Discussing an Article in Popular Culture (Hip-Hop) - Essay Example

In contemporary society, hip-hop has been used as a tool for empowering the youth, airing the grievances of the people, and uniting them.

According to the article, hip-hop began in the streets of South Bronx, New York in the 1970s. This is a time in American history when racism was still a force to reckon with. It was initially popular with the African-American youth with whom it was identified. The term hip hop was coined by Keith Cowboy, a popular figure associated with Furious Five and Grandmaster Flash. After its invention, hip-hop music became so popular especially due to the throwing of block parties which had become a prominent phenomenon at the time.

Later, it transformed from a mere music genre into a culture. This cultural movement was mainly popular with the black youth who were still relying on it for changing societal political, linguistic and artistic thought. Today, it is not restricted to African-Americans only. Instead, it has become an accommodative culture that cuts across the divide. It is used by people from diverse racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds to combat crime and advocate for harmony in their midst.

The article stresses that hip-hop is a very important culture in society. It has a lot of contributions to make not only to the youth but to the entire society. First, it has been used to empower the youth. As a commercial activity, hip-hop has been used by the youth to help them to improve their communication skills and creativity. Meaning, it instills critical life skills into them. These include discipline and hard work. For instance, as artists, they need to come up with strategies to appeal to their fans and satisfy their diverse needs.

Besides, hip-hop culture has been of many benefits to society since it is used to fight the numerous challenges facing different people in society. just like it was done during its earlier stages, hip-hop has helped in advocating for change. Therefore, it has been used by the youth to fight for the availability of shelter, education, and job opportunity, and to narrow the widening rich-poor disparities.

Since it has become a multicultural activity, it can be used to bring together youth from different racial, ethnic, religious, social, and political diversities. Thus, they can find a platform through which they can work as a team. This is because it unites them together.

This demonstrates that hip-hop is no longer the way it used to be before. Unlike the past, when it was associated with socially evil practices such as gang violence, drug abuse, and sexual misconduct, hip hop has transformed (Chang and  Kool, 138). Today, it is heavily relied upon by the youth to fight for the liberation of society from persistent socio-political oppression. This means they are committed to putting the political leaders on their toes to formulate and enforce policies for a common good. It is actually because of such efforts that society is removing the status quo and shifting towards an equal, corrupt-free status.