By Wisdom B

First of all. What is hip-hop?



Hip-hop is a cultural phenomenon that was formed by young black and latino children living in the South Bronx, New York City, in the era of the 70s. Because of the poor conditions of the community, the urban youth did not have the luxury to participate in safe, top-notch activities. Instead, the youth had to turn to the streets for entertainment. This was a time that disco music was popular in the black community. The youth made several attempts to be a part of the disco culture but was not openly welcome into the disco clubs. The urban youth needed a solution for how they can express themselves freely, without any restrictions! And this is how hip-hop started, house parties and park jams. All thanks to DJ Kool Herc. We will get into that history later on in the series.

When it comes to the elements of hip-hop culture, there is a standard of four of them; Emceeing, Deejaying, B-Boying, and Graffiti Art. These elements are all forms of expression for hip-hop culture. They represent the keys that make the culture complete. Each element is a form of self-expression, a lifestyle, showing pride and way of communicating.

Emceeing

Emceeing, also known as Rapping is the act of uttering words and phrases in a way that captivates a crowd. The emcee is the one who controls the microphone as well as the crowd and is also known as the Master of Ceremonies. Most of the time, emceeing is done in the form of rhyming. In the early stages of hip-hop, the only way to hear an emcee in action was if you went to the park jams and house parties. Having pride is a key characteristic for an emcee. The emcee is responsible for pushing a message to the crowd, and if they are not dropping a message they got to be able to rock a crowd into harmonious bliss.

DJing

If it was not for the deejay (yes in proper context, deejay), hip-hop would have never found it’s spark. The DJ is the one who sets up and promotes the house parties and park jams. The reason why there was a need for park jams and house parties was so the urban youth can have a comfortable platform to express themselves. DJ Kool Herc and his mastery of breakbeat deejaying gave b-boys and b-girls the chance to break, emcees had a reason to hop on the mic and graffiti artists had something to lean on for inspiration. DJs were the original superstars of hip-hop culture.

B-Boying

The mainstream term for b-boying is breakdancing, when in reality relating to the culture of hip-hop, it is the original form of what is known today as breakdancing. Break-boys and break-girls indeed were the body jam rockers of hip-hop shindigs. The fact that dancing is one of our earliest forms of communication shows how b-boying expresses the physical vibe that comes from hip-hop. A person who is a b-boy/b-girl is breaking because they genuinely enjoy doing it. The break of the record is the b-boy and b-girl’s cue to shake the house. Unique styles are inspired by competitive spirits for the sake of just having fun.

Graffiti Art

Graffiti artists have to be one of the strongest people of hip-hop culture. They literally risk their safety and freedom to express themselves on walls worldwide. Imagine how it was for them in the streets of the Bronx in the 70s? Climbing buildings and crawling subway tunnels in the wee hours of the night and morning. Law enforcement labeled graffiti art as vandalism while the youth of the South Bronx called it art. To be considered a graffiti artist, you have to master the skill of penning your expression. The graffiti that decorated the borough of The Bronx was a statement. A statement that expressed the influence of deejays, b-boys, and emcees. And today, graffiti art is an automatic reminder of hip-hop culture for the entire human family.

“Just because you break or you emcee does not mean that you are true hip-hop. It means you are a b-boy, b-girl..you’re a part of hip-hop. If you emcee..you’re apart of the culture. But those who are serious hip hoppers, citizens of hip-hop culture, you ain’t gotta rap…you ain’t gotta do nothing. All you gotta do is love hip-hop. That it’s. You love what you do. And it’s hip-hop.”- KRS-One



Previous articles:

Pay Homage To The Pioneers

Why You Should Know Your Hip-Hop History

(Source: oldschoolhiphoplust.com)