What is Hip-hop?
1.
A culture and form of ground breaking music and self expression with elements that consisted of the elements of graffiti art, DJing, MCing, and breaking. Today Hip-Hop is considered to be dead in the mainstream because so-called mainstream Hip-Hop doesn't have the elements of hip-hop and have no meaning.
The stuff on MTV and the radio can't be called Hip-Hop because the lyrics don't have any meaning or self expression. Wack artists today just rap about their shopping lists and other bullshit. There are no more DJs making a prescence since artists today think they can manage without them. Without a DJ there are no scratches and cuts. No much graffiti art is being shown in videos. Artists such as 50 Cent, Nelly, Chingy, J-Kwon, P. Diddy, Cash Money Millionaries lack the 4 elements since their lyrics are ridiculous (no MCing skills), they don't have any DJ presence in their tracks (notice that so-called hip-hop today lacks scratches and cuts), and not much graffiti art is being expressed.
The point of this defintion is to show that MTV/Radio mainstream Bling Rappers should be categorized as Hip-Pop artists, not Hip-Hop artists.
Hip-Hop Music is: Run DMC, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Gang Starr, Wu-Tang Clan, Pharcyde, Hieroglyphics, Aceyalone, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Public Enemy, Common, Mobb Deep, Nas, Rakim, and many more old school and underground acts.
Hip-Pop Music is: P. Diddy, Ja Rule, Nelly, 50 Cent, G-Unit, Cash Money Millionaries, and other mainstream money making oriented acts.
2.
The expression of the relationship between urban youth and their environment. The art of the streets.
Graffiti. DJing. MCing. B-Boying. B-Girling. Break dancing. Poetry. Tattoos. Rhythm. Blues.
3.
hip-hop artists/emcees:common, the roots, aceyalone, talib, mos def, gangstarr, heiroglyphics, rjd2. etc...
it would be totally ignorant for me to say what hip-hop is. hip-hop is what it means to you. basically, theres no definite definition of hip-hop. saying that my definition of hip-hop is right is totally bias, although i do have a opinion of what hip-hop means to ME. hip-hop is the love of the music. the culture, the passion, freedom of expression,emcees... not to be mistakened for rappers...
Ex. hip-POP rappers: lil flip, nelly, j-kwon, 50 cent, ja rule, jay-z. etc...
to me hip-hop is dying, or possibly is already dead... hip-hop is basically dead.these crap rappers are intoxicating the meaning of "hip-hop"
im not making a double-standard. thats just my opinion of what hip-hop is or is not. money, cars, clothes, hoes, bling bling, is not what hip-hop is to me.. hip-hop is whatever it means to you...
heres some of my favorite quotes from some of my favorite artists...this is just for fun. i hop you enjoy...
"I deal with the real so if its artificial let it be"
-blackthought
"its not where your from... its where your at"
-rakim
"just chalk it up and add it to the elevation"
-blackthought
"before it all comes together things fall apart"
-blackthought
"he tryna keep it real by keepin it raw. while half of yall still be keepin it flaw, and all the real heads scream FUCK HIP HOP until this mediocre bullshit stops!"
-mota mouth
hip-hop artists/emcees:common, the roots, aceyalone, talib, mos def, gangstarr, heiroglyphics, rjd2. etc...
4.
First of all, hip-hop is more than the 'four elements'. If our culture is limited to writing illegible crap on walks, and yelling into a microphone, then it's not that great of a culture at all.
Hip Hop is the way we talk, the way we act, our fashion, our lifestyle, and our people. It's the culture of the streets,
Secondly, hip hop is NOT a music genre. Like my man said below me, rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live. Rap is just a part of hip hop, and frankly it's the part that is pretty much selling-out and shitting on it as well.
'Hip Hop is the culture of the streets. The voice of the urban community. The uniter of minorities.' - J2G
'Rap is something you do. Hip-Hop is something you live.' - KRS-One
5.
Hip Hop is a cultural movement expressed through the tradional elements of deejaying, emceeing, various forms of dance (breaking, popping, locking) and writing (graf art). As a culture, hip hop represents other aspects of culture as well such as language, style of dress, politics, etc. Hip hop is life!
example in the definition
6.
A form of art originated in New York. Breakdancing, freestyle (a.k.a. flowing), popping and locking fall into this category. Is commonly mistaken with
Hip Hop is prosecution evidence
The out of court settlement
Ad space for liquor
Sick without benefits
Luxury tenements choking the skyline
It's low life getting tree-top high
Here there's a back water remedy
Bitter intent to memory
A class E felony
Facing the death penalty
Stimulant and sedative, original repetitive
Violently competitive, a school unaccredited
The break beats you get broken with
on time and inappropriate
Hip Hop went from selling crack to smoking it
Medicine for loneliness
Remind me of Thelonius and Dizzy
Propers to B-Boys getting busy
The war-time snap shot
The working man's jack-pot
A two dollar snack box
Sold beneath the crack spot
Olympic sponsor of the black glock
Gold medallist in the back shot
From the sovereign state of the have-nots
Where farmers have trouble with cash crops
It's all city like phase two
Hip Hop will simply amaze you
Craze you, pay you
Do whatever you say do
But black, it can't save you
"Hip-Hop" Mos Def
7.
What urban music was before ganster's got their hands on microphones. Known for smooth, soothing beats; intelligent, sincere rhymes; and a solid representation of urban life. Most commonly from areas in and around New York City. (See A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.)
I love to chill to the sounds of Tribe and other hip-hop artists.
