Hip-Hop Culture

Hip-hop culture is something created by black people for black people. There are four main elements of hip hop culture, and one more that’s not universally considered to be one of the main elements:

• DJing: DJing involves conducting previously recorded music for a live crowd. DJ stands for Disk Jockey, and when these elements were first created, DJ’s were the ones working the turntables. Nowadays there’s a lot more technology, but it’s still the same concept.
• MCing: MCing is basically another term for rapping. Which is a rhythmic, and/or rhyming speech.
• Bboying: This concept revolves around fashion, stye, slang, and the over all attitude that encompases hip hop culture. It also encompases physical forms of hip-hop such as break dancing, and beat boxing.  
• Graffiti: This is the visual component of hip-hop. The paintings, portraits, pictures, words, and other visual aspects of the hip-hop culture.
• Knowledge: This is the element that’s not universally recognized as one of the main components. It’s an important aspect of hip-hop though. I look at this element basically as awareness. Self awareness, and awareness of the world around us and the society we live in.

Hip-hop started as a way for black people to express their frustrations with society. It was rebellious and counterculture. It was angry, it was explicit, it was raw, it was fun, it was entertaining, it was unique. It was something exclusively for black people, which helped unify black people in America to an extent. Hip-hop started as a reflection of society, more specifically black culture, and black people’s place in society. Over time, hip-hop culture, and black culture became one in the same. The rejection of hip-hop culture is a rejection of black culture.

Hip-hop has become the most popular genre of music in recent years. The art form of rap music has become less raw and gritty, and more commercialized. I have no problem with this. The fact that the hip-hop sound has evolved so much over the years shows why it’s the best genre of music. Some may argue that the current sound is too commercialized, and not lyrical enough, which causes the music to be inauthentic. I don’t agree with this way of thinking. Hip-hop/rap is driven by the culture, the culture isn’t driven by the music. As long as the music continues to be made by people within the culture, for people within the culture, the music will always be authentic. While more cultures are trying to join the hip-hop culture, and maybe even take it as their own, hip-hop culture will always be for black people. At its core, hip-hop is for black people, and that will never change. There is no better culture, or genre of music, than the hip-hop culture.