I am glad to be hooking into the Hip Hop Nation and I am looking forward to this blog.
I have been a hip hop head since I was 13 and in a lot of hip hop music there is some mythology about the origins of the music style and culture. The best part of the reading for me was how it really gave a clear, historical sense of how hip hop came into existence. Obviously the music and culture have changed greatly over the last few decades, but understanding where it all came from gives me a richer context for evaluating contemporary hip hop. It is a common theme with artists like Public Enemy or Immortal Technique to talk about how hip hop was born out of urban frustration and political resistance. This is true, especially when we hear the voice of Afrika Bambaataa and his active construction of a Zulu Nation and unified black communities. However, it is equally valid to understand that early hip hop was all about the party. Kool DJ AJ said that "I didn't go to a party really to concentrate on [Kool DJ Herc] that much--I went to a party to party" (Ahearn and Fricke 35). I think that it is really easy to get caught up in the idea that people formed this music consciously to subvert white cultural dominance, but we cannot forget that originally hip hop was also about having fun with a community of friends. It is absolutely true that hip hop is as much about rejecting sociopolitical norms and maneuvering within the confines of white supremacy as it is about gettin' down. These competing terms of identity add to the complexity and richness of hip hop that make hip hop studies so compelling.
I really enjoyed hearing the voices of Kool DJ Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash because these are three people who have very familiar names in modern hip hop, but I never really understood there significance until now. It was also impressive to learn about the diverse musical backgrounds and knowledge that people like Afrika Bambaataa used in the early days. Today, a good DJ knows lots of types of music to get the best breaks and samples, and that characteristic seems to be modeled off of these early innovators. One question I was asking was I wonder to what extent similar sorts of proto-hip hop breakthroughs (no pun intended) were happening in other regions of the country, like the West Coast or even places like Chicago.
Finally, I was surprised in Dyson's introduction by how much negativity towards hip hop studies classes and programs exists within the academic community. As a person who grew up loving hip hop, and seeing its influences on literally every aspect of culture today, it is difficult to defend ignorance towards or rejection of hip hop.
Salinas v. Texas
10 years ago
Matt,
ReplyDeleteI was also very surprised with all of the negative issues concerning hip-hop that Dyson was addressing. I never before realized that hip-hop was such a controversial art form. I say "art form" because I believe that it is one. I will be honest and say that it is not my favorite art form but it still should demand respect as a form of expression. Hip-Hop is a culture with a rich and thriving history. You are correct when you say that it has influences on literally every aspect of culture today. I am eager to learn more about this topic!
Stef F.
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThis might be a dialogue between two history students, but I'm curious of your thoughts. History coursework will tell you one should view the past with a sense of continuity, and avoid excessive generalizations about periods as "groundbreaking" or making other broad distinctions. However, looking at the sources from this weeks readings, the NY Times articles and interviews in particular, one could argue that at the point hip hop emerged it was revolutionary in terms of its impact on music and culture. You seem to take the opposing view, that people were perhaps not as conscious of the changes involved. Am I reading you correctly? Or, perhaps is this simply a situation where the only caveat needed is that most observers of the scene were probably more concerned with “getting down” than with emerging forms of expression, making a more balanced view.
-Tom
Hey Tom,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment (you too, Stef). After reflecting a little bit on this during class (and remembering what I actually wrote), I thought I would keep the conversation going.
In my post, I'm not suggesting that the history/origin of hip hop is either, as Dr. Schur put it, revolutionary or evolutionary. In fact, I think that both of those models for understanding how hip hop was started present good cases. And I'm also not suggesting that it is exclusively the case that people just wanted to party, therefore hip hop was created. I think that is far too simple and it may remove some of Bam/Flash/Herc's agency in designing and controlling their early artistic vision and being groundbreaking.
What I am suggesting is that we cannot forget that hip hop was not exclusively in the beginning a nebulous concept that included black unity and anti-establishment trends. In the beginning, hip hop was very much about "the party". I think that when lookink at hip hop, other elements that defined hip hop can be highlighted and the idea of having fun with art and "the party" is not taken seriously as an act of resistance or autonomy. I'm reminded of a piece I read by Octavio Paz called "The Fiesta" which examined the social, economic, and political components of the fiesta in Mexican society. I believe that hip hop should be analyzed in that way, as well.
So that's more of what I was getting at (probably could have said that more clearly in my blog post). But I really was interested in the idea you presented about either the hip hop revolution or evolution. It seems like the case for revolution would be easier to make, and evolution would take some historical investigation, but what about the question of how is hip hop related to the Civil Rights Movement?