Music is a reflection of social change. As such, it creates new mindsets and reflects the reality of an era.
Emerging from the ghettos of New York City in the 70s, Hip-Hop echoed the desolation of African Americans in the altering urban culture of the United States. Through the formation of stereotypes and role models, Hip-Hop protested for the association of black civil rights to unemployment, poverty, criminality and police brutality expressing political speech, resistance and controversy.
Soon, Hip-Hop became a massive reality that permeated popular culture in an unprecedented way. Black youth found a way to express a new culture through distinctive communication patterns such as speech, hand gestures, and body movements. Moving beyond concrete thoughts and obstinate categories, Hip-Hop extended its mental boundaries further than verbal communication, gender, economic class and even race. This explains why Hip-Hop’s sway was well-received by a great number of non-black audience. In effect, Hip-Hop’s crossover influence unified diverse people.
Without a doubt, Hip-Hop has been the fastest growing music genre in the U.S. In its early steps, it received the denial of American system being mainly viewed as a fashion. Because of its harsh language, and immediate association to sex, alcohol, gambling, gang violence, drugs, prostitution, war and many more, Hip-Hop was heavily criticized in the 80s. However, by constantly challenging the system, Hip-Hop managed to move from the ghettos of Bronx, to the suburbs and eventually into the corporate boardrooms in the 90s. Spitting out hot words in the tempo of a machine-gun, while giving a meaning in the life of despaired young people, Hip-Hop transformed into a culture that could not be ignored. Corporate America capitalized heavily on the growing influence of Hip-Hop, making it a highly profitable industry.
Today, the influence of Hip-Hop on American culture is more than obvious. The effects of Hip-Hop are visible in the way young people dress, talk, walk, and behave. For instance, the language used in Hip-Hop is typically shortened words and broken-English. Language is the product of society. As a society transforms, so does its language. Mainstream English has been altered by Hip-Hop expressions that echo the diversity of a culture that has the power to gear itself to anyone who choose to participate in it.
Moreover, being a culture that is broadly adopted by the younger generations of the East and West Coast, Hip-Hop shapes their minds by being used in marketing and advertising, but also in politics. One major example is the Presidential elections of 2008. Several Hip-Hop artists have endorsed Presidential candidates such 50 Cent and Timbaland, who endorsed Hilary Clinton, or Usher, Common and Talib Kweli, who supported Barack Obama. Transcending cultural, racial, ethnic, geographical, social and class lines, Hip-Hop is clearly a culture itself moulding a status quo that is reflected in distinctive language, outfit, artwork and ideology.
I work as a financial and investment advisor but my passion is writing, music and photography. Writing mostly about finance, business and music, being an amateur photographer and a professional dj, I am inspired from life.
Being a strong advocate of simplicity in life, I love my family, my partner and all the people that have stood by me with or without knowing. And I hope that someday, human nature will cease to be greedy and demanding realizing that the more we have the more we want and the more we satisfy our needs the more needs we create. And this is so needless after all.
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