Streetwear Reviews

Christina Pomoni asked:


The first thing that comes to my mind when reading this question is that music is a reflection of social status. It randomly creates new mindsets. Instead, it always echoes the reality of an era.

Hip hop culture emerged from the ghettos of New York City in the 70s. Reflecting the despair of African Americans in the changing urban culture of the United States and their associations to poverty, criminality, police brutality and unemployment, hip hop visualized the American dream as a new cultural influence. Through the conception of stereotypes and role models, hip hop has viewed broadly the post-civil rights of the black America producing a new music genre to express political views, opposition and controversy.

Hip hop soon became a massive cultural fact. Young people found a way to express themselves through distinctive clothing, hairstyle and artwork, conveying a new radical ethos generated from hip hop emcees. There is no doubt that many hip hop songs tell stories about sex, drugs, and violence in the black hoods of the East and West Coast. Yet, hip hop did not convey violence. Instead, it has tried to voice the oppression of African Americans and their need for civil rights in a society full of negative stereotypes.

Opposition and controversy always occur as a result of an oppressive political system. Black America in the 70s was heavily mistreated by police and society and black people needed a way to respond to those violent beatings. Being highly-politicized, the hip hop emcees dared to raise their voices against the White America. Being, indifferent of the impact of its governmental practices to the black society, White America got annoyed of this supposed outbreak of Black violence against commercialism and political correctness. In the fear of getting exposed, it accused the lower black classes for violence, anti-establishment behavior and anti-conventional ethos.

The same happened in the UK in the mid 70s. The only difference is that the punk movement did not include black people, but white young kids, who, being angry on the system, managed to convert anarchy and chaos to genuine political philosophy. Yet, the attitudes of that rebellious youth were secured only in their shocking and outrageous music, rather than in social acceptance and justification.

The truth is that music cannot - at any point - create violence. Instead, it expresses politically conscious views with its unique way of mapping the perplexity of the existing political landscape and forcing it to make sense. It makes no difference if it is about hip hop, punk or rock & roll. What it matters is if the political landscape respects all its members regardless of race, religion and political beliefs.



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Ken Wilson asked:


Since its creation (in the 1970s in New York), hip hop has been accused of many things. One of the accusations was that it instigates at violence, promiscuity, misogyny and alcohol and drug use. Are the accusers right? It is true that many of the hip hop and rap artists promote an unreal image of successful male, desired by all women, who drives an expensive car, dresses in extravagant clothes and wears gold and platinum jewelry. Naked women and alcohol are a must in the hip hop videos. Or maybe it’s the other way around: the hip hopers talk in their songs about poverty and living on streets, but they are in fact very rich, which may seem like hypocrisy. What we must not forget, however, is that hip hop and rap music was created in ghettos by poor Afro-Americans. It is normal that the songs talked about ghetto life and poverty. Even if today’s hip hopers have changed, the message of the music has remained the same.

About the other accusations, it is true that hip hop and rap music is not very educational. The rappers talk about weapons, alcohol and drugs in a positive way. Teenagers could be influenced by such words. But that leads to another question: should hip-hop music, and music in general, be moralizing? The artists are free to express their message to the public, but the public is also free to listen to their music or not. It would not be fair to prohibit a genre of music because the lyrics can be promiscuous. After all, the teenagers can hear the same words and expressions at school or at the corner of the street.

Hip-hop and rap fans argue that that hip hop is the expression of a world which may seem tough, but is nevertheless real. To change the lyrics of the songs in order to eliminate the accusations of immorality would mean to fake the reality that you are trying to show. Therefore, people who don’t like hip hop music should simply not listen to it. Similarly, if they don’t want their children to be negatively influenced by rap music, they should forbid them to buy the records. Most hip-hop CDs include a warning about the content of the lyrics.

But do all hip hop songs talk about drug and violence? An example of rappers who don’t promote violence in their songs would be the French band Manau, who talk in their songs about old Breton habits (“Le tribu de Dana”). Another would be Mook E., from Israel, who preaches peace and tolerance in his songs. Famous rappers such as Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five or Public Enemy used hip hop and rap for social purposes, to protest against certain social realities.

In the end, it is always a question of perspective. Hip hop and rap has its admirers and its despisers, like any other kind of music. What makes hip-hop different from other genres of music is the culture that has evolved around it, including breakdancing and graffiti. The conclusion is that we should all try to be more tolerant. If you don’t like rap, it’s OK, but don’t believe that all the persons who like it are would-be gangsters and uneducated persons. You might be surprised to learn the truth.



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