What Is The Influence Of Hip Hop On African-American Culture

Hip-Hop: A New Generation

Hip-hop was born out of the Bronx during the 1970s. Artists such as Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaata mixed funk, soul and Jamaican "toasting" (chanting over music) to create a type of hip-hop. Since its early formation, hip-hop has become one of the world’s biggest-selling musical genres. Its influence on Western society is far reaching and hip-hop is often referred to as a "culture". Hip-Hop has had a notable influence on fashion, language, art and the Culture of mainstream Western society.
Style and fashion has always been at the heart of hip-hop culture. Break-dancers (or B-boys) inspired by hip-hop wore clothes that were functional for dancing such as loose fitting jeans or tracksuits.
Baggy jeans, tracksuits, oversized jewelry and sneakers are all iconic items of clothing that have been absorbed by mainstream fashion. Brands including Adidas, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger have been instrumental in bringing hip-hop fashion to the masses. Designers including Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton have all brought elements of hip-hop fashion to their clothing styles according to TIME magazine. Fashion was once ruled by the untouchable elite, where designers and high end brands were seen as larger than life. Now even some rappers have clothing deals with big brands like Nike or Addidas.
Popular culture in the United States has had a unique effect on everyday English for many generations.
African-American music, in many ways, has played a demonstrative role in this evolution. From the days prior to the emergence of the spirituals and the blues, African-American music has informed its listeners (early on, mostly black) of the current events and liberation strategies, using alternative language understood only by those within the cultural network according to TIME magazine. Whether it is the addition of the phrase "bling-bling" to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2003 or the inclusion of the term "crunk" in the 2007 volume of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, hip-hop culture is changing the nature, the sound, and the rules of the English language. Words such as "hood" (short for neighborhood), "crib" (which translates as place of residence), and "whip" (meaning car) have become commonplace within everyday conversation. Phrases such as "what’s up" (hello), "peace out" (good-bye), and the popular "chill out" (relax) are frequently used in television shows, movies, and even commercials for Fortune 500
corporations.
Graffiti is strongly associated with hip-hop culture.
The practice of graffiti gathered momentum in the Bronx during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was often used by political activists to send messages or make statements or by gangs marking territory. Since the 1990s, graffiti has become more widely accepted as a recognized art form worldwide with the success of British-born artist Banksy and French duo 123Klan according to Ehow magazine. Commercially, large corporations such as Sony have used graffiti in marketing campaigns. Graffiti has also infiltrated the gaming community with games like SEGA's Jet Set
Radio.
The Hip Hop of today has changed greatly from its birth in the 1980’s. Now Hip hop is more focused on talking about money, fame, and worldly possessions. Rapper Nas states that” Hip Hop Is Dead” and that “Today we have a group of artist who degrade women in their lyrics, they often speak about the pimp lifestyle also they brag about riches they claim to have”. When Hip Hop first boomed it was a way for young African Americans to express themselves as an outlet of creation. Hip Hop was meant to uplift people and give them a sense of power and a voice, For me hip hop is more than music it’s a passion, it’s like the problems and struggles of that the rappers speak about are directly related to me. Hip-hop for me is an outlet or an escape from the outside world, it helps me relax and enjoy myself. Hip-hop may not be for you, but like it or not, Hip-Hop is changing the world around you.