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Sandy

Sandy Recently, I took a walk around the floor on which I live and asked anyone who I found for their definition of “hip-hop.” I wasn’t able to ask everyone on the floor, but I really didn’t need to either. From the 15 or so people I asked, I got a similar answer, and each was that which I expected to hear. Some of my floormates thought that hip-hop was rap music, others said it was both rap and R&B, and only one person had a good idea of what it actually is. Hip-hop is a culture, and there is a common misconception that hip-hop refers solely to a genre of music. The dictionary definition of hip-hop is “a subculture especially of inner-city youths whose amusements include rap music, graffiti, and break-dancing” (Mish 549). This is a pretty accurate definition of hip-hop. There is a lot more to hip-hop but the dictionary does a good job of giving it a brief definition. The definition explains why I know what hip-hop really is and also why I’m bothered when someone thinks hip-hop is the same as rap. I grew up and have lived my entire life in New York City, perhaps the most urban and diverse place to live in on Earth. It’s not possible for a teenager to be more exposed to hip-hop than he is in New York City. I’m also a youth, and people in my age group are more exposed to the culture than those of any other age group. Hip-hop is simply more appealing to young people, but this is not to say that adults can’t like hip-hop as well. My roommate said that he wishes he could know more about hip-hop, but where he’s from it’s simply not possible. He has been exposed to hip-hop more in the past two months than in the eighteen years of his life before that, simply because he has me for a roommate. This came as somewhat of a surprise to me, because I never knew that hip-hop was so non-existent in suburbs such as Mansfield, PA, where my roommate is from. My roommate is definitely not the only person at Penn State from a suburb, so there are many other students here who know even less about the culture than him. My goal, therefore, is to inform these people about hip-hop enough so that they realize there’s a lot more to it than just rap music. In New York City and other urban areas, hip-hop can be seen just about anywhere you go. It can be heard on the radio, seen in the way people dress and talk, and rap can be purchased anywhere music is sold. New York has numerous nightclubs, stores, and even neighborhoods which are very hip-hop oriented. One reason New York has so much hip-hop is because the city is where the culture originated. New York also has a very large minority population, and hip-hop has its origins in neighborhoods populated almost entirely by Latino, Afro-Caribbean, and African American people (Watkins 65). With the exception of students from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New York City, Penn State students come from mostly white, suburban towns and neighborhoods in Pennsylvania and around the United States. Exposure to hip-hop in these locations is very limited, if not non-existent. Access to rap music is also more difficult. Even when it’s possible, people generally don’t know and haven’t heard enough about hip-hop to have much interest in it. Someone may see rap albums for sale in a music store, but they have never heard of any of the rap artists due to their lack of exposure to the music. There are four basic types of people that make up hip-hop: the rapper, the DJ, the graffiti artist, and the b-boy, which is someone who break dances (www.playastyle.com). A person may be just one of these, but can also be all four. Rap stands for “rhythmically accentuated poetry,”(www.playastyle.com) and it refers only to the genre of music. Most people, including those I spoke with on my floor, know or have a good idea what rap is. Hip-hop is the term that gives people trouble. Only one person I asked, an African American male from Philadelphia, knew the four elements which make up the hip-hop culture. My roommate had no idea how to define it, although he knew rap was hip-hop. When a person says rap music is hip-hop, they are right. Those who think hip-hop is rap music, however, are wrong. Hip-hop is NOT a genre of music. The people who think hip-hop is just music should to be informed, and not only for my personal satisfaction. Hip-hop culture is very prevalent in society today and can no longer be ignored. Rap albums are selling millions more copies than ever before and the genre of music has overtaken rock & roll as the most popular among teenagers. It is quite common now to see a hip-hop album at the top of the charts, whereas it was not 5 years ago. MTV makes it obvious just how prominent hip-hop culture has become. It used to be that rock and pop music was all you ever saw or heard about on MTV. The channel is now dominated by hip-hop, with rap videos, R&B videos, and hip-hop related shows being shown for a majority of the day. Hip-hop is also starting to more greatly influence the cinema. The renewal of black filmmaking has been made possible by the innovations and growing popularity of the hip-hop movement (Watkins 165). More importantly, it forged new territories and spaces for African Americans to assert greater control over the shaping and reshaping of the popular culture scene (Watkins 166). Producers of movie soundtracks also always want rap artists to record songs. Not only does this boost the sales of the soundtrack, it attracts more African Americans and Latinos to their movies. Not only have the sales of rap albums greatly increased, rap stars are recognized by far more people than ever before due to their increased exposure. Because there are so many students at Penn State from suburban areas at Penn State, not much hip-hop culture is evident on the campus. Many students from urban areas know the culture all too well, however, and represent it in all that they do. I’m not attempting to force the hip-hop culture upon anyone. It’s not going to be for everyone and I understand that. I still feel that those who have hardly been exposed to it should at least know what it actually is. In my opinion, hip-hop is a great culture that is finally getting some of the recognition and exposure it deserves. Although many great underground rap artists don’t get much radio airplay or many television appearances, it is still good to see and hear commercial rap stars on television and on radio stations throughout the country. Hip-hop is a culture that I think some Penn State students would like more if they knew more about it. I already feel like I’ve accomplished something. My roommate bought his first rap CD the other day because he had heard me playing it and liked it a lot. I think others might do the same if they took the time to learn a little more about hip-hop. If not, at least they will know that hip-hop is a lot more than just rap music. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1233