What is Backpacker?
1.
A Backpacker has NOTHING to do with an over obsessive love for the Hip-Hop label Definitive Jux nor are they in any way associated with Hipsters. A Backpacker is just a person who think Rap and Hip-Hop are two different genres. Thinking Rap is about self indulgent wanna be gangstas with a need to show of their shopping list and contribute nothing to the music industry but their idiotic "thug life" ideals. They put all forms of support into Hip-Hop and just love good music in general.
They also love all/participate in all/most sub-cultures of Hip-Hop including the main five elements: Emceeing, DeeJaying (Turntabilism), Graffiti, B-Boying (Breakdancing), and Beatboxing.
And a Backpacker has nothing to do with a persons skin color. Its ignorance like that that belittles the social advances of the last 30 years. Stop listening to your racist redneck father.
Hip-Hop head conscious of the corrupt Rap world = Backpacker
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2.
Backpacker is based on a fashion style popular in the mid to late 90s where people involved in hip-hop wore large backpacks. Originated by graf writers who kept all their cans and nozzles in the packs, the style caught on quick with the suburbanites and rock kids who didn't want to stray too far from their style but still wanted to have a hip-hop flava.
People use it now as a derogatory term for nerd-rappers, hippy-hoppers, and other fringe hip-hop followers, referencing the fact most of the listeners are suburbanites buying or co-opting into a certain style.
It's not about the backpackers or the OG bling blingers, you blind fuck.
3.
Slang term referring to a fan of alternative and underground hip-hop
Little Brother is beginning to appeal to both the mainstream and backpacker crowds
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4.
Backpacker:
1. Originally a coined slang term from the 1980s for a graffiti artist that always kept a backpack on containing his finite music collection and more importantly his rattle cans, markers, and spray tips.
Although, mainly his music collection is what defines him/her as a backpacker. Most likely the music collection will consist of usually local underground rap/hip-hop music artists only. The sub-genre or sub-categoration of the music means nothing, as long as they are a local unsigned (no recording contract) artist.
A backpackers music selections are based upon three principals: 1) no mainstream, 2) you could never buy the music in a store, and 3) the music was given/sold to them "hand-to-hand" from the originating recording artist.
2. Modernly used derogatory term to describe someone who listens ONLY to Independent rap/hip-hop music, specifically (but not limited to) the nerd-rap sub-genre of the rap/hip-hop music. Most often used in reference to (but not limited by) white sub-urbanite rap/hip-hop music listeners that tend to dislike mainstream rap/hip-hop music, specifically (but not limited to) Gangsta rap.
Notes: Many Hip-Hop listeners from the 80s to early 90s agree that since the invention of the Internet, Underground has died along with Backpackers and there three main principals, hence this modernized definition incorporating Independent rap/hip-hop music and locality of artists lost. Hip-Hop listeners with twenty or more years of experience will often disagree on the definition of Backpacker with the new era of listeners who never have experienced hip-hop without the Internet.
Ex. for definition 1:
John 1ner, the local graff kid only listens to music that he buys at shows from local artists, he never buys music from the record store, unless it's in the local section and they are unsigned hype artists.
Ex. for definition 2:
Yo your boy Johny bugs me out with that nerd-rap stuff about comic books and emo relationships, fools such a backpacker, always dissin on Dre and Biggie.
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5.
Person who dislikes Mainstream and Commercial rap a lot.
Person who raps about real life shit that matters and has experienced, rarely about pimping hoes/having millions/selling immense ammounts of drugs/murdering random people for no apparent reason or motive.
Person who is true to himself while rapping and uses his head and heart to write not only a pen and meaningless words.
ME<ME<ME<ME<ME<ME
Backpacker isnt some one who sits infront of the computer and waits for Aesop Rock's "Freeze" to finish loading on his screen while he's browsing the def jux website. that is a fan of backpacker rap
Definitive Jux, Rhyme Sayers, Living Legends, Atoms Family, Orphanage, etc. ppl like that
6.
Someone who can recognize when an artist has dived into capitalistic desires. The person acts accordingly, and listens to less greed-fueled music, essentially, music that is music. Those who critisize backpackers are most likely people who don't understand the industry, and believe that rappers like Eminem actually signify something besides a corporate-controlled "rebellion fix" for teenagers.
The stigma of being a backpacker must be removed. The people need to realize that MTV is not about music.
7.
Backpackers are a very loose subculture of travelers who carry all their stuff with them in a backpack. Typically they are driven by a sense of adventure, and as such are always trying to find somewhere beautiful, completely off the beaten track. They often travel as cheaply as they can to maximise the time they can spend on the road, accepting squalid accommodation or sharing rooms if it will save them any money. Most are in their twenties or early thirties, and almost all are between 18 and 40 though older and younger people aren't unheard-of. People go backpacking for all sorts of reasons but will almost always take offense if it is implied that they are 'on holiday'; backpackers typically consider travel a separate, more serious engagement, all about broadening the mind, experiencing other cultures and trying to satisfy what is often a deep-seated and more often than not insatiable wanderlust.
Backpackers tend to be highly inclusive for a variety of reasons.
Firstly, there tends to be a recognition that everyone is different. Backpackers are often driven to travel because they place a high value on difference and diversity. They live and let live.
Secondly, backpacking often sees you arriving in a strange city, alone or with few companions and possibly little or no grasp of the language. This forces you to be friendly with everyone; maybe you need a traveling companion, or at least someone to hang out with for a while. A friendly face who speaks your language is never unwelcome.
Because they are so inclusive backpackers tend to hang out in groups. The lingua-franca tends to be English, but groups may consist of UK, Americans, Europeans, Israelis, Japanese, Australians, Kiwis, Russians... Backpacking is a truly international identity.
Backpackers, being potentially highly exposed to threats associated with being far from home, in an unfamiliar and possibly unstable country with only complete strangers for company, tend to live by an unspoken, unwritten code. They live and let live, look out for each other, show and teach each other respect for local customs, do not steal from each other and are generally very open and non-judgmental. They will always pass on tips and share traveling stories though they will seldom give you the right name of a particularly great place they are telling you about because they just don't want too many people to go there and spoil it.
With every scene comes a bunch of posers who are too cool for school, often completely unadventurous travelers, who don't give a shit about the locals or anyone else, and invariably end up making idiots of themselves. These people ('
Backpackers often associate themselves with other subcultures, typically ravers, new-agers,
The Beach is a book / film about backpackers in Thailand, before it became a cliche place to travel.
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