Hip Hop as a Cultural Movement
Anson Wong
WRI 1200
Prof. Patrice Wilson
May 14, 2010
Hip-hop as a Cultural Movement What first comes to mind nowadays when you hear the word ‘hip-hop’? Most people think of a gangster embellished in large diamonds, sporting baggy clothes, huge cars, all with a general disregard for the welfare of humanity. It wasn’t always like this: hip-hop was originally born as a recreational activity, used as an outlet to cope with poverty. The notion of hip-hop has clearly changed in a big way since the advent of hip-hop culture back in the 1970s. Contrary to popular belief, hip-hop is truly a deep-rooted culture that has used rap music as its medium to appeal to its audiences. But time and time again, people have generally disregarded hip-hop as a cultural movement due to the violent themes and shock value contained within hip-hop’s rap music. Author William Perkins explains that in retrospect, no one has really taken the initiative to examine hip-hop’s intricacies, namely the roles it has played within cultures all around the world (vii). Not only that, but general criticism of rap only targets the surface of the culture; there is much more to a culture than just its music. Nevertheless, the reasons for its worldwide appeal go much deeper than the profanity and clothing styles that people see on the surface. Hip-hop is the cornerstone of self-expression, and it is also a culture that emphasizes racial, class, and gender value within a society. In this sense, hip-hop can be considered to be a genuine cultural movement despite the controversy because of its emphasis on self-expression and appeal to youth culture. A cultural movement is roughly defined as ‘a group of people working together to advance certain goals’. But before we can fully understand what hip-hop culture is, we need to understand its history. In his article, writer Peter Katel traces the development of rap quite well. Created in the Bronx, hip-hop had began to make itself known in 1967, when
WRI 1200
Prof. Patrice Wilson
May 14, 2010
Hip-hop as a Cultural Movement What first comes to mind nowadays when you hear the word ‘hip-hop’? Most people think of a gangster embellished in large diamonds, sporting baggy clothes, huge cars, all with a general disregard for the welfare of humanity. It wasn’t always like this: hip-hop was originally born as a recreational activity, used as an outlet to cope with poverty. The notion of hip-hop has clearly changed in a big way since the advent of hip-hop culture back in the 1970s. Contrary to popular belief, hip-hop is truly a deep-rooted culture that has used rap music as its medium to appeal to its audiences. But time and time again, people have generally disregarded hip-hop as a cultural movement due to the violent themes and shock value contained within hip-hop’s rap music. Author William Perkins explains that in retrospect, no one has really taken the initiative to examine hip-hop’s intricacies, namely the roles it has played within cultures all around the world (vii). Not only that, but general criticism of rap only targets the surface of the culture; there is much more to a culture than just its music. Nevertheless, the reasons for its worldwide appeal go much deeper than the profanity and clothing styles that people see on the surface. Hip-hop is the cornerstone of self-expression, and it is also a culture that emphasizes racial, class, and gender value within a society. In this sense, hip-hop can be considered to be a genuine cultural movement despite the controversy because of its emphasis on self-expression and appeal to youth culture. A cultural movement is roughly defined as ‘a group of people working together to advance certain goals’. But before we can fully understand what hip-hop culture is, we need to understand its history. In his article, writer Peter Katel traces the development of rap quite well. Created in the Bronx, hip-hop had began to make itself known in 1967, when
Cited: Boyd, Todd. New H. N. I. C. : The Death of Civil Rights and the Reign of Hip Hop. New York, NY: NYU Press, 2003. ebrary. Web. 18 Feb 2010. Chang, Jeff. “Can 't Stop Won 't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation.” St. Martin 's Press, 2005 Katel, Peter. “Debating Hip-Hop.” CQ Researcher 17.23 (2007): 529-552. Web. 31 Mar. Perkins, William. “Droppin ' Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture.” Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996 Rose, Tricia. “Hip-Hop Wars: What We Talk about When We Talk about Hip-Hop – and Why It Matters.” Basic Books, 2008