Hip-Hop
When you hear the phrase “hip-hop” what comes to mind? Baggy jeans, gangster rap, flashy jewelry, or a menacing noise that the new generation of punk kids call music? These are a few stereotypes which people have been led to believe define Hip-hop. In reality Hip-hop is none of these. Those are just a few examples of some of the “excess baggage” that has attached itself to the culture. Hip-hop is a culture which spawned from the streets of New York in the early 80’s (George 16). Gangs were a large problem at the time, and pressured kids with a negative influence. Hip-hop helped these adolescents to better themselves and stay out of trouble. These Poverty stricken kids were trying to find a way out of their financial situation through special talents, and hopefully catch a bit of “ghetto fame” in the process. These talents which are affiliated with the culture later became known as the elements of Hip-hop(Livernoche 2-9). What is the hip-hop culture really all about? There are four main elements: The MC (rapping), The Deejay (mixing records), The B-boy (breakdancing), and Graffiti (aerosol art)(Shapiro 4). Back when the Hip-hop movement first started these kids were ignored by the public as a spawning culture. All . . .
Many of today’s true hip-hoppers feel that a lot of these rappers are losing touch with the basics and need to put some of the other elements in their videos (Rose Price 17). The form of singing which appeared on top of these beats was rapping. Crazy colors, outlines, fades, and fills have been discovered. These people are a strange barrel of monkeys. Sometimes money is at stake in these events. Because of this and other misunderstandings the Hip-hop culture has received a bad reputation. Working with this equipment is very complicated and painstaking. Popping is when a dancer does wave like, robot like, or vibrating movements. Today the MC is the most popular of all the Hip-hop elements. People do not recognize the difference between an MC and a rapper (they both rap, but for different reasons and on different subjects). Battling is a very important aspect of Breaking. Graffiti has been taken to walls and buses as well. ) Style or down rock, is when the hands and feet are on the floor weaving in and out of each other. B-boys are here to stay (George 82-94).
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