Hip Hop: the face of black America

One of the weeks readings for the week dealt with issues surrounding the Hip Hop genre as it is celebrating its thirtieth year. Greg Tate considers the way Hip Hop has evolved and changed since it began as an isolated folk culture in Brooklyn and the Bronx. Tate argues for the contradictory nature of todays Hip Hop when comparing it to what the genre stood for when it first developed. Writers such as Tate agree that while Hip Hop still represents Black culture, they are skeptical as to whether hip hop today is still a cultural force or a manufacturing plant for the entertinment industry. They suggest that Hip Hop has developed a novel character as it has entered into the mainstream and secured a place in the global econmy. Tate considers how since the emergence of Hip Hop alot of the power of the genre and all it stood for has been lost as it has been recognised as an opportunity for capital gain. Its emergence was founded on the socioeconomic caste of black people in America and played a significant role in the Black cultural reawakening in the 80's. Hip hops origins are located as part of a political dynamo, a foundation which is unobvious in the representations of Hip hop culture we see today. Today we see the just how commodified the genre has become from signature sneakers to P diddy signing up with Estee Lauder. Although Hip hop has played a positive role in civil rights in the past, the genre has transformed itself from the art form from which it began as the lure of global hyper capitalism appears to have been too strong.