a part of mainstream America as well, due to what we now watch on television.
Turntablism started with the DJ, or Disc Jockey, who was considered to be the star of the show during a party. An MC (Master of Ceremonies) was supposed to be the hypeman who directed the attention and energy of the show to the DJ. Over time, the MC began to get the most attention from the show by telling stories, complimenting themselves, or lyrically showing off. Therefore, the end result was the birth of rap. The MC became what was known as a rapper. During the shows people would jump around, waving their hands like they were at a rock concert.
In the streets and sometimes in clubs with large dance floors young kids assembled to show off their dancing skills by doing a variety of acrobatic and rhythmic moves which make up all of the styles of hip hop dancing. Usually, they would take old cardboard boxes, cut them up, and spread them out like a pallet. Then they would spread them out and form a floor using tape to strap it down. They would carry a large cassette player also known as the boombox or beatbox. A breakdancer, also known as a B-Boy, would have a crew of other dancers that would battle other crews or put on their own shows to build respect and publicity in the streets. They sometimes were just as popular as the MC or DJ. They knew how to rock a show the same way but used amazing acrobatics and moves to pull it off.
In those same streets, along the sides of buildings, and even subway trains, a new type of art was formed. Beautiful colors and symbols expressed the feelings of those who were oppressed and in poverty. To this day, almost every major city or hip hop capital in America will have some display of Graffiti on its streets. Graffiti, just as any other form of hip-hop, has found its way to other countries all over the world.
Ultimately, the hip-hop culture has survived and continued to evolve throughout the new millenium. What some criticize as a fad or trend has outlived expectations and set precedents as to how Americans live. Hip-hop is a way of life. It will never die. It will only grow and prosper through change. That is what America continues to do. It has its positives and negatives. Through time all of the necessary changes will come about.
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