Free Essays on Hip Hop

Black Social Movement â€Å"Hip- Hop as a Revolution† Music has played a significant role upon culture for Black Americans. From the spirituals and freedom songs during slavery to the jazz and blues of the fifties and sixties, the tone has manifested through different times, lives and moods. Beats led by drums and other different instruments have been prevalent throughout African- American culture with their roots being in Africa. As with any cultural ideals, African- Americans have continued their artistic musical expression through a new outlet, hip- hop. Hip- hop was born in the mid 70’s after a brief bout of â€Å"funk.† â€Å"Hip- hop started out in the heart.† -Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill is one of the most influential female lyricists of this era, in the realm of hip- hop. She accurately summed up the root for all hip- hop when she said that, â€Å"Hip- hop started out in the heart.† The original hip- hop artists had their roots in Jamaica, when they used spoken word over elements of reggae music. One of the earliest known â€Å"rappers† is Kool Herc. He moved to the Bronx from Kingston, Jamaica in the early 70’s and attempted to speak over reggae music. At this time, many Americans had not even heard of reggae music so, this style did not catch on. Eventually, Herc began to chant over the instrumental and percussion sections of popular songs. He learned how to extend these relatively short chantings by using a mixer and records. It was in these early days that DJ’s would travel, performing mostly at parties and acknowledging their fellow party- goers. Inevitably, the acknowledgement that the DJ’s offered their crowd turned into little rhymes. At the time, they were not called rappers or lyricists but rather â€Å"emcees.† â€Å"Rap is a type of music, Hip- hop is a way of life.†- KRS- one KRS- one is one of the longest- standing, most influential lyricists. Since 1984, he has been spreading the word and accurately br... Free Essays on Hip Hop Free Essays on Hip Hop Hip-hop is the latest expressive manifestation of the past and current experience as well as the collective consciousness of African-American and Latino-American youth. But more than any music of the past, it also expresses mainstream American ideas that have now been internalized and embedded into the psyches of American people of color over time. A part of the learned mainstream American culture is sexism and misogyny. Hip-hop culture is frequently condemned for its misogynistic exploitation of women, but this misogyny has its roots in the culture in which we live. Hip-hop but can be explored and used as a valuable tool in examining gender relations. It brings to surface the issues that face many young people, such as discrimination, peer relations, and self-worth that can be considered in order to bring about change in the misogynistic aspects of hip-hop culture and American culture, in general. For young people that do not hold sexist ideals, mainstream hip-hop may influence them to do so as it spreads and continuously gains popularity. And others are directly and indirectly supporting an environment that allows sexism to continue. Exploitation of women in hip-hop culture has become an accepted part of it for both the artists and audiences alike, and many critics blame the music without looking any deeper. When going to any hip-hop related event, my friends and I normally expect that women will be disrespected verbally and physically. I have often wondered why it is so acceptable for men and women and what the roots of the values expressed in the culture are. Hip-hop culture was started by black and Latino youth in New York City, which encompasses rapping, singing, deejaying, break-dancing, and graffiti-writing, but has evolved to be much more than that. It is now a lifestyle for many young people mostly between the ages of 13 and 30. It now involves music videos, fashion, language, the club scene, and the general way in which... Free Essays on Hip Hop Black Social Movement â€Å"Hip- Hop as a Revolution† Music has played a significant role upon culture for Black Americans. From the spirituals and freedom songs during slavery to the jazz and blues of the fifties and sixties, the tone has manifested through different times, lives and moods. Beats led by drums and other different instruments have been prevalent throughout African- American culture with their roots being in Africa. As with any cultural ideals, African- Americans have continued their artistic musical expression through a new outlet, hip- hop. Hip- hop was born in the mid 70’s after a brief bout of â€Å"funk.† â€Å"Hip- hop started out in the heart.† -Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hill is one of the most influential female lyricists of this era, in the realm of hip- hop. She accurately summed up the root for all hip- hop when she said that, â€Å"Hip- hop started out in the heart.† The original hip- hop artists had their roots in Jamaica, when they used spoken word over elements of reggae music. One of the earliest known â€Å"rappers† is Kool Herc. He moved to the Bronx from Kingston, Jamaica in the early 70’s and attempted to speak over reggae music. At this time, many Americans had not even heard of reggae music so, this style did not catch on. Eventually, Herc began to chant over the instrumental and percussion sections of popular songs. He learned how to extend these relatively short chantings by using a mixer and records. It was in these early days that DJ’s would travel, performing mostly at parties and acknowledging their fellow party- goers. Inevitably, the acknowledgement that the DJ’s offered their crowd turned into little rhymes. At the time, they were not called rappers or lyricists but rather â€Å"emcees.† â€Å"Rap is a type of music, Hip- hop is a way of life.†- KRS- one KRS- one is one of the longest- standing, most influential lyricists. Since 1984, he has been spreading the word and accurately br...