Hip Hop Culture

“YoYo? What’s up, man?” You may see a man with a du-rag (a kind of kerchief), a bling bling necklace, loose clothes and sneakers walking swingingly and saying such words in a movie or music video. This is a typical dress-up for a man who likes hip hop. Nowadays, hip hop is popular all over the world, and it is also my favorite pop culture.
First, I want to introduce the history of hip hop. Hip hop is originated in African-American community during the 1970s in Brooklyn, Manhattan of the United States. In this poor area, the black people had no money, no job and had nothing to do, so they just danced, sang, played basketball on the street. Because of their music talent, bodily flexibility and creative inspiration, they developed this unique culture. The original purpose of hip hop was to release black people’s dissatisfaction to the inequality of the society and the discrimination of Caucasian, so hip hop was a culture belonging to the lower classes. Along with the social progress, now the spirit of hip hop is to express the true emotion of people and pursue the fairness and freedom. Hip hop is no longer a culture only for blacks, but a global culture popular in many countries.
Hip hop culture has four main parts which are DJing, MCing, Graffiti and B-boying. DJing means that a DJ uses two turntables at the same time and creates a unique sound by combining two separate songs into one song with some magical methods. MCing means that a person says some rhyming lyrics with a strong accompaniment. This quick and impromptu singing is also called rap. The great rappers I know are Dr. Dre, LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Eminem, Graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti can express a person’s idea or thoughts visually. B-boying is a popular style of street dance, which has powerful moves and difficult skills like standing upside down by one hand or head. Besides these four main parts, there are many other derivatives, such as beatbox, BMX, skateboard, clothes and so on.
Hip hop is playing a significant role in providing a platform for the youth to express their ideas. I like it because it can give me a feeling of free and energetic.