The Importance of Hip Hop

What is hip hop, and why should it matter to anyone even remotely interested in popular culture?

Hip hop is a culture that arose in the Bronx in the 1970s. The most striking and significant characteristic of hip hop culture is that it is entirely based in art. The art forms that initially comprised hip hop culture were rap (rhythmic vocal delivery of lyrics over a beat or instrumental), graffiti (uncontracted art on public property), DJ’ing (mixing two records together in real time), and breakdancing (an intense dance style fostered by the rise of DJ’ing).

While this may seem like a rag-tag mix of expressive forms, it all evolved and became unified from a movement started by the Father of Hip Hop, DJ Kool Herc. Herc was a Jamaican immigrant who wanted to bring the DJ’ing and toasting styles of Jamaica to the U.S. He experimented at neighborhood parties, adapting the Jamaican styles for American music. Herc’s most important innovation, and arguably the one that spawned hip hop, was his technique of playing two of the same record at once while DJ’ing in order to extend the instrumental “break”. This allowed break-dancers to do more lengthy and complex routines, and opened the door to an entirely new form of music, where existing records were turned into new creations. While mixing techniques are very different now than they were in the 70s, the practice of utilizing existing music in original composition is still common.

Herc turned Jamaican toasting into rapping, and another element was born. Many emulated Herc, such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, who pioneered party hip hop. Then came the advent of commercial hip hop music with the first hip hop single, “Rapper’s Delight”, by the SugarHill Gang. Hip hop quickly spread around the country, and its audience expanded beyond urban Blacks and Latinos. Throughout the 80s, 90s, and 00s, hip hop weathered attacks by the government and the media over its subject matter and influence on youth, but hip hop music continued to be a powerful form of popular music in America, eclipsing formerly dominant genres such as rock and country. It even spread to other countries.

Today, hip hop culture is too diverse and eclectic to be confined to four elements as it was in the past, and it permeates our society. Culturally and politically charged films such as Selma and Chi-raq are set to hip hop music. Poetry has changed to closely resemble rap in spoken word. Fashion has changed to reflect hip hop ideologies and symbology. The President of the United States claims a hip hop song as his favorite of the year. What started as a passionate, creative pastime in the Bronx has grown to a ubiquitous cultural movement. While hip hop has its vices, its foundation in art and creation will always keep it relevant so long as it can evolve. Whether or not you enjoy hip hop, it is crucial to take it seriously and understand the complex effects it has on the U.S. and the world. If you ignore hip hop, I’m afraid to say you’re just not hip.

Sources:

1The Hip Hop Years (1999)

2The Real Hiphop: Battling for Knowledge, Power, and Respect in the LA Underground by Marcyliena Morgan

3“Obama Names Kendrick Lamar Song As His Favorite Of 2015, Becomes Coolest President Ever” by Matt Ferner, Huffington Post

Photo Source: http://www.multihop.tv/happy-60th-birthday-dj-kool-herc-clive-campbell-a-true-pioneer-in-hip-hop-culture-check-out-bio/