Introduction and the Origins of the Dance Form - Essay Example

Topic: Essay, Sociology of the Institution Topic: Essay, Sociology Introduction and the origins of the dance form The origin of hip hop is attributed to the sufferings undergone by the black race. Race is a highly sensitive and explosive subject and hip hop has become synonymous with the subject of race in US. The African American artists have availed the opportunity through this music form, which has ‘fighting’ notes included in the lyrics, and they find an outlet to assuage the age-old feelings of psychological grudge against exploitation. The outline of this music form has become saturated with caricatures of African American gangsters, pimps and the characters with negative tendencies. It is supposed to depict the violent ghetto culture and project the negative image of sex and hence extremely harmful to the psyche of children and the combustible younger generation. By projecting the problems of the African American with a negative attitude, does hip hop actually help the social cause of African Americans? It appears that hip hop music is irretrievably related to violence. There was violence in the American society before the trend of hip hop engulfed America but hip hop contributed to its acceleration. The hip-hop music is intentionally coded with implied and symbolic meanings and the children are able to catch the hidden meaning of such phrases and begin to use them in their day to day conversations. The top hip-hop artists may not indulge in such negative projects. But with not-so famous artists, who wish to earn quick money through this music form, the downward spiral begins. Thinking on racial lines by an educated hip hop artist is more dangerous than such thinking by an ordinary African American individual. What is disturbing is the manner in which deviance of the African American children and youth is projected through hip hop. The social context in which it emerged The adolescent and young adult generations of black society is caught in the quagmire of mass media portrayal of blacks. Such portrayal highlights negative stereotypes and suggests lesser moral and ethical standards for African Americans compared to that of other American citizens. The vast majority of popular programming displays African Americans in stereotypical dispositions that beg the assumption that blacks gain prosperity through the avenues of sports and entertainment, not education. Thus, many black youth develop unrealistic goals and dreams that lead to dead end lifestyles. Many of the popular television and music attractions aimed towards black audiences promotes the worship of money, drugs, sex, violence, and disrespect to authority. Those themes are in direct conflict with the themes of the “American Dream” which guarantees success to those who strive for education and commit to a lifetime of hard work. Mass media glorification of the black hip hop artist coupled with the seemingly blind eye towards blacks excelling in other areas outside of sports and entertainment is the major point. Hip hop dance form depicts the resentment of the blacks against the prevailing social system that denies them fair opportunities to come up in life as compared to the white race. Who danced this dance? What were they expressing? What do they look like (body)? What does that ‘look’ express? Rap and hip hop music conveys many negative outlooks that can ruin the lives of youngsters. The minds of children are like the potter’s mud and can be given any shape. Once it takes proper form and the mud dries, it cannot be remolded, it can break and the broken pieces are of no use. Whereas it is agreed that the influence of rap music is mostly negative, the experts are not unanimous in their conclusions. The worrying factor is hip hop has become an inseparable part of the popular culture and has made rapid strides since it originated 1970s. A correlation exists between rap music and increase in criminal behavior, sexual activity and drug use. Tricia Rose (2008) opines “A key aspect of much of the criticism that has been leveled at hip hop is the claim that it glorifies, encourages, and thus causes violence…when politically radical hip hop artists, such as Public Enemy, who referred to direct and sometimes armed resistance against racism ‘by any means necessary,’ were considered as advocates of violence” (p.34). Hip hop lyrics prove handy to express the resentment of those who come from broken homes and poor families and at the opportune moments they look up to the rapper and the message of hip hop lyrics becomes their golden rule to follow in life, the rapper becomes the teacher for the children and the role model to be emulated. Their lifestyles become the living culture and every aspect of their life, like the dress, food habits, (like smoking, branded articles etc.) is copied enthusiastically. Children begin to use profanity and wear baggy pants. Girls take to inappropriate dresses. Rose (2008) argues “The criticism that hip hop advocates and thus causes violence relies on the unsubstantiated but widely held belief that listening to violent stories or consuming violent images directly encourage violent behavior”(p.35). Even when it is generally agreed that the negative influences of hip-hop lyrics far outweigh the positive ones, hip hop lyrics are a favorable medium through which the younger generations of African Americans are able to find the channel to ventilate their grievances, especially about their life in the urban environment. Music is a form of expression. It appeals to one’s emotions and heart directly. Rap artists, through songs charged with emotion, try to bring about the negativities and inequalities in the society. Promotion of street gang lifestyles, encourage the children and youth not to co-operate with the law enforcing authorities if they witness a crime, and promote the attitude of rebellion against the established procedures governing the society, are not healthy developments. Hip hop artists overtly and covertly tell the children to drop out from the school and make a career in stardom. The era of “gangsta rap” began with the introduction of Onyxs music video "Throw Ya Guns in the Air". Children are neither good nor bad. Each child is different! But there are many bad parents. During the last 4 decades, hip hop has matured. From individual profiteering it has taken up philanthropic causes. Rapper Ludacris has raised more than $500,000 through his foundation for the underprivileged section of the society, mainly the youth. Murray Forman writes “Rap and hip-hop are, then, inextricably entwined with race, cultural politics, ideology, and communication in contemporary America and in various moments since their inception they have, in fact, been at the center of heated debates in the nation’s notorious “culture wars.”(2010)Many strongly believe that hip hop culture empowers children to the negative lifestyles. What has happened to the form? Who dances this dance now? And what is being sold? Who watches this form? Where is it performed? Who participates? Are they grouping dances or individual? Rose (p.37) writes Social psychologist Carrie B. Fried studied this issue and concluded that the perception of violence in rap music lyrics is affected by larger societal perceptions and serotypes of African-Americans”. Further Murray Forman writes “In still other contexts there is a pronounced commitment to cultural themes and an overt politicized discourse that poses an analytical critique of social issues and concerns, especially those that impact the economically or racially disenfranchised citizenry and the nation’s black communities in particular”.(2010) Albums on such themes have sold well and are still popular. Ludacris was able to sell more than 17 million albums in America and more than 24 million records worldwide. He earned three Grammy Awards. Hip hop impacts the minds of the children on either count, positive and negative. This music system owns the history of four decades. The captains of the music saw their opportunity to exploit on the enthusiasm of the gullible youngsters. Good or bad, hip-hop has come to stay. Role modeling, strictly speaking, does not suppress individualism. It will rather help to develop talents and enable one to attain mastery. But it is damaging, if practiced on an intensive scale, blindly following something without applying the power of discrimination. The mass media needs to discharge its duties with responsibility, and do not become the tools of propaganda in the hands of business tycoons of hip hop. Though it has the tag of the poor class of African Americans, “rap music and hip-hop culture” has grown gigantically. Initially the entire scene of hip-hop was exclusively managed by the African Americans. “Lyricists played supporting roles as ghetto philosophers, telling tales of life, fortune and love, and graffiti artists provided the visual backdrop for hip-hop’s evolution.” (Bynoe…)They used the platform of hip-hop to tell the story of their upbringings and the suffering undergone by their race. “In 1979, Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” hit the radio airwaves.”(Bynoe…) By now hip hop culture was flourishing under the commercial umbrella for about a decade. By the 1980-1990s its commercial exploitation continued by ventures like MTV and by now the white middle class youth had become its ardent fans. “Today it is estimated that 71 percent of rap music customers in America are whites and about 29 percent are African Americans and Latino.”(Bynoe…) The power structure of hi-hop has turned strange and murkier. Most of the custodians and owners of hip-hop industry are whites and African Americans are the employed artists and this configuration can be interpreted as the indicators of ethnic synchronization or the continuation of the age old power configuration in America. Hip-hop is no substitute for hard work. Hip-hop is like the octopus that grows in all the directions. On this stage, there is scope for the talented, intelligent and the one who can highlight the progressive American ideas and ideals. Hip-hop on the other hand, also eulogizes misogyny, drug and crime. What is important is the proper application of hip-hop culture. What can we learn about the social world in which this dance form is practiced? The real issues with the African American community are education, poverty and urbanization. The challenging problems before them are cultural decay, political lassitude and economic decline and the anger of the community erupts at the most unexpected time. African Americans have serious issues to contend with. Some of them are the entertainment industry, drug dealers and disintegration of the family. Time is appropriate for the African American leaders to show zero tolerance to the world of oppression and criticism and lead their people on the correct path. Legislations cannot generate good parenting or completely control the entertainment industry. To create a better position for the blacks all that they want is a chance to revive their neighborhood and culture. Black children are raised and black young men are guided without structure, they are not willing to accept education and settle toward drugs, hustling and gangs. If African Americans people suffered gross injustice in the past, but that does not mean that the present African American generation should retaliate. No useful purpose will be served by taking such a stand. But to say that they should forget the past is not rendering justice to the study of history. The African American people have the constitutional guarantees as for equality on all counts as compared to the whites. The conditions of the African American people are still poor as compared to whites and their position in the American society is not heartening. Rap music is one form of expressing resentment. But whites cannot be blamed entirely for the plight of the African American people. The African American people should realize that efforts for individual perfection and fight for social justice must go on together like a train that speeds on two parallel tracks. Their past should not create any mental blockade for their present progress. The future is more important than what happened in the past. The highest priority needs to be given to the welfare of the family and to bring up the children, meaning, by providing them education of their choice to make them sterling citizens of America. Do not use the issue of race like the stick to beat others, nor should it be used as the self-supporting crutch. African American people should learn to walk independently without seeking the helping hand of others. Hip-hop music can be interpreted in many ways. On the one hand it is glorifying the rich and the artists wear fancy clothes and dance over fast beats to demand the attention of the spectators. This is the immediate purpose for this hip-hop music, and not the ultimate one. What is important is the proper application of hip-hop culture. Hip hop artists exercise tremendous influence on the young kids as they mimic the artists as for their dress, acts and speech. This influence can work in either ways. If the artists use their popularity for good social causes they are likely to command huge following and may serve the greater needs of the society. Unfortunately though, the pendulum of hip-hop swings favoring the negative side of the young kid’s life. Lots of jewelry on the body, spreading the alcohol culture, consumption of drugs, suggestive sex acts and lessons on crime—all these do irreparable damage to the psyche and physical health of the young kids. These provocative agents have the capacity to destroy the life not only of the concerned kid, but the peace of the entire family. Conclusion The wise saying goes ‘lead me from darkness to light’. Viewed from this angle hip hop shows provide broad indications about the goings on in the world. Some songs highlight revolutionary concepts which even a hard core politician would hesitate to articulate. Such songs advise the military to fight for democracy and spend funds on the welfare projects for the benefit of the community rather than waste it on bombarding Iraq and kill the people there. There is an intellectual honesty and thought-provoking passions in the lyrics, which is difficult to ignore. Different types of songs are like the different models of cars. Their color, cost, design etc. may be different. But their energy source is the same—gas, without which they cannot move! Hip-hop music is the energy providing source! The music system has grown in stages in America, and the African Americans are the backbone of this cultural tradition, now in this era of internet revolution, its appeal has spread all over the world and caught the imagination of the younger generation transcending all dividing barriers like race, ethnicity, language, religion, nationality etc. Mainstream hip-hop does not provide the tangible solutions for the crises confronting the African Americans. But it is a great platform to highlight the issues before an audience of all types and some decision makers are bound to be there in the audience and must be doing their arithmetic for finding the solution. The lyrics are the spontaneous outflow of powerful feelings of the dire social, economic and political issues that confront America, the land that swears by the ideal of American Dream. African Americans unfortunately have a self-serving and warped idea of change, and that is visualized under the background of victimhood. Each and every African American needs to think deeply about the message given though the mainstream hip-hop and decide about the individual change plan. Ignore the negative role models and look forward to emulate the positive ones. Bibliography Rose, Tricia (2008) The Hip Hop Wars: What We Talk About When We Talk About Hip Hop— and Why It Matters ; New York: Basic Civitas Books Bynoe, Yvonne. Hip Hop Thoughts – Whgbetc. The Roots of Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture: One Perspective < whgbetc.com/mind/black_state7.html‎>Accessed on March 16, 2014 Forman, Murray. (2010)Conscious Hip-Hop, Change, and the Obama Era. American Studies Journal; Number 54 Read More