>As far as I can remember hip-hop is a cultural movement
>(analogous to rock and roll in the fifties) while rap is simply
>a form of music. The primary elements of hip-hop seem to
>be cultural cross-pollination, societal marginalization and
>opposition to the dominant culture. There's also a lot of talk of
>racial harmony, anti-consumerism and weed as well as more
>than a hint of spirituality (surprisingly often Islam) and talk of
>social change.
Hip-hop as a cultural movement (of which rap is a part) is true. It began in
the mid-70's as a creative outlet--and alternative--to the gang-banging of
the South Bronx. Of course, guys like Afrika Bambaataa blur the line because
he was a member of a gang called the Black Spades, but his later Zulu Nation
was a conscious effort at artistic expression. Anyway, hip-hop began as
graffiti tagging, breakdancing, and DJing street parties and such. Rapping
(or MCing, as it was called then) came a little later with guys like Melle
Mel, but it was generally included with MCing as part of hip-hop's musical
backbone.
What hip-hop became after mainstream co-optation in 1979, however, is
anyone's best guess. Cultural cross-pollination has probably existed since
the US was settled, so I'm reluctant to include that as a distinctive
element of hip-hop. As far as marginalization and opposition to the dominant
culture are concerned, well that may make good copy, but I don't think the
rap music I've heard for the better part of this decade is opposed to the
dominant culture, so much as it panders to it. In fact, most of the
post-Dre, post-Massa P rap that I've heard seems to have far more in common
with the Zip Coon minstrel tradition than any sort of real oppositional
force. If hip-hop represents anything to me it's lost opportunities for
substantive musical expression. The advances made by Ice Cube, PE, EB &
Rakim, Tribe Called Quest, the B-Boys, etc. have fallen on not-so-def ears.
Hell, Run-DMC's first album sounds postively revolutionary these days.
Speaking of which, your buddy's call for racial harmony was one of the early
signifiers of rap music. In fact, listen to Run-DMC today and you might be
surprised at how often this subject was reiterated. I think after NWA, and
definitely after Rodney King, this line of thought seemed terribly
inappropriate. As far as anti-consumerism is concerned, any musical form
that was based on buying records and cutting them up into dance breaks
(sampling, that is) is, by definition, not anti-consumerism. And weed is
weed. Whatever. In fact, I think Dre's most poisonous contribution to rap
was his advocacy of pot--in the studio. After the success of The Chronic,
all the rap records became slower, phatter, and BORING. If that
motherscratcher is the AOTD, then that distinction doesn't mean a damn
thing.
>Not that anybody I know is wasting their time figuring out
>who's keeping it real and who's not.
Sounds like your buddies have been keeping score pretty well. And trust me,
any academic approaching the subject of rap has to discuss "keeping it real"
whether they want to or not. Me, for instance <g>.
Lance . . .
