Before Hip-Hop, there was chaos and no sense of community within the communities.The new Hip Hop scene allowed a change in lifestyle for many of the people who were once in gangs and wanted something better. When thinking about Hip Hop, specifically when it began it was stated to have four elements, Djing, B-boying, Graffiti, and MCing. Instead of gangs, Dj and dance crews were created, and Hip-Hop became a new way of life. A set of standard norms in expressing Hip Hop, it consolidates it as a culture. Chang stated that in order “for a culture to be a complete culture it should have a music, a dance and a visual art”, and the inclusion of the previous four element further concur with the concept of Hip Hop being a culture. Each element of Hip Hop brought together a community through different forms of expression. People who grew up dancing or started MCing, Djing and just enjoying their craft are expressing who they are. Afrikka Bambaataa, a person considered to be one of the pioneers of Hip- Hop and what it currently stands for, wanted people to consider Hip-Hop to not only become better people in society but also to unite in the name of black solidarity. Bambaataa wanted to remove the portrayal of black people as violent and gang members towards something more positive, hence proclaiming Hip-Hop as a culture. Hip-Hop went on to then influence many great things in society including fashion, movies and just general lifestyles. As a person who grew up in the Bronx, and then going on to take this class I learned how to appreciate Hip-Hop in a different way by allowing myself to see Hip-Hop as more than just the music. Hip-Hop was a movement, that allowed great ideas, people and influences to come out of it. Throughout this website, you will see a plethora of “artifacts” that I think portray the outcome of Hip-Hop very well and what it now means to me.
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