THE IMPACT OF HIP-HOP CULTURE IN THE HATE U GIVE: A JOURNEY OF SELF EXPRESSION, EMPOWERMENT & TRANSFORMATIVE SOCIAL IMPACT Written by: Savannah Ferraro. "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas is an extraordinary urban fiction novel that tackles many important social issues such as racial injustice and police brutality. Throughout the book, hip-hop culture serves as a powerful tool for self-expression, empowerment, and creating transformative social impact. Through the many characters' different experiences, we witness the profound influence of hip-hop in shaping their identities, inspiring activism, and fostering a sense of community throughout further exploration into this novel. Hip-Hop as a Form of Self-Expression: In the novel,”The Hate …show more content…
Starr also references her neighborhood, Garden Heights, as a “Warzone”(Starr 140) amongst the protest and violence from people who demanded justice for Khalil. Through rap lyrics, she articulates her frustrations, fears, and hopes, allowing her to reclaim her voice and assert her identity, we see this as one of the main coping mechanisms to get through everything going with mourning the very unexpected loss of Khalil, Starr hears a reference from her brother Chris when he was singing a Fresh Princess Song, a Fresh Princess quote, who is a hip-hop artist in the industry with “Fresh Princess says you gotta dream like you've never seen obstacles” (Starr 62) when she …show more content…
Hip-Hop becomes a source of strength and resilience, enabling the characters to navigate through adversity. We see this displayed through the character of Khalil, being more specific, the beginning chapters of ‘The Hate U Give’ is where this is more important, we know Khalil’s true love for Hip-Hop, and. Starr's childhood friend Khalil, uses hip-hop as a means to cope with the challenges of his environment and assert his agency. His passion for rap empowers him to rise above the limitations imposed upon him and pursue his
Andreanna Clay and her book: The Hip-Hop Generation Fights Back expresses many views, ideologies, and upbringings of today’s youth of color. The book goes on to discuss many key factors some of which are youth violence, to the impact of high stakes biased and blatantly racist educational testing, to social media rewording youth of color in a negative light, to even the moral failures of hip-hop culture. Young people of color are often portrayed and stereotyped as gang affiliated, simply troubled or, ultimately, dangerous, and not safe to be around. This book looks at and examines how youth activism has come about recently to address the persistent inequalities and injustices that affect these urban youths of color. Clay provides an over encompassing
Conversation about hip hop has contributed to its current state of crisis. Rose writes about how over-generalized criticisms in conversations about hip hop lead to ugly stereotypes and disdain for young black people. Hip hop has become a sort of scapegoat for people
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
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.
“The Hip Hop Wars What We Talk About - And Why It Matters” by Tricia Rose explores what hip hop has done to society in recent years and what people think it has caused. Though it has become one of the most commercially successful genres in mainstream music Tricia Rose explains that the topics in hip hop music have narrowed. Commercial hip hop mainly consist of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and hoes. In the book she looks into the different points of views of people who think whether hip hop invokes violence or if it reflects life in a black ghetto and if it slows down advancement for African Americans in US. The author goes back and forth with the opinion of the mass on hip hop, she says people view hip hop as a music like heavy metal which people associate with violence but she refutes most of these points by showing the positives of hip hop.
In the words of rapper Busta Rhymes, “hip-hop reflects the truth, and the problem is that hip-hop exposes a lot of the negative truth that society tries to conceal. It’s a platform where we could offer information, but it’s also an escape” Hip-hop is a culture that emerged from the Bronx, New York, during the early 1970s. Hip-Hop was a result of African American and Latino youth redirecting their hardships brought by marginalization from society to creativity in the forms of MCing, DJing, aerosol art, and breakdancing. Hip-hop serves as a vehicle for empowerment while transcending borders, skin color, and age. However, the paper will focus on hip-hop from the Chican@-Latin@ population in the United States. In the face of oppression, the Chican@-Latin@ population utilized hip hop music as a means to voice the community’s various issues, desires, and in the process empower its people.
A race issue that occurs within the rap and hip-hop musical genre is the racial stereotypes associated with the musical form. According to Brandt, and Viki rap music and hip- hop music are known for fomenting crime violence, and the continuing formation of negative perceptions revolving around the African-American race (p.362). Many individuals believe that rap and hip-hop music and the culture that forms it is the particular reason for the degradation of the African-American community and the stereotypes that surround that specific ethnic group. An example is a two thousand and seven song produced by artist Nas entitled the N-word. The particular title of the song sparked major debates within not only the African-American community thus the Caucasian communities as well. Debates included topics such as the significance and worth of freedom of speech compared with the need to take a stand against messages that denigrate African-Americans. This specific label turned into an outrage and came to the point where conservative white individuals stood in front of the record label expressing their feelings. These individuals made a point that it is because artists like Nas that there is an increase in gang and street violence within communities. Rap and hip-hop music only depicts a simple-minded image of black men as sex crazed, criminals, or “gangsters”. As said above, community concerns have arisen over time over the use of the N-word, or the fact that many rappers vocalize about white superiority and privilege. Of course rap music did not develop these specific stereotypes, however these stereotypes are being used; and quite successfully in rap and hip-hop which spreads them and keeps the idea that people of color are lazy, all crimin...
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...
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.
All of the articles dealt with hip hop as an industry and how that industry is portrayed to African Americans through the commercialization of hip hop and stereotypes in society. The articles also discuss how that portrayal influences the opinions of African Americans to others and themselves.
Since hip-hop has expanded from the undergrounds in Bronx in the 70’s it has grew into a popular accepted music genre. Consequently, as it progressed from the golden age it gradually grew away from its original roots. If one were to evaluate the change of lyrics in hip-hop, they would see a difference between early hip-hop and today’s hip-hop. The current state of hip-hop is in a stage where things like hey young world are outdated. Instead of broadcasting out a positive message, hip-hop sends out a message of sex, drug, and violence. The early musicians who helped solidify hip-hop, by producing music that told stories on subjects of race, respect, or even music that had a positive message.
Jeffries, M. P. (2011). Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-hop. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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.
Tu Huynh English 100 Professor Thill Research essay Women’s Anger about Racism Racism is a situation that every now and then, America has to face. America has a long history of racism based on its diversity. Racism among women in America does not being seen much in the media, however, it happens every day. Sexual assault is another issue that effect on many Americans, not just women, but also men and others in the LGBT communities as well.
Phonte knows that the goal of rap is to inspire others to do good and set a good example and he is one of the few rappers today that know this. Rappers are the voices of poor, urban African-American youth, whose lives are generally dismissed or misrepresented by the mainstream media. They reflect what’s going on socially, politically, and economically in the culture. “Violence in rap, and in other forms of self- expression, is the manifestation of a feeling of hopelessness and discontent in America’s working class” (Blanchard, Edge). Politicians and other groups have blamed rap for teenager’s use of guns, drugs and gang violence.