The most popular music genre in the world did not appear out of thin air; Hip hop’s ascent to the top involved a lot more than just catchy rap songs, it embodies a creative expression and aesthetic that first emerged in the depths of New York City. More specifically, hip hop developed throughout African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino communities in the Bronx during the late 1970’s (Norfleet, 354). The cultural roots of Hip hop can be traced back to Jamaican and African-derived oral traditions such as storytelling and “toasting” (Norfleet, 355). While building upon a strong oral foundation, the culture of hip hop was later influenced by a style of Black dance music known as Rhythm & Blues – a fusion of blues, big band swing, gospel, and pop elements (Norfleet, 355).

As hip hop began to evolve in the Bronx and Harlem, it was heavily impacted by the socioeconomic conditions of these areas, which is evident in the aesthetic and activities that took place during that time. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, New York saw an increase in gang activity – to combat this, the Bronx youth

“developed nonviolent, but intensely competitive means of creative expression” (Norfleet, 356).

Two notable forms of nonviolent creative expression were aerosol art and break dancing, both of which gathered a cult-like following that took over the city. Live performances also played a significant role in the early stages of Hip Hop, as MCs played shows wherever they could gain a following – at parks, community centers, gymnasiums, neighborhood clubs, and private basements (Norfleet, 356).

The importance of studying Hip hop is the same as any major art movement throughout history, such as the Renaissance – which is focused on personal expression and worldly experience; Based on the origin and core elements of this culture, it symbolizes the largest art movement by people of African descent.

The reason the hip hop movement had such a monumental impact on the United States was not solely because of the music, but also the physical forms of art that animated cities on both coasts. The origin of hip hop dance built upon existing dance forms on the east and West Coast (Pabon, 57). On the East Coast, specifically in New York City, breakdancing emerged as a new way of creative expression. This style of dance, also known as b-boying, appealed to a wide range of young people, as it offered a new means to enjoy hip hop aside from the music. Breakdancing also presented a nonviolent way to settle beef between the youth, as they could now compete in dance battles or freestyles. On the West Coast, dance forms showed signs of the Funk Movement, popularizing moves such as popping and locking. Similar to the evolution of rap music in hip hop, breakdancing demonstrates influences from all over the world, with moves inspired by African and Cuban cultures.

Graffiti, also known as aerosol art, presents another form of creative expression within the hip hop movement. This began in the 1970s, when a folk hero by the name of Taki 183 began writing his name across the city of New York (Castleman, 14). The new form of art received considerable backlash from the community, putting a handful of graffiti prevention programs into place. As names and murals began to appear on every train and subway in the New York City transit system, the artists began to develop a reputation. Aerosol art presented another means of nonviolent competition for youth during the hip hop movement – territory could be marked by individuals or groups without engaging in physical confrontation.

Breakdancing and graffiti demonstrate the importance of art within hip hop culture aside from rap music, as they offer a different outlet for the youth to express themselves in a creative and peaceful method.

The evolution of hip hop follows a similar track as black American culture, yet the movement had a significant influence from other minority groups as well. While some people are quick to categorize hip hop as black music, but they must consider the deep multicultural roots that trace back to the origins of this culture.

Young Puerto Ricans from the South Bronx and El Barrio have been involved in hip hop culture since its fruition in the 1970s, participating primarily in graffiti, breakdancing, and rap music (Flores, 74). By the early 1990s, hip hop culture had ultimately broken through the language barrier; As rap vocabulary began to embrace the Spanish language and Latin musical styles (Flores, 74). In the mid 90s, the Latin rap scene experienced their first wave of hip hop superstars, with artists such as Mellow Man Ace and Kid Frost appearing on the scene. But, what about the Puerto Ricans?

“To speak of Puerto Ricans in rap means to defy the sense of instant amnesia that engulfs popular cultural expression once it is caught up in the logic of commercial representation” (Flores, 75).

It encompasses the traditions and antecedents of their culture, as well as the need to recognize hip hop to be more than what the public media tends to reduce it to (Flores, 75).

The Latin culture has made an impact on hip hop through another group on the West Coast: the Chicano. The Los Angeles based Chicano gangs had been present in the city since the early 1930s. The Chicano history, memory, and culture has been long defined adaptational organization whose primary goal is survival through self-reliance (Kelley, 154). The strong presence of gang culture also came parallel to the rise of the lowrider and zoot suiter in LA (Kelley, 154). The famous Sen Dogg of Cypress Hill demonstrates the style of West Coast b-boy in “Latin Lingo,” in a combination of English, pachuquismo, and hip hop slang (Kelley, 154).

One group that has struggled for authenticity throughout the entirety of their presence in hip hop, is the Asian Americans. Surprisingly, they have been on the scene since the early stages of hip hop; the first song recorded by a rapper of Asian American descent was the 1979 single “Rap-O, Clap-O” by soul singer Joe Bataan (Wang, 200). This song represented a solid beginning to the Asian American rap scene, but the group faced a rough two decades following Joe Bataan – as almost no rappers of Asian American descent were signed to major labels during this time.

The career path of being an entertainer is never an easy one, whether its acting, comedy, or hip hop, it is simply a tough industry to get involved in. The chances of a getting signed to a record label, let alone releasing a studio album, was especially difficult and improbable at this time – especially when race plays such a crucial role regarding an artist’s authenticity in the hip hop culture. The importance of acknowledging all the multicultural influences of hip hop, is the same as studying the history of this culture. In simple terms, the movement would simply not be where it is today without the profound contributions of minority groups, aside from just black Americans.

In the book, Prophets of the Hood, Imani Perry dissects a difficult question, about whether hip hop is black American music. She wastes little time addressing this question, at the very beginning of chapter one, Perry makes the strong statement that hip hop is black American music. She builds her analysis on the foundation of four central characteristics: the first that the primary language is African American Vernacular English; Second that it has a political location in society specific to black people, music, and cultural forms; Next that it is derived from black American oral culture; and lastly it is derived from black American musical traditions (Perry, 10).

While Imani Perry takes a bold stance on hip hop, she does so with respect to the “hybridity” of this culture and its multiracial origins. Perry acknowledges the current trends of hip hop, which heavily emphasizes the tremendous contributions that Caribbean, white, and Latino communities and artists have had on this movement (Perry, 10). The author then engages critics who disagree with hip hop’s status as black American music, claiming that they are also critiquing racial essentialism – or the way that in which culture is marketed through race at the same time that it is fundamentally hybrid (Perry, 10).

Imani Perry then begins to dive deeper into this assertion, asking the question

“Why can’t something be black [American] and be influenced by a number of cultures and styles at the same time?”

– this marks the turning point where I agreed with Perry’s view. She brings up concrete points, while supporting her view with well-worded evidence that makes it difficult to dispute her argument, even if it is radical in some ways. The core of her argument relies on 4 key characteristics that establish hip hop as black American music; Utilizing this strong foundation, Perry uses logic to prove her point and convince the audience that she is right.

Ever since its early evolution, people have been quick to categorize hip hop as “masculine music,” which Imani Perry agrees with. It’s a label that has been discussed throughout the entirety of this movement, this is primarily due to the high concentration of male artists and their dominance across the hip hop industry. While the males have controlled the rap game since it originated, there has been a female MC presence for the majority of hip hop’s existence.

“Gender in hip hop proves a complicated terrain, filled with the pitfalls of what Michael Eric Dyson has termed ‘femiphobia’” (Perry, 118).

This phobia has allowed hip hop to become the foreground for the development of the black male identity.

In chapter five, Imani Perry analyzes the masculinity in hip hop as a version of black urban masculinity, which is further complicated by the American exploitation of the black male identity (Perry, 118). The masculinity in hip hop is also filled with sexist lyrics and metaphors throughout. The American exploitation of black males has unfortunately become a part of hip hop analysis over the past 50 years. In this chapter, Imani Perry addresses how masculinity in hip hop reflects the desire to assert black male subjectivity, which often comes at the expense of black females or women’s bodies (Perry, 118). While there is consistently a strong message towards females in hip hop, at other times the music just unveils the complexity of black male identity.

Imani Perry presents a quality argument towards hip hop’s status as masculine music, she offers concrete ideas to support this statement in a logical manner, however, I have to disagree with the overall statement. While male artists certainly dominate hip hop, I think that the female community holds their own – as they have proven their talent in this industry countless times, even against the odds that are stacked against them.

In chapter six of Prophets of the Hood, the author Imani Perry analyzes the difficult role that women play in hip hop. The role that Perry refers to, is that of the female MCs, who have been trailing behind their male counterparts since the evolution of hip hop. This is not simply due to talent, as there have been strong female characters in the rap game since the beginning, no this separation represents a much larger issue in our society.

The separation between male and female rappers happened from the very establishments of hip hop, as a talented woman would have to work twice as hard to achieve the same success as an equally talented male equivalent. That doesn’t even account for the racial divide between black and white women, as the standards of beauty were not uniform.

“The visual landscape of women hip hop artists represents the contested terrain of the black female body in the music” and emphasized how troubled hip hop is with sexism and objectification – even for feminists in this culture (Perry, 156).

Later in the chapter, Perry analyzes the copious amounts of sexism in hip hop music. From the very foundation of hip hop, female artists and producers have tried to establish themselves as a force – one of the first ways involved embracing masculine styles. In such a male-oriented culture as hip hop was in the early stages, women would present themselves to look and sound more intimidating in their music. The sexism in hip hop forced female MCs to decide between going for the badass masculine approach to music or dressing in scandalous clothes and seducing men. This was a decision that some of the most influential feminists had to make, because at the end of the day they still had to sell their music to survive in this cut-throat industry.

The hip hop movement offered endless opportunities for creative expression within the black and brown youth, yet because of the harsh reality that takes place in these communities, there was an increase in reality rap genres such as gangsta rap. As this genre began to grow in popularity, stories from the hood began to transform into musical works of art. The everyday lives of underprivileged youth in America was shocking, and there was a public backlash towards this style of rap due to explicit lyrics and content. But life in New York ghettos during the ‘90s was far from glamourous, and the youth finally had a voice to express themselves with.

Gangsta rap was criticized by the press in a similar manner to most black cultural forms, it was generally understood as experiential, which means based on experience, instead of formal (Quinn, 19). In chapter two of Nuthin’ But A G Thang, the author Quinn presented 4 key points regarding gangsta rap: first, it reflects the reality of black working class and underclass; second, it represents black radicalism; next, it is connected to the other side or “underbelly” of political rap; and lastly, it is not an accurate reflection of black life and struggles (Quinn, 19).

The theme of black ghetto realness emerged in this genre, providing authenticity with no uplift. Gangsta rap is

“a social realist, politically oppositional form, documenting the perilous predicaments of an oppressed community” (Quinn, 20).

This theme was especially abundant during the initial stages of this genre, when it overlapped with politicized rap that was particularly common at the time. Gangsta rap transformed into a means of rebellion and resistance, while also garnering commercial success. The oppressed communities began to speak their mind towards authority that is established on a history of discrimination and offers

“a highly commodifiable brand of youth and race rebellion” (Quinn, 23).

While gangsta rap offered plenty of positive impacts for the black community, one of the most valuable was the deconstruction and reconstruction of racial stereotypes about African Americans. The gangsta rapper was a trickster, who could toy with stereotypes as he/she pleased. By rewriting their own image, the black men and women were experiencing a new type of social power that they had not experienced before. In chapter four, Quinn adds an emphasis on young males, a group that has been silenced for so long, who have to cope with a newfound sense of voice.

The gangsta movement did tremendous things for black culture on both a societal and political level, yet it also brought its fair share of negativity towards a community that was already struggling. The harsh lyrics associated with this genre incited violence and gang activity across the country. The most famous example of gangsta rap would have to be the group NWA, and their hit song “F*ck The Police.” This song was infamous for causing chaos at live performances, most notably the legendary concert in Detroit.

The subculture of gansta rap was monumental in the evolution of hip hop, as it offered some of the realest, explicit, and moving music that we saw during the early stages. By giving black and brown youth a chance to speak in a creative, poetic way, hip hop empowered the next generation of artists to make changes in society. As mainstream American culture, politics, and society became the soundtrack for this subgenre, it gave hip hop the newfound direction and motivation it needed to grow progressively throughout the 2000s.

References

Castleman, C. (2012). The Politics of Graffiti. New York: Routledge.

Flores, J. (2012). Puerto Rico Rocks: Rap, Roots, and Amnesia. New York: Routledge.

Kelley, R. (2012). Hip Hop Chicano: A separate but parallel story. New York: Routledge.

Norfleet, D. (2015). African American Music: Hip Hop and Rap. New York: Routledge.

Pabon, J. (2012). Physical Graffiti: The History of Hip Hop Dance. New York: Routledge.

Perry, I. (2006). Prophets of the Hood. North Carolina: Duke University Press.

Quinn, E. (2005). Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap. New

York: Columbia University Press.

Wang, O. (2012). Rapping and Repping Asian – Race, Authenticity, and the Asian American MC. New York: Routledge.