Some historians claim that hip-hop culture all began with a party on a hot August night in the South Bronx in 1973. DJ Kool Herc connected his parents’ record equipment to a streetlamp and began making what he called breaks. The record contained longer instrumentals. By playing musical interludes over and over again.
The first commercial rap record was released in 1980. rapper’s joy, recorded. Due to its large distribution network and popularity, the song entered the Billboard Top 40.
Soon, hip-hop culture and rap music became a global phenomenon, leading to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary this year.
Today, hip-hop culture and its four main elements: MC (rap), DJ, breaking (dance), and graffiti are staples of youth culture around the world.
The culture and art of hip-hop has not only become a billboard sensation and produced famous artists, but has remained youthful and popular, far beyond its origins.
The social and political power of hip-hop
Scholars of hip hop and pop culture, such as Tricia Rhodes and Richard Eiton, have emphasized the significant social and political power of hip hop.
For example, Ayton explores how black people today and historically have used popular culture and the arts to raise their voices for social and political change through nonpolitical means such as mass movements, riots, and protests. Let’s consider Taka.
Created as an art of resistance by young black people fighting oppression, hip-hop culture has become a hub of resistance struggles around the world.
As commemorated in a radio documentary about the rap group Public Enemy, Public Enemy leader Chuck D once famously said that rap music was “the CNN of black people.” He believed that rap functioned similarly to news channels by “informing people, connecting people, and being a direct source of information.”
Connect people and bring issues to light
For decades, hip-hop artists have used their power as stars of popular culture to influence the political realm. Research on the history and power of hip-hop is increasingly developing as scholars begin to focus on its power to inspire young people and influence social change.
Hip-hop is used for therapeutic purposes, helping to give young people a sense of self and community. Young people have used hip-hop in their communities to highlight important social issues and demand change.
Young people around the world use hip-hop as both a vehicle and fuel to fight for social and political change.
raise your voice
There are also many Indigenous artists who use rap music to engage in Indigenous resurgence and speak out against colonialism and racism.
Artists such as Snotty Nose Lesbian Kids, a rap duo from British Columbia’s Haisla Nation, combine socially conscious rap lyrics with music and dance from their culture, and express their interest in the policies of colonial Canada. They often question social issues and demand change in social issues.
Their music video for “I Can’t Remember My Name” is interspersed with footage of performers ditching their Western suits and people dancing in traditional regalia. Lyrics like “I’m taking the dirt off my shoulders” blend traditional customs with hip-hop culture.
Forming a hybrid identity, an outlet for stress
Scholars Mela Sarkar and Dawn Allen show that Quebec-based Haitian, Dominican, and African rappers have struggled with migration, the globalization of youth culture, and institutional barriers such as poverty and racism. In it, we document how rap music is used to build communities and forge hybrid identities.
In Toronto, several organizations offer after-school hip-hop programs to help young people find a positive outlet for stress.
Toronto hip-hop artists are using their art to challenge dominant stereotypical narratives about Black and racialized communities and highlight issues such as racism, poverty, violence, and drug use. focuses on social issues. For example, RISE Edutainment provides Black youth with a community that uses art as a way to understand systemic inequality.
Classic: “Jamaican Funk Canadian Style”
A series of special events, including concerts and festivals, are being held to commemorate this important anniversary in hip-hop history.
The 2023 Juno Awards will celebrate this anniversary by showcasing talented rappers north of the border, including Mitchie Mee, the first Canadian MC signed to an American record label, and her hit songs They played “Jamaican Funk Canadian Style.”
have a positive impact on young people
For the past 50 years, hip-hop has had a positive impact on young people. Young people have resonated with that message and found comfort and solidarity in the community hip-hop creates.
This culture has grown and spread over the past half century and shows no signs of stopping.
Hip-hop’s message of empowerment and the platform it provides to marginalized communities means we can expect a new revolution in 50 years.