The Influence Of Hip Hop Culture

Hip Hop music is arguably the most popular genre of music in modern America. Hip Hop has reached such a huge level that it can not be only defined as a form of music but it should defined as a culture. It is a culture that began throughout the youth of African-Americans in the late 20th century. It began in the inner-cities of New York and it shaped into a culture that allowed the youth of the inner-cities throughout the nation to express themselves and allow them a place in society. Hip Hop began as an escape for the poor and troubled youth in inner cities to have somewhere free and safe from the tough world that they were brought into.
Many argue that in modern America, Hip Hop has not fully kept with its roots of being a safe haven for African-Americans and Latinos in the projects.
Many believe that the core beliefs and culture of Hip Hop has has been taken away from the African American community by “corporate” America and that the culture needs to stay in the black community. This is a widespread debate among the African American community and in some ways, I believe they are right. Although, I also believe that to understand the true meaning of Hip Hop culture would be to not limit the culture to only one race. I believe that Hip Hop belongs to those who are oppressed and …show more content…
Many say that it was a young African-American DJ known as Kool-Herc who created Hip Hop and he birthed the art at his younger sister’s halloween party (Blanchard, 2). This may be true, but elements of Hip Hop has been prominent in African American culture since slavery. Some say that Hip Hop art form of rhyming and wordplay was part of African culture and it was the oral tradition to the tell stories through the use of rhyming and using a rhythm. The form they used is referred today as “Spoken Word”. It is often seen as synonymous with Hip Hop and is very relevant in the African-American even