This essay is entitled “Hip Hop’s Diasporic Landscapes of Blackness”, written by Marc D. Perry. In this essay, Marc Perry examines several different aspects of hip hop. In the introduction, Perry briefly discusses the beginning of hip hop. He is able to offer personal perspective from childhood because growing up he was able to witness the evolution of hip hop first hand. Another point in particular that Perry focuses on is how hip hop has grown from an underground form of music to a international phenomenon. He also examines hip hop movements in various countries and discusses how they relate and contribute to the African Diaspora. Historians have traced the birth of hip hop to a birthday party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on August 11, 1973. …show more content…
He states that “The rise of brazilian hip hop offers a critical insightful illustration of how black diasporic identities are currently mobilized through the performative spectrum of hip hop culture”. The rise of hip hop in Brazil first began in the early 1980’s. This was mostly the result of the music and images of hip hop within the United States becoming popular and disseminating worldwide. Young afro-brazilian males called “favelados” (who were residents of Brazil’s urban shantytowns known as favelas) were the first in Brazil to utilize rap music as a means to voice their opinions and concerns and speak about persona real-world struggles and experiences. One the main topics that was rapped about was racism with the country. A prime example of this is the work of the highly popular, São Paulo based, hip hop group, Racionais MC’s (Rational MC’s). Perry says that “their lyrics focused on social themes most pressing in these marginalized communities, such as racism, racially targeted police violence, drug trafficking, and government corruption…”, conveying the fact they used their addressed problems that ordinary Brazilian citizens could relate to. Racionais MC’s on Brazil were not the only people to use rap to confront real-world issues. World-wide people use the hip hop culture as a form of expression and in some cases a form of
Watkins, S. Craig. 2005. Hip hop matters: politics, pop culture, and the struggle for the soul of a movement. Boston: Beacon Press.
Hip-hop culture has been a global phenomenon for more than twenty years. When introduced into the American culture, the black culture felt that hip-hop had originated from the African American community. The black community was being denied their cultural rights by the supremacy of the white people, but hip-hop gave the community the encouragement to show their black pride and televise the struggles they were facing in the world. The failure and declining of the movements, the influential, rebellious, and powerful music is what reshaped Black Nationalism, unity and to signify the struggle. The African Americans who suffered from social and political problems found that they similar relations to the political movements, which allowed the blacks to be able to voice their opinions and to acknowledge their culture openly.
When looking at the landscape of Hip-Hop among African Americans, from the spawn of gangsta rap in the mid 1980s to current day, masculinity and an idea of hardness is central to their image and performance. Stereotypical to Black masculinity, the idea of a strong Black male - one who keeps it real, and is defiant to the point of violence - is prevalent in the genre. This resistant, or even compensatory masculinity, encompasses: the hyper masculinity rife in the Western world, misogyny, and homophobia, all noticeable in their lyrics, which is in part a result of their containment within the Black community. The link of masculinity and rap music was established due to this containment, early innovators remaking public spaces in their segregated neighbourhoods. A notion of authentic masculinity arose from the resistant nature of the genre, but the move to the mainstream in the 90s created a contradiction to their very image - resistance. Ultimately, this in part led to the construction of the masculinity defined earlier, one that prides itself on its authenticity. I’ll be exploring how gender is constructed and performed in Hip Hop, beginning with a historical framework, with the caveat of showing that differing masculine identities in the genre, including artists
Genba reveal how hip-hop’s globalization is neither Westernization nor Japanization, nor the expression of some other such binary but, rather, a nuanced “circular interaction” of artists, fans, producers, and others who are engaged in diverse, shifting, and even contradictory reinterpretations. In his first chapter, Condry addresses the question of Japanese hip-hop’s authenticity by exploring race in hip-hop and criticisms that Japanese hip-hop is an inauthentic or unjustifiable appropriation of African American experience. He notes that while race is dealt with differently in U.S. and Japanese hip-hop, “in both countries ... hip-hop creates a space for questioning race and power by laying bare the constructedness of racial identity” (p. 46). Condry suggests that this, in turn, can lead to greater numbers of Japanese affiliating with people beyond their national boundaries. His second chapter discusses the historical development of Japan’s hip-hop scene and the competitive dynamic that has shaped this history. In a generative process he describes as “battling samurai,” this type of competition has driven a diversification and decentralization of the hip-hop scene. In his third chapter, Condry addresses the cultural influence of hip-hop performance and discusses the relationship between
George covers much familiar ground: how B-beats became hip hop; how technology changed popular music, which helped to create new technologies; how professional basketball was influenced by hip hop styles; how gangsta rap emerged out of the crack epidemic of the 1980s; how many elements of hip hop culture managed to celebrate, and/or condemn black-on-black violence; how that black-on-black violence was somewhat encouraged by white people scheming on black males to show their foolishness, which often created a huge mess; and finally, how hip hop used and continues to use its art to express black frustration and ambition to blacks while, at the same time, refering that frustration and ambition to millions of whites.
These articles depict the controversies of the hip hop industry and how that makes it difficult for one to succeed. Many of these complications and disputes may be invisible to the population, but these articles take the time to reveal them.
According to the book the series of creative responses to the suffering of black American are not so complex. Perry’s polemic is open for discussion because it is inevitably connected with selection and interpretation. For example the constant discussion of rascally, when doing break dance, outlaw gangstas misses during the earlier days of hip-hop, graffiti and also electric boogaloo developed a space for Afro-American recognition. It was perhaps more concerning about pure hedonism than knowingly discussing on the deadlock of race relations. Creating imagery for the genre was essential hence the need for the use of metaphor in hip-hop plays on the black slaves looking for freedom as well as the hip hop
Hip hop has permeated popular culture in an unprecedented fashion. Because of its crossover appeal, it is a great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hop's influence has become well received by a number of different races in this country. A large number of the rap and hip hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum. This art form was once considered a fad has kept going strong for more than three decades. Generations consisting of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, and Asians have grown up immersed in hip-hop. Hip hop represents a realignment of America?s cultural aesthetics. Rap songs deliver a message, again and again, to keep it real. It has influenced young people of all races to search for excitement, artistic fulfillment, and a sense of identity by exploring the black underclass (Foreman, 2002). Though it is music, many people do not realize that it is much more than that. Hip hop is a form of art and culture, style, and language, and extension of commerce, and for many, a natural means of living. The purpose of this paper is to examine hip hop and its effect on American culture. Different aspects of hip hop will also be examined to shed some light that helps readers to what hip hop actually is. In order to see hip hop as a cultural influence we need to take a look at its history.
Some weaknesses of James McBride’s “Hip Hop Planet” include its cynical tone and his attitude towards the musical side of Hip Hop. McBride opens the essay with a reflection on what his ultimate nightmare is. He showcases the Hip Hop community in a negative light with phrases like, “music that doesn’t seem to be music—rules the world” (McBride, pg. 1). This starts the essay off negatively because it misleads the reader by letting them think he is not a supporter of the Hip Hop movement. As you read the entire essay you realize this is not the case. The article itself isn’t very inviting because tone of the entire essay is very cold and cynical. He also doesn’t agree with the typical Hip Hop sound saying things like, “It sounded like a broken record” (McBride, pg. 1). The sound of Hip Hop music is what helps define it and is a crucial aspect of
The movie ‘From Mambo to Hip-Hop’ is a great documentary about a revolution in the entertainment industry. It talks of evolution on Salsa music and Hip-Hop culture in suburbs of New York. South Bronx is a ghetto neighbourhood. The people living in the area are challenged economically. There is a record of high cases of violence that exist in the streets due to high crime rate and drugs being traded as a means of survival (Gordon, 2005). Most of the people living in the area are descendants of African immigrants who could trace their origin in the Caribbean islands with a large number Latin American population too.
In Total Chaos, Jeff Chang references Harry Allen, a hip hop critic and self-proclaimed hip hop activist. Harry Allen compares the hip hop movement to the Big Bang and poses this complex question: “whether hip-hop is, in fact a closed universe-bound to recollapse, ultimately, in a fireball akin to its birth-or an open one, destined to expand forever, until it is cold, dark, and dead” (9). An often heard phase, “hip hop is dead,” refers to the high occurrence of gangster rap in mainstream hip hop. Today’s hip hop regularly features black youths posturing as rich thugs and indulging in expensive merchandise. The “hip hop is dead” perspective is based on the belief that hip hop was destined to become the model of youth resistance and social change. However, its political ambitions have yet to emerge, thus giving rise to hip hops’ criticisms. This essay will examine the past and present of hip hop in o...
Hip-hop first appeared in France in 1979—its popularity due in part to a large African and Caribbean culture. The first known rap recording in French is ‘Paname City Rappin’ by Dee-Nasty, in 1984 and other artists such as Supreme NTM followed. In the late 1980s, IAM emerged, emphasizing their differences and turning this independence into a culturally admired strength. From 1989 on, several of their songs became widely popular around France. The first major star of French origin was Mc Solaar. He was considered ultimately open and positive, with strong literary talents.
"40 Years on from the Party Where Hip Hop Was Born." BBC Culture. N.p., 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Not only is hip-hop a way of expressing ones feelings or views, but it is a part of the urban culture and can be used as a communication tool. Slang originally came from hip-hop music and has become a very popular use in today’s society, especially the urban parts. Hip-hop is a standout amongst the most compelling musical sorts on the globe. There are rappers everywhere that know what amount of an impact their music can have. Some entertainers attempt to utilize that force of impact to do great (Ruiz INT).