Introduction
The history of Hip Hop generally defines numerous social and cultural aspects of music development in the USA. The fact is that, this music style entails numerous directions, such as rapping, DJing, sampling, scratching and beatboxing, nevertheless, these genres and sub-genres do not restrict the further development, and hip hopping is also featured by extensive joining and interconnection of these directions. The fact is that, the history of hip hop emerging is covered with numerous questions, as the uniqueness of this genre raises too much questions. Some of them are closely related with the place of hip hop appearing, including the aspects of cultural environment, where hip hop appeared. The issues of the national and global forces are also rather interesting, and their understanding may be used for the research of the future of music culture in the world.
The second part of the paper will be mainly focused on the issues of relations of sexuality and hip hop. The main question will be: “how does the class material complicate both critiques and defenses of sexism, misogyny, and homophobia in hip hop?”, – as the key values of this relation is the broadness of the discussion of this matter.
History of Hip Hop
The historical origins of Hip Hop are closely related with the creation and travelling of the African-American singers, and their vocal traditions, as the firs instances of hip hop were sung a cappella. The first mentioning of hip hop appearance is mentioned in 1970s, when block parties gained their popularity in New York. This appearance is closely associated wit the increasing influence of African-American, Jamaican and Latino groups, and these parties included mainly DJs, who preferred playing various popular music. The most popular genres were soul and funk. Then, DJs started experimenting with sound, and began isolating the interaction of popular songs and genres. Thus, the dub technique was invented, which was rather popular within Jamaican musicians. The immigrant community brought the new tendencies of dubbing and sampling, and this is regarded as the beginning of hip hop culture. As it is emphasized in Ramsey (26):
Dub music had become popular in Jamaica due to the influence of American sailors and Rhythm & Blues. Large sound systems were set up to accommodate poor Jamaicans who could not afford to buy records and dub developed at the sound systems. Because the New York audience did not particularly like dub or reggae, Herc quickly switched to using funk, soul and disco records. Because the percussive breaks were generally short, Herc and other DJs began extending them using an audio mixer and two records.
Thus, the history of hip hop emerging end development is rather extensive, nevertheless, the original value of this music is in its social influence, and the aspect of social forces, associated with hip hop and the representation of the most popular issues in it.
Social Forces
Considering the fact that hip hop was the child of African-American singers, the issues and themes, which were raised in the texts and music themes were closely associated with the lives of African-American districts, gangs, sorrows of black skinned people in the USA and in the world in general. The singers did not have to invent the topics, as some were former gangs themselves. Thus, as it is emphasized by Flores (37):
Often these were collaborations between former gangs, such as Afrikaa Bambaataa. Melle Mel, a rapper / lyricist with The Furious Five is often credited with being the first rap lyricist to call himself an “MC.” During the early 1970s breakdancing arose during block parties, as b-boys and b-girls got in front of the audience to dance in a distinctive and frenetic style. The style was documented for release to a worldwide audience for the first time in documentaries and movies such as Style Wars, Wild Style, and Beat Street.
Consequently, the original value of this music culture was the unification of the African-American part of the USA. Moreover, this statement clearly defines the aspect of place factor. Bronx can not be imagined without gangs and criminals, and hip hop itself often reflects the criminal life in the texts and intonations. Moreover, criminals themselves value hip hop highly, consequently, this influential force became interconnected with the life in criminal districts. (Rose, 49) Gangs have created their own direction of hip hop, and hip hop is uniting gangs, provides emotional support for African-American population and is the object of pride for gangs, and black skinned Diaspora in general.
Gender and Sexuality in Hip Hop
Originally, these issues have raised too much arguments on the matters of hip hop in general, an thee values, which it provides. In accordance with hip hop videos, this music is closely associated with the image when one male is surrounded with several semi-naked girls, which look rather available, and tolerate all the possible violence towards them. As Rebecca Hagelin, a vice-president of The Heritage Foundation stated in one of the interview, this originally can not be tolerated Flores (189):
Why do we as a nation produce and embrace a pop culture that glorifies rap and hip how music that teachers men to prey upon women and engage in senseless violence? And that is no, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s recent survey on media and youth, the number one music choice of teenagers from all racial backgrounds and socio-economic status? Mind you, I’m not advocating government censorship, but rather pleading for social and parental rejection to replace the current proliferation and acceptance of such barbaric and destructive messages.
Thus, the position of the community, which is responsible for the cultural development is clear. Nevertheless, this tendency is definite, as women and violence are the integral part of the criminal life, thus, the music is romanticizing the life in African-American criminal districts. Nevertheless, there are also female hip hop singers, who are initially not able to proliferate violence towards women. On the other hand, these singers look like females and behave like males, revealing strong character and precise determination to be the initiators of social changes. Thus, Davis (130) emphasizes the appearance of Latifa hip hop singer: “With her hair and sexuality tucked underneath crowns, knee-high boots, and military garb trimmed with kente, she tore up every single track.” On the other hand, she does not address the popular issues of white feminism and black womanism and sexism, which most listeners expect to hear in her lyrics. Nevertheless, she had previously refused from these themes, and her album “Nature of a Sista” was full of themes of love, loneliness and relations. She became the first popular hip hop singers, who rejected to raise the common themes for hip hop, and claimed for the changes in the minds of the people.
Additionally, there is a gay hip hop singer Caushun. The fact is that, ap music, and hip hop in particular is regarded as the most homophobic music in the world, nevertheless, Caushun is gaining popularity, and he does not believe that his sexual orientation will prevent his songs from playing on MTV or selling a million of his records. As it is stated in the New York Times, he wishes to be the mainstream of the hip hop culture. All the hip hop singers are putting their sexuality out, and Caushun is not an exception. He wishes to put his sexuality out and reveal the themes of homosexuality in the lyrics and the music in general. (Toure, 3) On the one hand this sounds ridiculous, as hip hop community will not accept such singer, and conservative hip hop fans will not maintain this beginning. On the other hand, the USA is aiming to reduce thee rates of homophobia within the American society, consequently, Caushun will be helpful enough in proliferating the aspects of homosexuality and tolerance to these issues.
The general issues of sexuality in hip hop are generally associated with the background of every particular singer. The opinions are extremely different, and while admirers of hip hop music and culture in general accept and think over the issues, proliferated in the songs, the American community (mainly conservative) claims that the aspects of sexuality in hip hop are too evident. Thus, in accordance with Dr. Ben Chavis, CEO of the Russell Simmons hip hop Summit Action Network: “The truth is, misogyny is not a hip hop created problem. Misogyny is a deep-seated problem that is embedded in the historical evolution of the United States as a nation.” (Denean, 45) The others strongly believe that the problem is struggled ineffectively, as only the tops are cut, while thee roots continue living, and giving new sprouts. Anyway, the entire culture can not be removed, as this has become the integral part of American life, and pop culture can not be imagined without hip hop singers. Nevertheless, the themes and issues, which are raised by them, should be subjected to essential reconsideration. Surely, most of the commentaries are too categorical, nevertheless, the roots of these opinions are clearly defined, as the first association, which hip hop raises in minds, is sexism, violence and misogyny. And then it may be love, loneliness, homosexuality tolerance and others.
Conclusion
Finally, there is strong necessity to emphasize that the original values of hip hop music are covered in its extensive influence on the entire American culture. The social forces, which originated the appearing of hip hop as the distinct culture were powerful enough for forming not only the cultural development of the African American population, but also define the ways of hip hop development in future. The history of this music is closely linked with the values of criminal life, nevertheless, in order to remove sexism and violence from lyrics, and change the entire hip hop culture some singers totally changed the values, proliferated by hip hop. Thus, these may be love and loneliness, relations and homosexuality, poverty and destiny. The aspects and themes depend on the cultural background of a singer, consequently, there is no necessity to remove the entire culture from lives of numerous Americans.
Works Cited
Davis, Eisa. Sexism and the art of Feminist Hip Hop Maintenance. To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism. 2009.
Denean, Sharpley, I’m a Hustla, Baby’: Groupie Love and the Hip Hop Star. Pimps Up, Ho’s Down: Hip Hop’s Hold on Young Black Women.
Flores, Juan. From Bomba to Hip-Hop: Puerto Rican Culture and Latino Identity. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
Ramsey, Guthrie P. Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2003.
Rose, Tricia “Cultural Survivalisms and Marketplace Subversions: Black Popular Culture and Politics into the 21st Century,” Language, Rhythm and Sound: Black Popular Cultures into the 21st Century.
Toure, “Gay Rappers: Too Real for Hip Hop,” New York Times (2003).