Hip Hop's Evolution: Society and Cultural Transformation

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After concluding how some forms of hip hop can shape society, the ways societal attitudes shape hip hop must be addressed. In the introduction of his book Noise and Spirit, Pinn outlines the evolution of hip hop from the cultural form that brought identity to enslaved African Americans in the form of spirituals to current rap music which celebrates individuality and materialism (Pinn 3). Through this analysis, Pinn contends that hip hop sustained its commitment to combatting racial discrimination and other forms of oppression, but over time the societal attitudes and the subjects of oppression have shifted (Pinn 2). Similar to the racism explored by Pinn, homophobia is neither universally endorsed nor rejected by society. In 2001, the Pew Research Center reported only 35% of people supported same-sex marriage, however; in another poll fifteen years later, 62% of Americans reported to support the legalization of same-sex …show more content…

It is important to understand that the generalizations made in this essay are not an attempt to address all of hip hop and religion, but serve to outline possible reasons how some forms of hip hop and religion promote societally accepted roles and change as societal attitudes change. By addressing the similarities and differences in how Macklemore and Bizzle portray their oppression, the influence of societal change on hip hop and the use of hip hop to institute societal change become evident. Given the ways people use hip hop to propagate their often contradictory beliefs, it can be concluded that as societal attitudes towards some marginalized groups change, hip hop artists will use their linguistic and cultural platforms to express their dissatisfaction with society and discuss themes currently underrepresented in hip

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