Hip Hop in the African American culture - Essay Example

These four elements include rap music, turntablism, breaking, and graffiti art. African America people find unity in this artifact, which was born in a violent and poverty historical context despite the contrasting method that they use to execute this artifact. This artifact was used to provide a reactionary outlet form the hardships of the African American in the urban. Its main objective was to reflect on the expressions and proclaim an alternative, which would change the mood of poverty and violent environment.

The four elements have enabled the hip hop artifact to remain coherent and stable to the African America culture, thus allowing this artifact to nurture globally in a thriving multitude of different style. The Hip hop artifact was established in South Bronx, New York, City in 1973 by a Jamaican-born Kool DJ Herc. By use of an innovative turntable technique Herc stretched a song drum break by playing the breaking portion of two identical records consecutively at a Halloween dance party, which was organized by her younger sister (Chang, 2005).

Out of this break portion of identical songs was the realization of a new style; ‘break dancing’, which was a style for the Hip hop culture. Extended drum breaks by other DJs in at New York dance parties facilitated the hip hop culture an America. Other seminal turntables DJ dominated the Hip hop scene in New York by mid-1970s. These DJs are DJ Flash, DJ Grandmaster, DJ Afrika Bambaataa, and Herc. The first Hip hop commercially successful hit way ‘Rapper’s Delight’ by the rappers of Sugarhill Gang in 1979.

It is very wrong to insinuate that Hip hop is not a unique and complete African and African American tradition. A majority, if not all, of the African American truly love this art. In the beginning, only the Blacks enjoyed this artifact, but as time goes by, almost all races have embraced this culture by enjoying, buying, and writing of Hip hop music. The rap music is an African oral poetry, which has been traced through jazz, rock, the gospel, and the blues, which originated form West Africa.

A majority of the slaves who worked in America were kidnapped from West Africa. These slaves were those who took the knowledge of jazz, rock, Gospel, and blues, which later gave birth to hip hop. Therefore, it is wrong to say that hip hop is not of an African cultural origin. This is similar as trying to say that jazz, blues, rock, and gospel have nothing to do with black culture. The hip hop godfathers were African American, and thus it is right when one says that Black African masses created this artifact.

The pains and struggles that the African Americans went through was one reason this culture was created. The hip hop music was soulful expression from the hearts of Zulu nations; mostly Black (Anderson, 2003). When they spoke their thoughts the other human races who have ever been subjected to pain would be conscious of their misery through hip hop music. On the other hand, a majority of the breaking moves that commonly used in hip hop come from African-Brazilian art of Capoeria. It is also important to note that graffiti finds its roots from the oldest burners in the world, the Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

The turn table techniques were stated by the African American DJs. For example, Kool Herc had Jamaican roots. Therefore, Hip hop is solely of an African origin and thus Hip hop is Black. Hip hop has turned out to become a massive reality, which has