Hip Hop Reflection

Rap music, also known as hip-hop, is a popular art form. Having risen from humble origins on the streets of New York City during the mid-1970s, hip-hop has since become a multifaceted cultural force. Indeed, observers say, hip-hop is more than just music. The culture that has blossomed around rap music in recent decades has influenced fashion, dance, television, film and—perhaps what has become the most controversially—the attitudes of American youth. For many rappers and rap fans during it’s early time, hip-hop provided an accurate, honest depiction of city life that had been considered conspicuously absent from other media sources, such as television. With a growing number of rap artists within this period, using hip-hop as a platform to call for social progress and impart positive messages to listeners, the genre entered a so-called Golden Age

Despite hip hops popularity in our culture during the 1980’s many people disagreed with its messages and how it portrayed black youths. Many artist struggled with being good role models for African American youths. Money and fame got the best of most artists but the popularity of gangster life portrayed in hip hop was frowned upon. There was no turning back though for their talents won over American society and a new era was beginning. African Americans made music history and film history fighting against racial stereo types and set an example for younger

When rap was created people said that it was a new form of art in the 1950’s. “Rap was categorized as a cultural revolution. ”(Richardson para.2). As some of it is bad some people say i can teach you about society.

In your essay, “Hip Hop Planet” you discuss the roots of hip hop and how it impacts our world. I recognize your personal experiences and the challenges you faced within the genre may have driven you to write this piece. It was stated that hip hop is a great influence in our world. In another instance, you explain the message hip hop is sending and how we must to appreciate it. The motivation for this essay seems to be to educate people who don’t understand or respect hip hop’s role in our society and how it is drawing awareness, like a moth to a flame, to poverty and racial issues that hip hop has helped eliminate.

Mr. McBride, you claim that “I missed the most cultural event in my lifetime” (paragraph #6). This is true as you did miss a very important, life changing event. With listening to hip hop, and understanding the meaning, you could have had a better social based life. You also claim that “hip hop remains an enigma, a clarion call, a cry of ‘I am’ from the youth of the world” (paragraph #8). This is also completely true because hip hop has become a very popular type of music, and spreads the message of the current world problems. When you say “The instruments change, but the message is the same” (paragraph #11), you claim that the style of music can change a little bit, but the message will be just as meaningful and powerful. I also think that although hip hop can have many different kinds of beat, rhythm, and sound to it, they will always share a real world problem that is powerful and meaningful. For example, a lot of the hip hop music are about racism, reminding us that racism still exists today, and that it is still a very big problem and controversy. Mr. McBride, you want the adults to get more involved with hip hop, and really understand it’s message as hip hop becomes a very influential, social part of our lives. Your article was incredibly powerful, and you have proved your opinions and thoughts, and influenced the readers using powerful examples and personal

Hip Hop has been a thread of music that is deeply rooted in the struggle within the black communities of America. It acted as a window for people outside of the black community to acknowledge and experience, to an extent, what endeavors those communities encounter. Although Hip Hop’s central purpose is to denote the subjugation that was implemented on the black community, Hip Hop began as a mere offshoot of 1970’s jazz, funk, and soul.

In this essay, I will be informing you, as the reader on the evolution of Hip-Hop/Rap. The key points will be where it is today, how this genre of music is not only used as music; but is used as communication to connect with the listeners, how it affects people; physically, mentally and psychologically. In other words, I will be addressing where it was created and how it is used to speak and communicate with the listeners.

In order to understand hip-hop dance, it is important to recognize hip-hop music and where it came from. Many scholars of rap music relate the founding of rap to African and African American oral and musical traditions, specifically African griots and storytellers. They link the rhythm of rap to the use of drums in Africa and to African American music in the United States, from slave songs and spirituals to jazz and R&B. Scholars have found very interesting connections between rap music and Black nationalist traditions (traditions historically practiced by black people that serve as part of their racial identity). Rap is similar to the “call and response of the black church, the joy and pain of the blues, the jive talk and slang of the hipsters and jazz musicians, the boasting of street talk, the sidesplitting humor of comedians, and the articulateness of black activists.” All of these African American oral traditions, including rap, can be traced back to West African oral traditions. In traditional African societies, the spoken word and oral culture included poetry, storytelling, and speaking to drumbeats. The links between rap music and African American oral and musical traditions demonstrate that hip-hop music represents more than just sound. It represents history. This aspect of it, in my opinion, makes this type of music very unique and makes it carry more value.

Hip hop cannot be understood by just examining how the artists might carry themselves or just their lyrics alone. The uniting of hip-hop in to society gave accommodations in an integrated generation of young Americans and it changed the racial dynamics in the United States. Even though you might not be born in the 70’s when hip hop was originated, it has become a part of our generation and has stuck around ever since. This paper is written with the intentions to prove how the evolution of hip-hop or rap music has ultimately made America

It has been 30 years since Hip-Hop was first “introduced” to the world. Whether it be fashion or politics, this musical genre/culture plays a huge role in everyday life and has generated billions of dollars across the globe. In this paper I will be discussing when, where, and how Hip-Hop was created, “old school Hip-Hop, “Hip-Hop’s Golden Age”, “Hardcore rap” “Gangsta rap”, “G-Funk”, 21st century Hip-Hop, and how Hip-Hop affects society.

In seventh grade, I stumbled my way upon the Detroit based rapper Eminem. I was at 150 listens on his track The Real Slim Shady before I knew it. I then found my way into Kanye West, which exploded my interest into the genre. I have listened to all of the considered essential hip hop “classic” and modern day albums. I noticed in these “classic” albums very distinct change in subject matter and style that each of the different areas of rappers on where they originate from. Some people believe that the hip-hop culture is at a decline with the lose of this uniqueness and individuality shown in each of these areas. I too even thought that the hip-hop culture was at a decline until I was researching my topic, but instead this individuality and uniqueness in the rapper’s different stories that they tell in their raps. The genre has expanded throughout the world and continued to evolve while sticking to these roots of individuality and uniqueness.

Hip Hop culture has come from a inner city expression of life to a multi-billion dollar business. At the beginning of the new millennium it was the top selling genre in the pop charts. It had influences not only on music, but on fashion, film, television, and print. In 2004 Hip Hop celebrated its 30th year anniversary. It wasn’t big for the fact that it was still kicking. It was big because the once Black/Brown inner city culture had grown into a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon (Reeves). Hip Hop culture has provided a platform for all walks of life to speak their mind. Over the past 36 years it has provided us with both entertainment and controversy alike and had a huge impact on our nation’s history. `

You’re standing in a crowd amongst thousands of fans at an Eminem concert, people from all over, shoulder to shoulder in a massive stadium, singing along every word of their favorite song for hours. People from all over are connected to each other through the power of music. When it comes to music, the life experiences, inspiration, and current events play a tremendously significant role. Hip hop is a form of art which can be expressed through rap songs, break-dancing, and graffiti art. The culture has become so popular that it has entered today’s fashion and modern language. Hip hop music is an extremely large part of today’s generation and a global genre, which influences the generation all over the world.

Hip- hop has become a phenomenon throughout youth culture. Many believed hip-hop was only a phase of music like disco, but as the genre continued to expand and evolve, it became clear that hip-hop was here to stay. (History of hip- hop: past, present, future) Hip- hop is made up of 2 main elements, DJing and rapping. DJ is short for disc jockey, which is a person who usually uses turntables to make music, and rapping is talking and chanting in an easy and familiar manner. (Hip-Hop: A Short History) In writing this research paper, I will explain the most impactful years of hip-hop, and the events surrounding them, starting from 1979, when Sugarhill Gang released “Rappers Delight”.

Thesis: Hip Hop is more than just a style of music, It’s a way of like that makes up an entire culture.