Hip Hop Nationalism
Jason Chanthorn
Christopher y West
African American History from 1865
Journal Article- The State of Rap: Time and Place
Hip hop is a form of art that has been popular for the past twenty years. Although people in recent years often mistake rap music as vulgar and ill-mannered, the hip hop community continues to provide a great way to channel emotion and soul into their music. In his article, “The State of Rap: Time and Place” Jeffrey Louis Decker illustrates the black nationalism within the hip hop community by exploring how Black Nationalism can be accounted for within the hip hop music. Before hip hop was introduced into the American culture, the black community felt as if their place of origin was Africa. This was the time where the black community romanticized their own politics (Decker 2008, 54). Garveyism, introduced by Marcus Garvey, sparked the early Black Nationalist movements. During the Black Nationalist movement it promoted an array of black pride which later provided great inspiration for upcoming hip hop artists who "rapped" to their audience the struggles of the everyday black individual. The styles of artists later became more "Afrocentric" which meant that the music revolved around expressing self worth. Artist such as Afrika Bambaataa introduced his style of music to the world having his music known as the earliest form of hip hop. As for women, they were interested in promoting the idea that they were from "Mother Africa". Women hip hop artist were fascinated by the idea of black women liberation, so most of them started to incorporate those ideas in their verses. There are rap songs that promote the militant "Nation of Islam" which later became known as the Black Panther Party. As more injustices occur to the black community, hip hop music became a pedestal to voice their opinions. For example, when Rodney King was brutally beat by the LAPD on March 3, 1991 (Decker 2008). The whole Rodney King incident consequently gave Ice Cube
Christopher y West
African American History from 1865
Journal Article- The State of Rap: Time and Place
Hip hop is a form of art that has been popular for the past twenty years. Although people in recent years often mistake rap music as vulgar and ill-mannered, the hip hop community continues to provide a great way to channel emotion and soul into their music. In his article, “The State of Rap: Time and Place” Jeffrey Louis Decker illustrates the black nationalism within the hip hop community by exploring how Black Nationalism can be accounted for within the hip hop music. Before hip hop was introduced into the American culture, the black community felt as if their place of origin was Africa. This was the time where the black community romanticized their own politics (Decker 2008, 54). Garveyism, introduced by Marcus Garvey, sparked the early Black Nationalist movements. During the Black Nationalist movement it promoted an array of black pride which later provided great inspiration for upcoming hip hop artists who "rapped" to their audience the struggles of the everyday black individual. The styles of artists later became more "Afrocentric" which meant that the music revolved around expressing self worth. Artist such as Afrika Bambaataa introduced his style of music to the world having his music known as the earliest form of hip hop. As for women, they were interested in promoting the idea that they were from "Mother Africa". Women hip hop artist were fascinated by the idea of black women liberation, so most of them started to incorporate those ideas in their verses. There are rap songs that promote the militant "Nation of Islam" which later became known as the Black Panther Party. As more injustices occur to the black community, hip hop music became a pedestal to voice their opinions. For example, when Rodney King was brutally beat by the LAPD on March 3, 1991 (Decker 2008). The whole Rodney King incident consequently gave Ice Cube