Hip hop transcends musical genre, it is an influential cultural movement with deep societal roots. Hip hop consists of four main elements: deejaying, rapping, breaking (commonly known as b-boying), and graffiti art.
Rapping, also known as MCing, is the verbal component of hip hop that utilizes rhythm and rhyme to form verse. Usually delivered over an instrumental beat, this style can either be pre-written or spontaneously produced.
Origins
Hip hop, or Hip Hop music and culture, originated in New York’s Bronx borough during the 1970s. It entails various forms of expression including rap music, breakdancing and graffiti art – although most commonly associated with rap. Hip Hop transcends simply music but has spread worldwide as a lifestyle movement influencing cultures and musical genres around the globe.
Hip hop’s roots can be traced back to African Americans living in urban America during a time of economic hardship and need. At that time, people sought alternative means of expression such as rapping – a rhythmic vocal style featuring rhymed speech that often features as its centerpiece – beatboxing and DJing were popular methods used.
Many of the first rappers were street poets who delivered political speech and rhymed boasts. Their style was heavily influenced by older sources like the Last Poets and jazz’s scatting technique; additionally they took cues from African American public speakers like Martin Luther King Jr and Muhammad Ali who employed rhymed oratory.
Hip hop music utilizes sampling as another component of production, using pre-recorded songs to compose new compositions. While sampling may have its share of controversy – in its early days there were numerous copyright lawsuits that required artists to clear all samples prior to use or else risk being sued – ultimately leading to changes in sound which emphasized original compositions over sampling.
Hip hop stands out as an art form with its use of microphone and live performance. MCs (Master of Ceremonies) often come out to get crowds excited by freestyling rap over beats being provided by DJs.
Hip hop culture is an amazing self-directed form of expression and a fantastic way to get involved. The music is upbeat and dance moves are enjoyable – no matter if you are an amateur rapper or an experienced one! No matter where your musical interests lie there’s always room to improve!
Styles
Hip hop culture spans beyond music; its influence extends into dance, fashion, art and social philosophy. Commonly referred to as ghetto or street style music, the hip hop movement has grown into an international cultural phenomenon that extends far beyond its origins in New York’s Bronx borough. Lyrically its content has progressed from rhythmic chanting into poetic verse exploring an array of topics while its musical composition includes various vocal techniques such as beatboxing or rapping that is then combined with various styles of musical production and musical composition.
Hip hop music relies on the interaction between its rapper and beat. This beat can be created using traditional instruments or by sampling older recordings; some hip hop artists even opt not to use physical instruments in favor of digital sampling devices to craft their beats – these may range from sparse and relaxed, harsh and aggressive, and everything in between! Hip hop also makes use of freestyle improvisation; whereby rappers change up the flow and rhythm of their delivery without losing control over its overall structure.
As hip hop has spread around the globe, its style has adjusted to local languages and traditions, creating a truly multicultural art form that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds. Hip hop also incorporates elements from other genres of music – such as jazz, Latino musical traditions, blues and funk – as it continues to transcend its original cultural boundaries.
Hip hop remains an insular genre with many debates surrounding what exactly its elements entail. Boogie Down Production’s KRS One once stated that hip hop “isn’t something you listen to – it’s something you live.” Since then, this quote has gained currency; many believe its core pillars include deejaying (also referred to as turntabling); MCing (rhythmic and/or rhyming speech); graffiti painting or “graffti”, and break dancing or “b-boying”.
Critics have often criticized hip hop as glorifying violence, drugs and mistreatment of women; others praise its raising awareness about social issues such as racism and poverty. Hip hop has also inspired street fashion and language trends to become integral components of urban culture.
Symbolism
Hip hop culture relies heavily on symbolism for its meaning and popularity, from music itself to dance moves or graffiti art. Hip hop music’s symbols can promote peace or social change while its beats inspire dance moves or graffiti art. Rappers use their lyrics to convey messages from life in urban poverty while graffiti art critics often refer to as vandalism; critics who don’t comprehend this may view such art as vandalism. Hip hop music’s ability to convey complex concepts quickly makes this musical genre irresistibly attractive to many audiences worldwide.
Hip hop culture can be broken down into four main components: deejaying or turntabling; rapping/MCing/MCing; break dancing; and graffiti painting. Hip hop first emerged in economically-disadvantaged neighborhoods but quickly spread throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Hip hop’s most iconic symbol is the hat, representing wisdom and fashion sense. Other symbolic items include: checkered flag representing freedom; dreadlock representing religious faith or cultural identity; gun representing power. Furthermore, Hip hop has inspired an entire fashion movement, drawing its designs from traditional African attire.
DJing is another key element of hip hop culture, and uses turntables and mixers to blend different musical sounds together. DJs set the mood at parties by repeatedly playing one song (known as looping).
Rapping is an integral component of hip hop culture and involves rapidly reciting lyrics over prerecorded instrumental tracks. Master rappers (MCs) can recite intricate rhyme schemes with syncopation or other offbeat techniques that surprise audiences, while hip hop enthusiasts also admire freestyling artists who create fresh rhymes on the spot.
Rappers use words to communicate various ideas through lyrics, from personal narratives to boasts and insults. Rappers can utilize slang words such as homie or yo to develop their individual style; some artists even create their own language! Hip hop has also had an effect on mainstream slang, with words such as diss becoming part of everyday language outside its genre.
Globalization
As hip hop culture has expanded into a wider cultural movement, its influences have become immense. Now one of the world’s most beloved music genres, hip hop can be found influencing fashion, technology, dance, art, language entertainment and politics as well as being practiced as an art form through deejaying (changing the sound of prerecorded music), breakdancing rapping vocalizing or graffiti art among others.
Hip hop music consists of various sounds such as bass guitar, drums, electronic beats and spoken or sung lyrics with rhythm and rhyme, spoken or sung by performers in a flow of speech. Artists often wear specific clothing styles when performing; their name appears on any artwork they create as well. Hip hop has often been associated with lifestyles like Gangsta rap or Conscious Rap; its musicians use their influence to address social issues like police brutality, poverty teenage pregnancy racism drug abuse.
Hip hop music has served to create an alternative identity for disenfranchised youth in the US and beyond, offering them hope through its work-with-what-you-have aesthetic that encourages them to find their own path through life while using music as their medium of expression.
Hip hop music and culture has taken root around the globe, from DJs in Sao Paulo, Brazil; MCs spitting rhymes in Arabic in clubs in Qatar; to breakdancers strutting their stuff on Great Wall of China. Hip hop has even become a global lingua franca, with different nations adding their own twist to its culture – acting as the basis for global dance competitions, progressive activism meetings, and being taught at Harvard and London School of Economics.
COR 3110 students taught by Assistant Professor of English Jennifer Eidum explore the effect hip hop has had on people and cultures worldwide as part of their core curriculum. For example, Higgins relayed an experience from Essen, Germany during a music event where an encounter occurred where a young German boy approached Higgins assuming that due to his dreadlocked hair style that he must be an artist wearing hip hop music; upon approaching Higgins they started beating his chest as practiced in “beat boxing”.