Paolo Aligada Paul Lopez Humanities 9/22/10 Hip Hop: A Medium ...

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Aligada 2 Hip hop originated in New York City, more specifically in the Bronx. It began to come into the spotlight during the 1970s. There was a large African American and Afro-Caribbean community in the Bronx, so a lot of the influence on hip hop came from there. It was mostly the youth culture that was involved with it. This community and culture introduced a lot of new and contemporary ideas into the community, like getting out of the streets and turning toward non- violent, non-illegal activities. This made the originality of hip hop all the more unique. Hip hop started to get popular when DJ’s hosted block parties and numerous people would flock toward the buildings with the thumping music. DJ’s used these gatherings as a way for kids to get out of the streets and give them a way to express themselves without resulting to gangs and violence; basically a place where they could get away. This was one of the first reasons why hip hop started. Some DJ’s that were considered the forefathers of hip hop were: DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash. They were the originators; their influences drew a structure for the hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa was a key figure, he established the “Four Elements of Hip Hop” which consisted of MCing, DJing, B-boying, and graffiti writing. MCing is when people “sing” in rhymes that go with the rhythm of the music. This is known as sampling, or later referred to as rapping. DJing (Disc Jockeying) are the people who make the music by mixing songs and adding their own style to the beat like scratching, and “juggling.” B- boying (break-dancing), the B standing for break, is the physical art branch of hip hop. The term Break-dancing came from the “breaks” and isolations that were in the songs DJ plays. They used the “break” as an opportunity to hit hard with their dance moves. Graffiti writing and street art became the visual art section of hip hop. Graffiti writers would go out and put up their art in public places like subways and empty walls. “Tagging” later emerged out of graffiti where
Aligada 3 people would write their tagging name on various places. These pillars became the foundation of hip hop culture. Hip hop did not just appear out of nowhere into the urban scene, but rather the music evolved from older styles of music like funk and disco. James Brown is even considered a part of the hip hop ancestry. What inspired people toward the hip hop culture was the opportunity to get out of the streets, forget about the hard lives they had, and just be able to have fun and express themselves. A large component to the popularity of hip hop was social class. The majority of the people involved in the hip hop movement when it started back in the 70s were mainly lower class, Black Americans. Living in the Bronx, it gave them something that they could relate to and be a part of. You don’t need to fall under a certain category. It’s something that does not discriminate. In the late 1800s and early 1900s more and more immigrants moved into New York; Irish, Jewish, and Italian communities developed. However more and more diversity began to appear in New York with the rise of the Great migration, African Americans moving north from the south, and the Harlem Renassaince. Afro-Carribean and Hispanic communities also began to form in New York. The Bronx became the third-most-densely-populated county in the United States. After the Great Depression, the Bronx went through hard times in recovery. In the 1950s, the once middle class county turned to a lower class area. Through the 1970s, living in these urban ghettos were hard. It was very easy for young people to get involved in gangs and violence as a way to feel wanted and accepted, but there were better ways of being someone than resorting to violence. DJ Clive “Kool Herc” Campbell, an immigrant from Jamaica began to host block parties where hundreds of people would come and he would play his beats loud for the whole neighborhood to hear. The parties would be filled with dancing, which was where
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Paolo Aligada Paul Lopez Humanities 9/22/10 Hip Hop: A Medium ...

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