12.07.2007

A Way of Life






Hip Hop did not start as just music and as it grew it became more and more about the lifestyle that came along with the music. Hip Hop is not just a sound, it is a way of life. It is a culture all in itself. It is made of a type of people, who listen to a type of music, who talk a certain way, who dress a certain way and who are then viewed a certain way.

The culture of Hip Hop includes various aspects other than rap. Graffiti, DJing, Break Dancing, Baggy Attire, all come with the territory. They are all aspects of the culture that are influenced by or influence the music. They all work together to create a foundation that becomes more than music, they become an entire culture.

One of the most influential divisions of Hip Hop would be Graffiti. Some say it was graffiti that inspired the music and other say it is vice versa. In which ever direction, graffiti has always played a strong role in the culture from its criminal minded beginnings to its luxurious sales as modern art. It began as a way to mark territory but led to an entire way of life. Graffiti on subway cars was a language that only other graffiti artists could read. And like rap, you have to be apart of the experience to truly understand.



"Author Richard Goldstein from the Village Voice wrote an article that associated graffiti and rap music for the first time. He stated that graffiti and rap music's origins were coming from the same evolving culture."

Graffiti rapidly rose and spread all over the city. As expected, the city did not see this as art, they viewed it instead as defacing of public property, which in fact could be understood. The city had to spend huge money to battle the war of graffiti artists. As of today, the city has spent millions of dollars to end graffiti. But ironically enough, its being sold for up to that much as well.



(Super Famous Sprayer - Andy Warhol)



Breakdacing is another face of Hip Hop. It began when "breaking" was created. Breaking is the way DJ's stop and start music at a certain beat. Dancers with the ability to move to those broken beats are called Break Dancers. Break Dancing and Hip Hop have had a very tight relationship because it is because of breakdancing that another division of the culture is created, the attire.
In order to break dance, dancers needed to dress in baggy attire to assure comfort that was needed to move in the utmost creative ways. Since then, baggy clothes has been connected to Hip Hop.






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