Running Head: Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture 1 Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture 2 Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture Student’s Name University Affiliation Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture The “hip-hop culture” has infused popular culture in an extraordinary fashion. As a result of its massive cross-over appeal, the hip-hop culture is a hypothetically great unifier of various populations. Even though created by black youth on the streets, hip-hop's influence has turned out to be worldwide. About 75 in a hundred of the rap and hip-hop audience is non-black. It has gone from the fringes, to the outskirts, and now into the commercial boardrooms. Undeniably, Coca Cola, Nike, McDonald's, Sprite, and other corporate giants have exploited on this hip hop culture phenomenon. Although criticizers of the rap music and the hip hop culture appeared to be consumed with the messages of violence, sex, and harsh language, this category of music offers us an example of what can be done. The capacity of this art form to transform ethnic relations is significant. In the 1950s and the 1960s the “Beat Culture” questioned the status quo in ways that integrated liberals and provoked change. In the same manner, the hip-hop culture has confronted the system in approaches that have brought together individuals (particularly the youth) across a wide-range ethnic spectrum (Watkins, 1998). Currently, hip-hop/rap is the fastest emergent music genre in the United States, representing more than 10% of the $12.3 billion music sales in the year 1998. Rap music has turned out to be the cornerstone of the hip-hop culture. The general hip hop culture has been recognized by this musical art form. The language (street slang), dressing (baggy pants, expensive sneakers, caps worn backwards), and style of the hip-hop culture have all developed from rap music. To illustrate the widespread popularity of rap, in line with Soundscan, an enterprise in the Hartsdale, N.Y. that scrutinizes music sales, at the end of the year 1998, 9 out of the 15 albums that were on the pop chart were rap. At the end of the same year, 3 of the top retailing albums were rap performances: Outkast, Jay Z, and A Tribe Call Quest. As stated by Neil Strauss, rap is substituting rock and roll as the supreme genre of music among the youth. 10 years ago, in the environs you heard teenagers talking about music from such rock artists as the Van Halen, Byrds, the Eagles, Doors, and Guns `N' Roses. At present, youths are exploding rap music from such artist as Outkast and Jay Z. DJ Hollywood, Busy Bee Starski, and DJ Afrika Bambaataa (forefather of the Zulu Nation in the New York) are the three New York artistes who have been recognized for coining the phrase “hip hop”. This genre instigated in the`70s with rhythmic beats resonating at base.

1. Running Head: Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture
1
Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture
2
Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Research Paper on Hip-hop Culture
The “hip-hop culture” has infused popular culture in an
extraordinary fashion. As a result of its massive cross-over
appeal, the hip-hop culture is a hypothetically great unifier of
various populations. Even though created by black youth on the
streets, hip-hop's influence has turned out to be worldwide.
About 75 in a hundred of the rap and hip-hop audience is non-
black. It has gone from the fringes, to the outskirts, and now
into the commercial boardrooms. Undeniably, Coca Cola, Nike,
McDonald's, Sprite, and other corporate giants have exploited
on this hip hop culture phenomenon. Although criticizers of the
rap music and the hip hop culture appeared to be consumed with
the messages of violence, sex, and harsh language, this category
of music offers us an example of what can be done. The

2. capacity of this art form to transform ethnic relations is
significant. In the 1950s and the 1960s the “Beat Culture”
questioned the status quo in ways that integrated liberals and
provoked change. In the same manner, the hip-hop culture has
confronted the system in approaches that have brought together
individuals (particularly the youth) across a wide-range ethnic
spectrum (Watkins, 1998).
Currently, hip-hop/rap is the fastest emergent music genre in
the United States, representing more than 10% of the $12.3
billion music sales in the year 1998. Rap music has turned out
to be the cornerstone of the hip-hop culture. The general hip
hop culture has been recognized by this musical art form. The
language (street slang), dressing (baggy pants, expensive
sneakers, caps worn backwards), and style of the hip-hop
culture have all developed from rap music.
To illustrate the widespread popularity of rap, in line with
Soundscan, an enterprise in the Hartsdale, N.Y. that scrutinizes
music sales, at the end of the year 1998, 9 out of the 15 albums
that were on the pop chart were rap. At the end of the same
year, 3 of the top retailing albums were rap performances:
Outkast, Jay Z, and A Tribe Call Quest. As stated by Neil
Strauss, rap is substituting rock and roll as the supreme genre of
music among the youth. 10 years ago, in the environs you heard
teenagers talking about music from such rock artists as the Van
Halen, Byrds, the Eagles, Doors, and Guns `N' Roses. At
present, youths are exploding rap music from such artist as
Outkast and Jay Z.
DJ Hollywood, Busy Bee Starski, and DJ Afrika Bambaataa
(forefather of the Zulu Nation in the New York) are the three
New York artistes who have been recognized for coining the
phrase “hip hop”. This genre instigated in the`70s with rhythmic
beats resonating at basement parties, at house parties, and the
streets of New York. According to Geneva Smitherman, the
foundation of rap music is rooted in “Black oral tradition of
tonal semantics, narrativizing, signification, playing the dozens,
Africanized syntax, and other communicative practices.”

3. One can follow the commercial history of rap back to 1979
when the Sugar Hill Gang delivered the hugely fruitful melody
entitled, Rapper's Delight. The crude beginnings of
contemporary rap music can be followed to the Bronx in the
mid-1970s. Rap music was a way that urban dark youth
conveyed what needs be in a cadenced structure. Rap music,
alongside graffiti and breakdancing was the verse of the street.
As the enthusiasm for rap music developed, so did its message.
The aggregate message of rap told sincere stories of the urban
streets- -stories of medications, viciousness, and wrongdoing.
Regardless of how gluttonous the message, urban youth
discovered a stage to apparently express their fierceness
towards the framework. To them, the police exemplified the
framework; they were without a doubt an impression of
America's state of mind towards them (Watkins, 1998). Thus,
horrible verbal assaults on police conduct reflected urban young
people's most close conceptualization of the framework.
As per Patricia Rose, rap music kept on blossoming after the
arrival of Rapper's Delight. It was "found" by the music
business, the film business, and the print media. Craftsmen, for
example, Run DMC, Whoodini and the Fat Boys helped what
appeared like a short lived marvel hold on in changing
mainstream culture. Krush Groove, a profoundly effective film
delineating the life of rap music, further hoisted rap music into
the standard. This motion picture earned Warner Brothers $17
million around the world, a gold soundtrack, and in particular,
highlighted the capability of this fine art (The Power of Hip
Hop Culture).
Street language is transmitted to the hip hop culture through rap
music. One can hear a Chinese or Filipino hip hopper utilizing
the same slang as the African American hip hopper. Regardless
of their ethnicity hip hoppers use modifiers, for example, dope,
da bomb, genuine, hittin, all that, to depict something that is
fantastic. "Nigga" is a standout amongst the most mainstream
expressions of hip hoppers. In spite of the conventional critical
significance of the word, hip hoppers utilize the word as a term

4. of charm. One can hear a white, Asian, or Latino hip hopper
saying, "TJ is my nigga," which signifies "TJ is my great
companion." The vernacular of this culture changes always.
What may be a cool proclamation today, may be "played out"
(obsolete) in a year.
Street language has turned into a pidgin language of sorts.
Regardless of the possibility that hip hoppers have distinctive
first languages, despite everything they can comprehend the
slang of hip hop. Henceforth, this culture is limited
phonetically. I can by and by review my trek to Japan in 1995 in
which my companion saw a Japanese teen with a Snoop Dogg
top on- -the youngster could scarcely talk English yet he was
conversant in street slang.
Why has the hip hop culture risen above ethnic limits? The
urban street prep appears like an oxymoronic term. In any case,
urban hip hoppers beautify themselves with the most improbable
preppy names. Dress styles that incorporate such common marks
as Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, and Ralph Lauren, apparently
negate the picture of the daring street fighter (Loentz).
As indicated by Michiko Kakutani, youthful urban blacks have
coopted the dress of high class whites as a manisfestation of
their absence of force in American culture. While real material
achievement perhaps unattainable, the reason for embellishing
lavish Polo shirts, pants and shoes is to present a picture of
achievement. Rural white children laugh at the material
accomplishment of their guardians and their guardians'
companions. One approach to express this contempt, is by
relating to the rebel picture of the street. Numerous white
children are "social sightseers who romanticize the very ghetto
life that such a variety of dark children need to get away. Rather
than the horrible death rate for youthful dark guys, they see the
excitement of roughness. Rather than the dissatisfaction of
individuals denied occupations and hope and appreciation, they
see the verbal resistance of that disappointment."
Kakutani proposes that this vicarious outlet of typical outflow
is the reason white rural guys have turned into the biggest

5. gathering of people of gangsta rap. In the 1950s pop culture was
commanded by the "Upbeat Days" scene. Dark cowhide coats
and lubed hair spoke to the zeitgeist. In the 1960s, the hippie
and bohemian look had the best impact on popular culture took
after by the polyester and chime bottoms of the 70s and the
preppy impact of the 1980s. The 1990's have been overwhelmed
by hip hop style (Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey). This design
comprises of loose jeans worn approximately, baseball tops
worn regressively (NBA, NFL, or effective college athletic
groups), larger than average rugby or polo shirts, and
extravagant sneakers. Hip hop design, dissimilar to the style of
different eras, has particularly cut crosswise over every ethnic
limit. In fact, a noteworthy number African American, Whites,
Latinos, and Asians youth between the ages of 12 and 22 dress
the same independent of their ethnicity.
References
Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2, 2015,
from http://www.hiphopculturebook.com/
Loentz, E. (n.d.). Yiddish, Kanak Sprak, Klezmer, And HipHop:
Ethnolect, Minority Culture, Multiculturalism, And Stereotype
In Germany. Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish
Studies, 33-62.
The Power of Hip Hop Culture - RapRehab. (n.d.). Retrieved
April 2, 2015, from http://raprehab.com/rap-music-brainwashed-

6. youth-and-the-power-of-hip-hop-culture/
Watkins, S. (1998). Representing: Hip hop culture and the
production of Black cinema. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.
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