Popular Culture: Hip - Hop - Literature review Example

Popular Culture – Hip – hop Order no. 358448 No. of pages: 9 Writer: 653 Introduction Popular culture is anything that has become popular among a certain group of people over a period of time. At most times, it sets a trend which is automatically followed or imitated by other people who come in contact with it. It could be a religious cult, a certain lifestyle or a trend in the world of music. One such trend, that began casually, became popular with the crowd and spread far and wide, both nationally as well as internationally. This popular culture in the field of music was Hip-hop which became a household name as time passed. This paper is going to examine how this took place and the influence it had in the different facets of our society. Popular Culture of Hip- hop as a means of Communication Research has proved that every individual needs to communicate their feelings and emotions in order to enjoy all around good health and development. Since every individual is unique, they choose to express their thoughts and ideas through different mediums such as social, political, cultural or organizational. This communication could be verbal or nonverbal or through other media which could be visual or aural. There are many other ways in which we communicate with each other such as through the television, radio, newspapers, magazines and through many other such media. Hip-hop is also a used as a means of communication which helps people to give expression to their thoughts and ideas, and feelings and emotions. This essay is going to make an investigation of the popular culture of Hip-hop taking into consideration the impact it has created on society in general and how it is portrayed by the different media. Music which is also a means of communication saw Rap artists make use of parts of the human body such as the voice, mouth, lips and tongue to create their musical sounds to enhance their rapping style and make it unique. This style called “Beatboxing” or “Human Beatbox” used the technique of vocal percussion of singing or reciting about an issue currently affecting them. Popular Culture of Hip- Hop The Hip- hop culture was born in the Bronx, New York City, which was its most famous epicenter during the period of the ‘70’s. (Stover A. Shahid, 2009, Chang Jeff, 2005 & Castillo-Garstow, Melissa, 2008)1 It was an off-shoot culture that stemmed from the social and cultural atmosphere of the Black or Latino American community who faced bitter segregation and oppression from the hands of the Whites. The fulcrum around which Hip – hop revolved was ‘Break dancing also known as B- boying, graffiti writing, in addition to innovative rapping while DJing and MCing. Since its inception during the period of seventies, Hip-hop became the rage with its unique culture and lifestyle, especially among the youth in America and later spread across the globe. (Rosen Jody (2006)2 Pioneers in the Popular Culture of Hip- Hop One of the great pioneers and founders of the Hip-hop culture was Jamaican born DJ Clive, also famously known as “Kool Herc” In the Bronx, “where Hip – hop was born.” (Lee Jennifer, 2008) The great contribution of the legendary Kool Herc was brought about by making use of the boasting and toasting traditions of Jamaica in addition to rhythmic music from different genres such as Funk, Hard Rock and Latin percussion records. This sort of communication began when announcements and cheering for the dancers were done in a rhythmic and well syncopated pattern which we call “rapping” today. The dancers were called break boys and break girls which meant “getting excited” and acting energetically”. (Kool Herc, 2002) or ‘B- boys and B- girls’ (Schloss, Joseph3 (2009) During the 1980’s the Hip- hop culture was further deeply established when the Soulsonic Force and Afrika Bambaataa had released “Planet Rock” an electro- funk track which spread like wild fire and scorched the Hip- hop dance scene. These groups made use of electronic sounds, synthesizer technology, innovative drum machines as well as samples from “Kraftwerk”. Its popularity and influence was so great that immediately music videos on Hip- hop made their presence felt by glorying urban neighborhoods. (Rose 1994, p. 192)4 Language in Hip- hop English slang is the language used in Hip- hop circles and is made up of arranging words set to a rhythmic pattern together with some music or instrumental accompaniment. This style of “rapping” had its roots in the griots (folk poets) who hailed from Western Africa and was used on a regular basis for toasting during festivals and other functions by the Jamaicans. The popular culture of Hip-hop became even more popular through the street parties that took place in the Bronx area in New York and very soon the style of language was made use of by the DJs in all the cultural projects. This style of language- delivery (rapping) served to make the atmosphere more lighthearted and enjoyable because it made the audience cheer and laugh while dancing. Some such popular rap numbers used frequently by DJs around the globe were as “The Sugar Hill Gang”, “Kurtis Blow”, “The Breaks” and “Rapper’s Delight”. (Nile Rodgers, 2008)5 Sociolinguists around the globe always showed great interest in the ever changing dialect of the Hip- hop genre and try to analyze this creative fluid. Scholar H. Samy Alim gives his valuable comments on the rhythmic syntax of the language, stating that ‘rapping’ is “the aesthetic placement of verbal rhymes over musical beats” and explains how they “devise innovative ways to slice the system with the syntax.” (Samy H. Alim, ed. 2001)6 According to Alim, the Hip- hop dialect could be used as a means of communication to help students shed their inhibition, especially during cultural programs, because language is not static but functional. The distinctiveness of the Hip – hop language stems from the innovative vocabulary used by the African Americans. It makes it unique when such speech is set to rhythmic patterns of music. A good example of such expression is the ghetto music where people expressed their pain and suffering experienced in the ghetto. Hip- hop and Social Awareness The Hip-hop style of language- delivery was also made use of, for calling attention to the social or political problems in their city or neighborhood. This media created an awareness and consciousness of these problems and encouraged people to find solutions for the problem or issue at hand. During the later 1970’s, the Billboard magazine had produced an article about the local phenomenon titled ‘B Beats bombarding Bronx,’ making the mention of Kool Herc as an influential figure. (Forman M; Neal M, 2004, Pg. 2)7 In 1982, “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five which was an original Hip- pop song was released by Sugar Hill Records, which made use of Hip-hop language (slang) to emphasize different social statements and create awareness among the public of some of the prevailing problems in the society. The song brings out all the frustrations and sufferings of the people in the ghetto, in simple language and had a slow paced rhythm and beat that lent a uniqueness to the song which goes like this – “Broken glass everywhere, people pissin’ on the stairs, you know they just don’t care.” Puff Daddy, and other artists like Ice Cube, Andre Nickatina, Check Yo Self, Snoop Dogg, and many others used the original song’s synthesizer riffs and other samples in their Rap songs to create a lot of social awareness on different communal issues and problems faced by the people. Influence of Hip- hop on society Most people are of the opinion that the Hip – hop culture has influenced and exploited the youth extensively by encouraging them to have a sexist attitude and to use profane or foul language. Degrading language and clothing became part and parcel of the youth who got carried away by the popular trend of the Hip – hop culture. Women became a direct target and were greatly exploited through music videos showcasing scantily dressed women who used foul language which came in for a lot of criticism from the people in the society. Chairperson of the National Congress, E. Faye Williams, commenting on the behavior of black women stated that "We have allowed greedy corporate executives — especially those in the entertainment industry — to lead many of our young people to believe that it is OK to entertain themselves by destroying the culture of our people," (David Banner News, 2007)8 Hip-hop is a male dominated culture where women are looked upon as sex objects and gold diggers. They are exploited in every sense to boost the male ego by creating a larger than life picture of the men they work for. African-American females are used as props in the show and are not given any prominence at all. In fact they’re made to be a laughingstock by the men and abused for being a hindrance to the male success. These women suffer greatly both physically and psychologically because their feelings and emotions are never given any priority at all. From a social standpoint, every person is responsible for things that take place in the environment. The existing trend in Hip – hop holds great sway over the youth and they believe that using curse words and foul misogynist kind of language is the most natural thing and is not wrong what-so-ever. This cult is popularized still further by all the channels who clamor for a piece of the cake. The language, style of dressing and lifestyles automatically become second nature to all the people who follow it. On the other hand, Hip-hop was instrumental in reducing gang violence that was rampant in the inner city, by encouraging the youth and getting them to replace it with dance, music and other activities to help them give expression to the thoughts, ideas, feelings and emotions. (Chang, 2007, p. 61) "Instead of getting into trouble on the streets, teens now had a place to expend their pent-up energy." (Chang, 2007, p. 62) In fact, "Hip-hop saved a lot of lives." (Chang, 2007, p. 62) Hip – hop Artists The popularity of the Hip – hop culture cannot be denied and neither the artists behind them. According to rap artists “one has to come from the streets, or understand the urban black street tradition, in order to properly interpret and perform rap music,” according to one ethnomusicologist (Keyes 1991)9. The music made by Gangsta rappers are filled with violence and foul language that has a great influence on the teenagers in society who like to ape them. However, rap artists from groups like Hip – Hop 4 Peace’ and artists like ‘The Roots’, Mos Def and De La Soul do not encourage violence at all. Many of the Hip- hop artists like Queen Latifah, Cool J, Y- Clef and Puff Daddy engage themselves in charity and other community activities. The language they use is clean and is used to create peace, harmony and justice and bring about a social change for the better. Hip – hop was essentially from the culture of Black Americans, but gradually the Asians and Whites have followed in their footsteps. Eminem is a good example of a White Hip – hop icon who made it to the top on this music scene. Nowadays, people from various cultural and religious backgrounds are attracted towards Hip-hop because it has come to revolutionize the music and entertainment industry much beyond the cultural and political barriers that stand in its way. Conclusion Hip-hop has gradually shifted from a niche group to become a global phenomenon both nationally and internationally in the field of music and entertainment. It has revolutionized the way we speak, and dress, our lifestyles and our way of thinking. Hip-hop has a global appeal which Richardson Elaine10 (2006) describes it to be “global ambassador of the English language and American culture” because of its global appeal and wide reach across nations whose language is not English. Hip-hop is a way of life especially in the African culture, but nowadays it has reached across nations crossing all boundaries and spreading globally to all the corners of the world. It has also served to cast its spell on the world of sport that boosts the images of stars in the Basketball and Athletic arenas. As it travels far and wide, the Hip - hop culture borrows extensively from the vocabulary of other nations and grows from strength to strength. In conclusion, it could be said that its influence over music and music lovers cannot be denied because of its appeal and acceptance all over the world. References Alim, H. Samy, ed. 2001a. Hip Hop Culture: Language, Literature, Literacy and the Lives of Black Youth. Special issue of The Black Arts Quarterly.  Committee on Black Performing Arts: Stanford University. Castillo-Garstow, Melissa (2008-03-01) Latinos in Hip- hop to reggaeton. Latin Beat Magazine. (Retrieved on 28/ 7/ 2008. Chang Jeff, DJ Kool Herc (2005). Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Macmillan Chang, Jeff (November-December 2007), "It's a Hip-hop World, Foreign Policy, (163): 58-65, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3994 David Banner News www.new.music.yahoo.com/.../congress-examines-hip-hop-language--48895752 Do You Speak American? (Keyes, 1991) www.pbs.org/speak/words/sezwho/hiphop/reprint Forman M; Neal M “That’s the joint! The Hip-hop studies reader”, Routledge, 2004. p.2 Lee Jennifer, 2008, Tenants May Buy Birthplace of Hip- hop. The New York Times. (Retrieved on 10/3/ 2009) Nile Rodgers, (2008) The Story of Rapper’s Delight. Rap Project.tv. (Retrieved on 12/ 10/ 2008. Richardson Elaine (2006) Hip – hop Literacies, Routledge, New York, London. Rosen Jody (2006) A Rolling Shout – out- to- the –Hip – Hop History, The New York times, Pg. 32. (Retrieved on 10- 3- 2009) Stover, A. Shahid (2009). Hip Hop Intellectual Resistance. Xlibris. Read More

” (Lee Jennifer, 2008) The great contribution of the legendary Kool Herc was brought about by making use of the boasting and toasting traditions of Jamaica in addition to rhythmic music from different genres such as Funk, Hard Rock and Latin percussion records. This sort of communication began when announcements and cheering for the dancers were done in a rhythmic and well syncopated pattern which we call “rapping” today. The dancers were called break boys and break girls which meant “getting excited” and acting energetically”.

(Kool Herc, 2002) or ‘B- boys and B- girls’ (Schloss, Joseph3 (2009) During the 1980’s the Hip- hop culture was further deeply established when the Soulsonic Force and Afrika Bambaataa had released “Planet Rock” an electro- funk track which spread like wild fire and scorched the Hip- hop dance scene. These groups made use of electronic sounds, synthesizer technology, innovative drum machines as well as samples from “Kraftwerk”. Its popularity and influence was so great that immediately music videos on Hip- hop made their presence felt by glorying urban neighborhoods.

(Rose 1994, p. 192)4 Language in Hip- hop English slang is the language used in Hip- hop circles and is made up of arranging words set to a rhythmic pattern together with some music or instrumental accompaniment. This style of “rapping” had its roots in the griots (folk poets) who hailed from Western Africa and was used on a regular basis for toasting during festivals and other functions by the Jamaicans. The popular culture of Hip-hop became even more popular through the street parties that took place in the Bronx area in New York and very soon the style of language was made use of by the DJs in all the cultural projects.

This style of language- delivery (rapping) served to make the atmosphere more lighthearted and enjoyable because it made the audience cheer and laugh while dancing. Some such popular rap numbers used frequently by DJs around the globe were as “The Sugar Hill Gang”, “Kurtis Blow”, “The Breaks” and “Rapper’s Delight”. (Nile Rodgers, 2008)5 Sociolinguists around the globe always showed great interest in the ever changing dialect of the Hip- hop genre and try to analyze this creative fluid.

Scholar H. Samy Alim gives his valuable comments on the rhythmic syntax of the language, stating that ‘rapping’ is “the aesthetic placement of verbal rhymes over musical beats” and explains how they “devise innovative ways to slice the system with the syntax.” (Samy H. Alim, ed. 2001)6 According to Alim, the Hip- hop dialect could be used as a means of communication to help students shed their inhibition, especially during cultural programs, because language is not static but functional.

The distinctiveness of the Hip – hop language stems from the innovative vocabulary used by the African Americans. It makes it unique when such speech is set to rhythmic patterns of music. A good example of such expression is the ghetto music where people expressed their pain and suffering experienced in the ghetto. Hip- hop and Social Awareness The Hip-hop style of language- delivery was also made use of, for calling attention to the social or political problems in their city or neighborhood.

This media created an awareness and consciousness of these problems and encouraged people to find solutions for the problem or issue at hand. During the later 1970’s, the Billboard magazine had produced an article about the local phenomenon titled ‘B Beats bombarding Bronx,’ making the mention of Kool Herc as an influential figure. (Forman M; Neal M, 2004, Pg. 2)7 In 1982, “The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five which was an original Hip- pop song was released by Sugar Hill Records, which made use of Hip-hop language (slang) to emphasize different social statements and create awareness among the public of some of the prevailing problems in the society.

The song brings out all the frustrations and sufferings of the people in the ghetto, in simple language and had a slow paced rhythm and beat that lent a uniqueness to the song which goes like this – “Broken glass everywhere, people pissin’ on the stairs, you know they just don’t care.

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