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

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break-dancing was born. There were a lot of non-violent competition between MC’s, DJ’s, and
b-boys. Hip hop became a way for the youth culture to express themselves through dance, music
and art. It was a way for people to get away from the streets, forget about their hardships, and
basically have a good time. It is probably safe to say that this is where hip hop began to bloom.
Hip hop is definitely one of the fastest growing social movements in history; only 40
years ago beats were being played on private sound systems, now it is a worldwide phenomenon.
“Its influence on western society is far reaching and hip hop is often referred to as a
‘culture’”(Smith). Hip hop culture is seen everywhere, from entertainment, to fashion, to
language. Hip hop has now become implanted in western culture, more specifically in the
United States. By the 1980s, hip hop and rap was booming across the nation. One song that is
said to have introduced the world to rap was “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang. This
was an important event in hip hop history, this placed hip hop in the world spotlight. Hip hop
and rap just kept growing and growing in popularity. MC’s were later referred to as rappers, and
they rapped about a wide variety of issues. However hip hop was no longer just for having fun
and dancing around, it turned into a way of expressing their views and opinions on cultural
issues like the life in the ghetto, government/the police, and gangs.
Hip Hop culture when resolutely cultivated, potentially serves as a redemptive
artistic and intellectual vantage point from which the socio-politically oppressed,
the culturally marginalized . . . the globally dispossessed, the racially outcast . . .
the wretched of the earth . . . can critically engage an oppressive society (Stover).
This is considered socially conscious hip hop. This was mostly articulated through graffiti and
rapping. One of the earliest examples of socially conscious hip hop was the song “The Message”
by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This song demonstrated how life was to live in the
lower class, the ghetto, and dealing with the police. This was a turning point in hip hop. The