Hip hop is a culture and an evolving form of expression spawned in the 70s out of African American oral tradition. The American Heritage Dictionary says that hip hop is "1. A popular urban youth culture closely associated with rap music and with the style and fashions of African-American inner-city residents. 2. Rap music." However, this is an unsatisfactory definition that does little justice to the culture of hip hop and it contributes to the general public's lack of understanding and misconceptions about hip hop and its" elements.
One of the few things that this definition correctly identifies is the fact that hip hop is a culture. It is not merely rap music. Hip hop is not a genre and should not be classified as such. Although rap music is one of the elements of hip hop, the term hip hop should not be used interchangeably with rap music. Back in the years of its" origin, hip hop was not thought of as merely rap music. The elements of hip hop included graffiti art, break dancing, dj"ing and mc"ing (rapping).
It is true that hip hop had its" origins in the urban Bronx, but hip hop is changing. It no longer can be classified as a popular urban youth culture. Not all hip hop is popular. In fact many forms of hip hop that closer resemble the culture of its" origins are underground, and not what one sees on MTV or BET. Hip hop is no longer limited to the urban segment of society or to one particular race. Many different types of people now enjoy hip hop.
As any art form, hip hop has been and will continue to evolve. In its" early days, hip hop told a story and had a message and reaction relative to the social climate of the times. Hip hop was a way for inner city youth to channel their anger and aggressions into a positive art form. Kurtis Blow rapped about the breaks and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five delivered a message. And people were listening. Unfortunately hip hop has been commercialized into a package that is seen in mainstream outlets, often with little value, and has become misrepresentation of the art form that it truly is.
If it was true that hip-hop had political power our society would be much different than it is now. Hip-Hop is not just a genre of music, hip-hop is a culture. ... This isn't true at all. In actuality many of the true "gangstas" are the more prolific members of the Hip-Hop community. ... However, that isn't the true definition. ...
Even to this day, the world of hip-hop is evolving. ... However, above all these recognitions, is the fact that Hollywood was the first DJ to create true rap lyrics. ... Moreover, "Rapper's Delight" was an important step in the world of rap by creating the term "hip-hop": "I said a hip hop The hippie, the hippie to the hip hip hop And you don't stop the rock it to the Bang bang boogie - say you jumped The boogie to the rhythm of the boogie The beat." ... The hybrid between hip-hop and rock was a success, reaching the top ten. ... However, the mark they left on the world o...
Hip-Hop First of all not many rap artists and fans out there know what the true meaning of Hip-Hop is. ... Emcees aren't true hip-hop artists if they don't know the true meaning of hip-hop. ... Again they rhyme about meaningful things and keep the hip-hop culture true. They spread love to all the elements of Hip-Hop, which make them true hip-hop artists. ... If you know who they are, you know what true hip-hop is. ...
"Is gangster rap what truly defines hip-hop?" ... Hip-hop is more than just music; it is a culture. ... Not true! ... Gangster rap is giving hip-hop a bad name. ... The true intention of the hip-hop culture was to unite people. ...
What Is Hip Hop? ... But what is hip hop? ... It is true that hip hop is all of these things, but it is not limited to them. ... The controversial issue is whether or not modern hip hop should be called true hip hop. ... But this is not hip hop, they argue because hip hop has a certain type of beat and therefore, all rap is not hip hop. ...
Some examples of white involvement in Hip-hop include those who support the music, those who are critical of the culture, and those who participate in the further development of Hip-hop. The continuous increase of white involvement in Hip-hop resulted in the emergence of popular white Hip-hop icons. ... The ways in which whites appropriate Hip-hop can be seen through the stereotypical idea of mainstream Hip-hop culture as "black rage" (Wright, 2004). ... The documentary shows white girls from a Midwestern white community involved in Hip-hop dancing while wearing baggy clothes, banda...
What do people think of when they hear the word hip-hop? ... It was then when Hip-hop was born. ... B-boys were the beginning of the hip-hop movement. ... Today hip-hop is a money making machine. ... There is some true and original hip-hop around today but it is rare and today most songs are about drugs, violence, and mistreating women. ...
The most visible element of hip-hop, the most commercially viable, is the art of rap, one enjoyed and performed by both men and women alike. ... Hip-hop was born as a cultural revolution, as a successor of the civil rights movement. ... Although hip-hop is a male-dominated industry, women play an integral part in hip-hop's image, and as a consequence, pronouncing the sexism that has become so popular within the genre. ... The culture defines the word hip-hop as "intelligent movement", "hip" coming from the word "hippie" which signifies to "open your eye...
The so called "Hip Hop" culture is a self expanding one. ... Not always the giant it is today, Hip Hop's humble beginnings took place in the late-seventies with individuals who are now considered the true pioneers, the people who did it for the love of the music even though it was illegal. ... Therefore Hip Hop as a definition can only be described as a culture. Hip Hop expands because the people that compose it expand; for this reason Hip Hop can never die. Even Hip Hop as a whole can be equally divided into separately standing sub-cultures. ...