Hip Hop as a Subculture in Australia - Essay Example

Music (Hip Hop) as a Subculture in Australia Introduction This essay is about the concept of culture and how it is concretely expressed within the context of the hip hop music subculture in Australia. The essay examines three fundamental issues related to the subject of culture as applied to the Australian hip hop subculture. First, the essay revisits the various definitions of the concept of culture and how the concept arises from and is related to the society. Secondly, the essay evaluates how the hip hop music subculture of Australia is constructed through the major components of culture which include the following: values, norms, language, symbols, artefacts and practices. Thirdly, the essay examines how the hip hop subculture of music in Australia differs from the mainstream culture in the country and whether the subculture challenges or reinforces the status quo. The Concept of Culture Culture is defined as a collection of values, beliefs and practices that people who live in common geographical location believe in and ascribe to (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 144). Furthermore, culture is described as the sum of all social aspects of life that are shared by people and are passed down from one generation to another (Kendall 2016, 81). What this definition and description of the concept of culture means is that culture encompasses various aspects of human life in the society. More importantly, this definition and description of the concept of culture indicates that the concept is tied to the society. A society is defined as a group of individuals who live in a common geographical location and share values, beliefs and practices (Kendall 2016, 81). Hence, culture is part of the society because it covers the various beliefs, values and practices that people who belong to any given society share. Culture is normally defined in terms of the following components: language, symbols, values, norms, artefacts and practices (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 144). These components cover the material and non-material aspects of culture. For example, the artefacts and symbols that are used in any given society may be physical objects or non-material ones. Moreover, values, beliefs, norms and practices represent the non-material aspect of the concept of culture. The Hip Hop Music Subculture in Australia One of the components of the concept of culture is language. In general, language is defined as a system of symbols that are used by people for communication (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 148). People in any given society communicate with each other because they understand and use a common system of symbols or a language. Thus, language plays a central role in not only facilitating interpersonal interaction within a society but also in defining the specific attributes of any given cultural group (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 148). For the Australian music subculture, members use specific languages to communicate with each other and express their membership to the subculture (Henry 2006, 113). In the most common Australian hip hop subculture, it is observed that members use Australian English to communicate with each other (Henry 2006, 113). Moreover, the hip hop artists who compose songs that are used in the subculture use Australian English (Mitchell 2003, 4). The use of this language for communication as well as the development of music is associated with one of the most important values of the subculture: being authentic (Mitchell 2003, 4). Individuals who belong to the subculture are obsessed with the idea of one remaining true to their heritage. Therefore, by using Australian English as the main language for communication and composing music, members of the subculture express their originality. Values and beliefs form another important component of culture. Values refer to the set of standards that are used to determine actions that are right or wrong in the society (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 150). This means that values are sets of principles or standards that individuals in any given society use to regulate their behaviour. On the other hand, beliefs are the outlooks or perceptions of the people towards the world (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 150). It is common for people in any given society to hold similar views about the world as well as use similar standards to gauge their behaviour and actions. The Australian hip hop subculture, like any other form of culture, is characterised by specific values and beliefs. One of the values that are commonly shared by members of the subculture is the need to remain authentic and denounce all other standards that are considered foreign (Henry 2006, 114). It is noted that members of the Australian hip hop subculture are keen to denounce aspects of the hip hop culture in other countries like the United States in a bid to remain original to their identity as Australians (Henry 2006, 114). Apart from the need to remain authentic, members of the Australian hip hop subculture believe in the need for their emancipation (Arthur 2006, 142). It is noted that the belief in the need for emancipation and empowerment that is common in members of this subculture arises from the history of the young people who belong to the group (Arthur 2006, 143). Many members of the group are non-Anglo immigrants who eschewed the values of American hip hop and chose to develop a new set of values and beliefs that they consider is representative of their local identity (Arthur 2006, 144). Symbols form another important component of the concept of culture. Symbols are defined as the objects or things that are used by members of any given culture and which are considered to represent specific values, beliefs or other attributes (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 146). This definition implies several things about cultural symbols. The first one is that symbols are normally physical objects or things that the members of the society are familiar with. The second implication is that members of any given culture are familiar with the objects that are used as symbols and use them in their daily lives. The third one is that people of any culture understand the meaning or symbolic implication of using the objects. The Australian hip hop subculture has several symbols. For example, members of the group adopt the dressing style of hip hop artists in the United States as one of the things that define their identity (Baker and Robards 2016, 170). Another common symbol that members of the subculture use is jewels. Mostly, individuals who belong to the hip hop subculture wear jewels in the form of finger rings and necklaces to symbolise their values and sense of identity (Baker and Robards 2016, 170). What is important to note is that the use of specific dressing styles by individuals who subscribe to this culture underscores their understanding of the symbolism of the dressing style, the use of jewels and body graffiti. Practices form another important component of culture. Every culture has its unique set of practices that individuals who subscribe to it uphold (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 148). The practices of members of any society vary from the normal daily activities to special events that are related to the ethos and values of the society (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 148). In this case, the individuals who belong to the Australian hip hop subculture uphold various practices that are related to their beliefs, values, hopes and expectations. It is noted that one of the major practices of individuals who belong to this subculture is involvement in politics as a way of gaining emancipation (Minestrelli 2016, 24). The need for emancipation that is exhibited by the people who belong to the subculture is based on the observation that most of the members of the group come from the less wealthy social classes in urban areas (Minestrelli 2016, 24). Moreover, many individuals who belong to this subculture engage in gang-related activities (Dominello 2008, 42). Thus, the social and economic conditions of many of the people who belong to these cultures necessitates their desire to change their condition. Consequently, engagement in politics and other activities that are considered to have the potential to change the plight of individuals who belong to the subgroup are the key practices that define the subculture. Apart from practices, any cultural group is characterised by the existence of norms and mores. Norms are the expectations that the entire society has on its members regarding how the members ought to behave in various circumstances (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 153). Thus, norms show the prescriptions and expectations of the entire society on its members. Separately, mores are the values that are used to guide the moral conduct of the individuals of any given society (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 153). Mores normally develop over the course of time and, as it is the case with the other components of culture, are passed down from one generation to the next (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 153). For this case, the hip hop subculture in Australia is governed by several norms and mores. More importantly, the norms and mores are ingrained in the value system and practices of the members of the group. For example, members of the group expect everyone to use graffiti as a way of showing that they ascribe to the ethos of the group and defy local authorities on certain issues (Dominello 2008, 42). Moreover, it is expected that the artists or rappers of the subculture play leading roles in the process of conceptualising, developing, producing and even marketing their music (Henry 2006, 114). Artifacts are the material things that members of any cultural group use in their lives (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 151). Members of a society identify with the artifacts because they interact with the artifacts in their normal lives (Macionis and Plummer 2012, 151). The Australian hip hop subculture has several material objects that are used by its members. It is important to note that some of the objects that are used as artifacts may also be used as cultural symbols in the society. For example, the jewels and other elements of the dressing style of members of the hip hop subculture are regarded as important materials that the members interact with daily (Arthur 2016, 146). Moreover, the dressing elements of these subculture can be interpreted as forms of cultural symbols because of what they represent to the members of the subculture. Similarly, the instruments that the musicians of the subculture use to produce music such as the Deejaying deck and even music CDs can be regarded as important artifacts as well as cultural symbols of the subculture. This is the case because these materials represent the identity and musical orientation of the individuals who belong to the group. The Australian Hip Hop Music Subculture and the Status Quo A subculture is a distinct group within a larger culture that has its unique cultural symbols, values, practices, norms and other components of culture (Haenfler 2013, 90). In this regard, the Australian Hip Hop subculture has distinct symbols, values, norms, practices, artifacts and a mode of communication. Moreover, members of the subculture are mostly young male Australians who belong to the urban working class (Dominello 2003, 4). This important characteristic explains the motivations that drive many individuals who belong to the subculture. However, it is observed that subcultures tend to coexist with larger cultural groups for long because subcultures do not attempt to disrupt or change the mainstream culture (Burgess 2004, 19). In Australia, the hip hop subculture does not attempt to change the entire society. In fact, the culture only provides a source of solace, identity and an avenue of expression for its members who perceive that they do not fit in the mainstream culture of the country. Conclusion Culture is the way of life of a people who live in a common geographical location. A subculture, on the other hand, is the unique way of life of a small group of people living within the larger society. Thus, a subculture coexists with the mainstream culture and does not necessarily attempt to disrupt it. The Australian hip hop subculture has distinctive beliefs, symbols, norms, practices and modeS of communication. Members of the group rely on their distinctive values, beliefs, norms, practices and symbols to develop a sense of identity and style of living. Lastly, the subculture coexists with the mainstream culture in Australia and it does not attempt to change the status quo. 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