Analysis of Hip-Hop and Youth Culture

Analysis of Hip-Hop and Youth Culture

Throughout the last twenty-five years, a new form of expression has

continued to evolve. Hip-Hop, once limited to urban music and dance

has become a widespread form of communication exhibited and enjoyed by

young people throughout the world. Hip-Hop is no longer limited to rap

music and break dancing; today it represents a multi-billion dollar

industry that influences everything from fashion to prime- time

television programming, professional sports, mass media marketing and

advertising. Today Hip-Hop is becoming a way of life, a culture that

is intricately woven into every aspect of young people's daily lives.

We may not necessarily be consciously aware of it, but what we are

saying, what we are wearing and our musical; cinematography choices

can be subtly influenced by Hip-Hop culture

This Hip-Hop emerging culture has similarities to other cultures that

have emerged throughout history. Hip-Hop was initially born of the

ability of those early practitioners of rap music, DJ wizardry and

street-corner fashion creation to overcome their inability to gain

acceptance and recognition by the established music, fashion and

entertainment industries.

Further galvanising the fledgling culture was the lack of acceptance

by adult culture, which refused to recognise these newly emerging

forms of expression as legitimate. This was particularly true where

many parents were concerned. Needless to say, if parents and other

authority figures didn't understand Hip-Hop, didn't like it and, in

many instances, admonished young people for embracing it, young people

were even more compelled to further immerse t...

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...is view is indicative of the mindset of many in Hip-Hop culture.

Whether subscribing to the ideology of being "gangsta" or simply being

radical in their thinking and views of the world, the shared theme

throughout Hip-Hop is being "real". It is perhaps in this "being real"

that the culture finds its willingness to be arrogant and unapologetic

in its brazen disregard for anyone that does not appreciate what

Hip-Hop is. Therein also lies some of the confusion because there is

as stated earlier no one consistent theme regarding what Hip-Hop are.

From the "bling-bling" of such Hip-Hop artists as 50 Cent, to the

cross-over influences of Black Eyed Peas and to the pimpish styling of

Snoop Dogg, the themes are as broad and conflicted as the frequent

disagreements and altercations that arise between various camps in

Hip-Hop.