Hip Hop cannot be defined as one specific art form or culture. As a whole, Hip Hop is a diverse culture that is made up of all aspects of art. This includes everything from the latest top song on the Billboard Charts to the graffiti seen in subway tunnels. From a culture standpoint, Hip Hop is characterized by free flowing ideas and rebellious mentalities. It cannot be suppressed by its critics because the drive backing its supporters is insurmountable. The defiant nature of its followers allows Hip Hop culture to progress and expand into other aspects of society.
Space/Place
The tunnel going underneath Thirteenth
Street from the main campus to Norman Hall encompasses all aspects of Hip Hop.
The walls are lined with graffiti that varies from "Free Palestine"
to pieces done by legit artists. "Free Palestine" is a representation
of the rebellious nature of people who associate with Hip Hop culture. The
people who wrote this in the tunnel are supporting the revolutionaries in
Palestine. The pieces of art done my legit artists that line the tunnel
represent the free flowing ideas that make up Hip Hop culture. Artists are free
to express themselves in any way they wish, and they use the concrete walls of the
tunnel as their canvas. Being that a large part of Hip Hop originated in
underground clubs and bars, the fact that the tunnel is underground makes it
the ideal spot for people to express their free flowing thoughts and ideas.
I like that you point out that hip hop cannot be defined as one specific art form. I like it because on the one hand, it is true, but on the other, you seem to contradict yourself in the very next sentence :P
ReplyDeleteHip hop is, as you describe here, "art." Of course, that's vague, right? That's where we come in with our qualifying terms "graffiti," "free flowing," "music." Very, very cool.