Origins and Influence of Hip Hop - Research Paper Example

The Origins and Influence of Hip Hop Topic Analysis Where and how did Hip Hop originate and what influence has it had on contemporary America? Dyson, Michael E. Know What I Mean: Reflections on Hip-Hop. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2011. Print. Michael Dyson is an academic, radio host, and author, as well as a professor of sociology at the University of Georgetown. His book’s main theme is the controversial nature of Hip Hop music since it was firmly entrenched in the mainstream of US music, concluding that Hip Hop’s controversial nature is its most appealing factor. He argues that the degraded youth express themselves creatively through Hip Hop music. The author’s claim that Hip Hop originated from the neglected and crack-infested inner cities of NY and, thus, cannot be expected to live up to the standards of Middle Class America, will form a critical part of my argument on the origins and influence of Hip Hop. Dimitriadis, Greg. Performing Identity/performing Culture: Hip Hop As Text, Pedagogy, and Lived Practice. New York: P. Lang, 2009. Print. Professor Greg Dimitriadis is an associate professor at SUNY with interests in popular culture and urban education. He critically reflects on Hip Hop’s contemporary currents and the economic, social, and cultural shifts that have influenced and been influenced by commercial Hip Hop. He concludes that these shifts in contemporary currents have a profound influence on Hip Hop fans and adherents. Using Hip Hop historical works to argue that youth fashion their notions of community on Hip Hop ideals, he argues that most urban youth have formed their notions on what America is through the depictions of Hip Hop artists from different regions. This argument will support my claims regarding the influences that Hip Hop has had on young people. Annotated Bibliography Where and how did Hip Hop originate and what influence has it had on contemporary America? Light, Alan. The Vibe History of Hip Hop, New York: Three Rivers Press, 2009. Print. Alan Light is an American journalist and has been editor for VIBE, Spin, and Rolling Stones magazines. His core focus in this text is the origins of Hip Hop and the grassroots cultural movement from its Bronx origins to its international commercial explosion. The author concludes that Hip Hop arose from aspirations of people who had little in terms of economic and social emancipation. Using vivid reviews by over 50 music and cultural critics, he argues that Hip Hop used the resources that were available to its originators, including microphones, turn tables, old records, and aspirations of success. This argument will support my research into the origins of the Hip Hop art form. Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011. Print. Jeff Chang is a journalist and Hip Hop critic with a range of awards for his chronicling of the early rap music scene. He focuses on the effect of youth rebellion on Hip Hop’s origin, concluding that, from its initial origins as an art form, for youth without societal support, Hip Hop has transformed American culture and politics. Based on interviews with early Hip Hop artists, the main argument proposed by the author is that Hip Hop acted as an outlet for young black youth to be heard by the society. This claim is relevant to my take on how and why Hip Hop went from music of the oppressed to the most profitable genre in America today. Brown, Adrienne. "Drive Slow: Rehearing Hip Hop Automotivity." Journal of Popular Music Studies 24.3 (2012): 265–275. Adrienne brown is an assistant professor of English literature and language, specializing in African American and American effects on cultural production in the 20th and 21st century. Her central focus here is the materialistic culture in Hip Hop and its influence on American youth, concluding that, rather than the artists, it is this materialistic culture, which speaks to the audience. The main argument is that, in Hip Hop, materialistic objects like cars are ecologically damaging, vulgarly capitalistic, and stand for deviant sexuality. This will support my arguments on the negative influences of Hip Hop on American youth, helping to put Hip Hop materialism in the context of complex cultural multiplicities. Ward, Leslie J. "Exploring The Distinct Hip-Hop Culture Of Urban Students." GEMS (Gender, Education, Music, and Society) 6.3 (2013): 16-27. Dr. Leslie Ward is a popular culture critic working on the identification of urban cultural competence and education of students growing up in the Hip Hop culture. The article’s central focus is the view of Hip Hop as deviant and deficient, rather than being appreciated as a formal culture, concluding that urban teachers must recognize Hip Hop as a positive in teaching youth about universal sensibilities. The author’s main argument is the need to accept and respect the culture and how it influences young urban students positively, contending that Hip Hop confers competencies and skills that are important to survive in today’s urban culture. This will support my argument for the positive influences of Hip Hop. Ross, Jasmine N. and Nicole M. Coleman. "Gold Digger or Video Girl: the salience of an emerging hip-hop sexual script." Culture, Health & Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care 13.2 (2011): 157-171. The authors are assistant professors of counseling psychology, dealing in how popular culture affects urban students psychologically. The article’s central focus is discussing the common discourse of negative influences of Hip Hop on sexuality and gender relations, concluding that Hip Hop objectifies women through video girls meant to project women as sexual objects and conquests for Hip Hop artists. The main argument is that the use of video girls in Hip Hop has led to the view of women as gold diggers with Hip Hop video scripts meant to support this view. This will support my arguments on the negative influences that Hip Hop has and the role of the media in projecting this image. Callahan, Sean and Tarek C. Grantham. "“Deeper Than Rap”: Gifted Males and Their Relationship With Hip Hop Culture." Gifted Child Today 35.3 (2012): 197-207 Dr. Tarek Grantham is an associate professor in educational psychology. The central argument of the article is that Hip Hop has a positive impact on gifted minority students, concluding that Hip Hop enables young students to view the success stories of disadvantaged Hip Hop artists like Eminem and get encouragement from their lives. The main argument used by the authors is that the origins of Hip Hop and its success stories, while allowing for a lot of negativity surrounding the lives of Hip Hop artists, also acts as a driving force for disadvantaged, but gifted students. This will act as a supporting text for my discussions on Hip Hop’s positive influences in society. Research Based Argument Introduction For the entire period of recorded history, music has had a crucial role to play, especially in the social and cultural identity of various societies (Dimitriadis 32). Many genres, styles, and types of music exist around the world, and this variety has been the major sustaining factor for music over the centuries. One of music’s most recent genres is Hip Hop and its current influence on contemporary American and world culture is undeniable. Although it began in the early 70s as an underground movement, Hip Hop has evolved to take a prominent role in mainstream music, influencing listeners and non-listeners alike (Dyson 18). However, since the beginning of Hip Hop as a recognized sub-genre in music, debate has raged on about its negative and positive influences on the lives of Americans and contemporary culture. While Hip Hop is a form of expression for Americans living in lower social classes, it is also guilty of self-parody, which results in promotion of sexual objectification and violence. This paper will first discuss the origins of Hip Hop, put the culture into context, and allow for a critical discussion of how it influences contemporary American culture. Hip Hop’s Origins Hip Hop is believed to have originated for the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 70s. Starting as a way for disadvantaged youth to communicate cultural, political, social, and economic realities, the new art-form focused on and was addressed to young Hispanic and African-American youth who had a myriad of problems but no voice (Light 41). One of the earliest recognized pioneers of this new art-form was DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican born DJ, who moved to NYC as a teenager. DJ Kool Herc incorporated various characteristics of Jamaican music into his shows, such as the use of reggae beats, as well as the culture of “toasting”, which involved promoting his DJ skills, other parties, and problems facing the locals. This eventually gave way to rapping personal messages to audiences. The next fundamental Hip Hop innovator was Grandmaster Flash, who innovated the use of turntables to mix and cut records (Light 46). The break beat technique, for example, involved matching various breaks in soul music samples and mixing them together. Using two copies of the same LP, he would mix these break beats to form one endless loop. This innovation was the most crucial in the evolution of Hip Hop as more DJs used records of all genres to create loops, which gave Hip Hop its authentic feel and new sound. Hip Hop appealed to a large demographic of inner city youth because of its ability to incorporate all genres of music into its sound (Light 50). However, the genre was still an underground novelty, which changed when Sugar Hill Gang released Rapper’s Delight, the first recorded Hip Hop song. Finally, Hip Hop could be played on radio stations, which spread its reach beyond the inner cities of New York City. Hip soon created a whole new sub-culture in New York with incorporation of break dancing, disk jockeying, graffiti, and the MC, who took over the DJ’s role of “toasting” (Light 50). Despite these different elements, Hip Hop managed to grow as one culture and finally got validation after the release of Grandmaster Flash’s the Message that incorporated all these elements in song and music video, while also raising awareness about the problems faced by inner city youth. The Message by Grandmaster Flash awakened record companies to the commercial viability of Hip Hop (Chang 45) and, in 1984; Universal Music Group funded a young student entrepreneur named Russell Simmons to start Def Jam Recordings, which soon released platinum records from the likes of Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and the Beastie Boys. After Run-DMC had become the first Hip Hop artists to be played on MTV, it was clear that Hip Hop was a bankable genre. However, Hip Hop was still mostly an African American genre and was rarely played on mainstream radio. This changed dramatically when Hip Hop crossed over to the West Coast with N.W.A releasing the seminal Straight Outta Compton in 1989, which described the lives of young black males living in the inner cities from a gangster perspective (Chang 45), giving Hip Hop a Hollywood touch. The huge crossover success of their album marked the final point in the acceptance of Hip Hop as a commercially viable genre. By the late 90s, Hip Hop music accounted for 40% of all records sold in the United States (Chang 47). Hip Hop’s Positive Influences Although Hip Hop has often been portrayed in a negative light, it is important to note the difference between rap music and Hip Hop. While Hip Hop music is a culture, rap music is only an element of culture, and some of its subgenres, including horror-core and gangster funk are solely responsible for its dark image. When Hip Hop first emerged from the streets of New York, it was a new form of expression for young inner city youth who spoke about the way they were treated by the government (Ward 19). This accessibility of Hip Hop to the grassroots of America and offering those at the grassroots a voice has led to its phenomenal growth, especially as it offered a way for African-Americans and Latinos who were involved in gang warfare to come together. Hip Hop music has enabled rappers to speak for the voiceless generation of the 80s and 90s who were profoundly impacted by the crack-cocaine epidemic. Many people could relate to what was being said, it influenced an entire generation to work on their writing skills and rhyme schemes. The graffiti, DJ, and MC sub-cultures that were a vital part of the culture inspired individuals from this generation to express themselves in other ways other than violence that characterized the 80s in the inner cities (Ward 21). In addition, Hip Hop music and culture, especially the sub-genres of conscious rap and gangster rap to some extent, have had profound influences on emancipation movements (Callahan & Grantham 203). Public Enemy and NWA in the late 80s are good examples with their conscious and political rap styles acting as soundtracks for protests in South Africa and Eastern Europe. While these protests were already in full swing, the continuous playing of Hip Hop music on popular radio aroused the youth to make a final push in the streets. In addition, the negativity that is so prevalent in Hip Hop, rather than being seen as a depraved influence on the youth, should be viewed as a reflection of society (Callahan & Grantham 203). While Hip Hop has been accused of promoting violence, criminal acts, and drug dealing, it should be viewed as a cry for help by a lost generation and the government should be influenced by Hip Hop music to address these problems (Callahan & Grantham 203). In addition, Hip Hop influences gifted but disadvantaged youth to make something of their lives. For example, artists like Jay Z, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Rick Ross, rather than being viewed as negative influences, are examples of what hard work can do for even the most disadvantaged of people. Using their gifts, they were able to become successful, and this encourages young people from the inner cities like them (Callahan & Grantham 203). Hip Hop’s Negative Influences Hip Hop, however, has also evolved to various sub-genres that have a negative influence on society. For example, the Gangster Funk era of the early 90s was responsible for institutionalizing misogyny, violence, sex, and homophobia in Hip Hop culture (Ross & Coleman 163). It is important to note that successful artists from this era, including Snoop Doggy Dogg, the Notorious BIG, and Tupac Shakur stand as the most successful artists of the genre. Taken literally, their lyrics promote black-on-black violence, date rape, and misogyny, which reaffirm themes that were already prevalent in society at the time. Hip Hop music has also generated a stereotype of the African-American male as a violent and sex-depraved individual. Females, on the other hand, are stereotyped as loose nymphomaniacs and whores with their appearances in music videos dressed skimpily with multiple women all ogling at the rapper (Ross & Coleman 165). Various genres of rap that have anti-social themes are more likely to maintain positive links to behaviors of deviance. Gangster rap in particular focuses on negative influences from the inner cities, which involve the glorification of violence and degrading of women. Those artists who do not have genuine links to gang life on the streets are forced to create characters for themselves (Brown 268), which ends up convincing some youth that, in order to be successful, it is imperative to have a gangster background. Finally, the popularity of the music video in an increasingly digital age has reinforced the belief that women need to use their bodies in order to get what they want (Brown 269). It is not uncommon for a music video to show scantily dressed women trying to catch the attention of rich and successful rappers. This ends up creating an image that women need to use their bodies to be successful. Works Cited Brown, Adrienne. "Drive Slow: Rehearing Hip Hop Automotivity." Journal of Popular Music Studies 24.3 (2012): 265–275. Print. Callahan, Sean. & Grantham, Tarek. C. "“Deeper Than Rap”: Gifted Males and Their Relationship With Hip Hop Culture." Gifted Child Today 35.3 (2012): 197-207. Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2011. Print. Dimitriadis, Greg. Performing Identity/performing Culture: Hip Hop As Text, Pedagogy, and Lived Practice. New York: P. Lang, 2009. Print. Dyson, Michael. E. Know What I Mean?: Reflections on Hip-Hop. New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2011. Print. Light, Alan. The Vibe History of Hip Hop, New York: Three Rivers Press, 2009. Print. Ross, Jasmine. N. & Coleman, Nicole. M. "Gold Digger or Video Girl: the salience of an emerging hip-hop sexual script." Culture, Health & Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care 13.2 (2011): 157-171. Print. Ward, Leslie. J. "Exploring The Distinct Hip-Hop Culture Of Urban Students." GEMS (Gender, Education, Music, and Society) 6.3 (2013): 16-27. Print. Read More