Essay On Commercialization Of Hip Hop

Gradually gaining popularity during the 70s and early 80s, rap finally went mainstream with Sugar Hill’s Rappers Delight in 1979. Though, it was the music video for the song Rock Box by Run-D.M.C. that marked the beginning of a new era for rap—The Golden Age. The focal point of any golden age song was the lyrics. Whether it was Rakim, Kool G Rap, or KRS One, these rappers consistently referenced vast arrays of personal issues as well as those in the black community, ranging from poverty to racism.

Most rap songs had a simple beat with words spoken to the rhythm of the beat. These songs were usually upbeat even when the subject matter was serious. There was the impression or hope that things will get better. Soon, corporate record labels started to repackage rap music as it gained in popularity. The business minded executives were looking to create a wider appeal by erasing hip-hop's historic function.

The introducing of MTV only made hip hop more mainstream. Next were the Beastie Boys were diversified hip-hop by being a white trio who broadened rap’s audience and popularized digital sampling by composing with music and sounds electronically extracted from other recordings. Beginning in 1989 the populur group N.W.A came out with a dynamic album Straight Outta Compton. N.W.A. and former members Ice Cube, Eazy E, and Dr. Dre led the way as West Coast rap grew in prominence in the early 1990s.

Donavan Smith Mrs. Buchanan A3 3/20/2014 Where did hip hop come from? Snoop Dogg once said, “Hip Hop is what makes the world go round.” Hip hop affected the world greatly. Hip hop effected society, fashion, and today’s hip hop. While listening to that catchy song, do you ever wonder where it came from? Hip hop has come a long way from being the most unpopular genre in the early 70’s, to now be the most listened to genre today.

For this reason I believe lyrical skills and the topic of the 80’s music are superior to music of today. These days there are many p... ... middle of paper ... .... Reality television has made hip-hop artist appear unprofessional. Shows such as Love & Hip-hop give a bad look on the hip-hop’s entertainment business and many artist professional lives. The decade of today’s music involves derogatory etiquettes, materialism, advertising of violence and sex.

Rap music continued to blossom after the release of Rapper's Delight. I... ... middle of paper ... ...derived from the hip-hop culture and emulated by others. The hip-hop nation has also incorporated the attire of upper-class Caucasian society as a manifestation of their lack of power in American society. Urban hip-hop artist have been pushing bourgeois brands such as Nautica, Ralph Lauren, and Levi Strauss & Company. As these brands contradict the image of an “urban street king”, the wearing of the brands has been used by the hip-hop generation in order to establish commonalities among various ethnicities and socioeconomic statuses.

This book is appealing to a person who want to know how hip hop has changed in the past decade and it points out many different attitudes toward hip hop in the Unites States. “The Hip Hop Wars What We Talk About - And Why It Matters” by Tricia Rose explores what hip hop has done to society in recent years and what people think it has caused. Though it has become one of the most commercially successful genres in mainstream music Tricia Rose explains that the topics in hip hop music have narrowed. Commercial hip hop mainly consist of black gangstas, thugs, pimps, and hoes. In the book she looks into the different points of views of people who think whether hip hop invokes violence or if it reflects life in a black ghetto and if it slows down advancement for African Americans in US.

It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Because it has become the fastest growing music genre in the U.S., companies and corporate giants have used its appeal to capitalize on it. Although critics of rap music and hip hop seem to be fixated on the messages of sex, violence, and harsh language, this genre offers a new paradigm of what can be (Lewis, 1998.) The potential of this art form to mend ethnic relations is substantial. Hip hop has challenged the system in ways that have unified individuals across a rich ethnic spectrum.

Why is 90s rap considered the “Golden Age” of rap? Is it because of the actual artists, or the violence, trends, and content of the actual music? Considering the 90s, there was a plethora of new sounds and styles of music. Rap was becoming more mainstream. There was copious amounts of controversy, praise, and recognition surrounding rap.

This paper will reflect hip-hop and the music industry. It will give a glimpse in the history of hip-hop. It will show how hip-hop originated and how music has a huge influence in mainstream media. Urban America took fast to the new wave of music and how a person’s personal struggle in life and the street. This will show how the media glamorizes rappers and their celebrity to give a false view of the lifestyle.