Hip-Hops Reign on Pop Culture

Hip-Hop has become a new expression; it’s no longer the same as before where words are of unity and the struggle. Hip Hop is now full of diamonds, grills, sneakers, cars, homes, “the come up”, Swag, alcohol, etc. We now see artists like Jay-z who once rapped about moving out the hood to being a successful businessman rapping about his new homes and his business tactics. He displays his transformation as a person through his music with a sense of maturity using metaphors and personality to attract listeners. Many rappers in 20th century have a new style to their music. Songs about going from poor to rich, the uplifting of their own self-esteem, and the empowerment of true friendships are all examples of some of the themes that artists use to express their vision and tell their stories. All of these songs have some type of relative meaning to many and even if they don’t most songs in the industry now have a nifty hook or tune for people to dance to. Many of the mainstream dances now are no longer pop-lock and break dancing moves. They are dances that anyone can do collectively like the “Souljah Boy”, “The Stanky leg”, or “The Dougie.” These dances bring laughter and smiles to crowds of people who attempt to learn and do when they are at parties and clubs. The strive for success keeps people motivated to make money and not let anything get in the way. Although this mindset may eventually be a very selfish one and desperate measures may need to be taken to accomplish this success, this new form of rap has created a radical transformation of the more realistic Hip-hop to a more futuristic one. Although it is not as big as it was back in the day today we have moved more towards expression through spoken word and comedy. With each evolutionary step taken from DJ Kool Herc with his creativity, to the inspiration of emcees like LL Cool J, and the incredible moves of B-boys and their pop-locking skills, these elements all have been a part of black people’s lives, family, and community. Uplifting and inspiring many to hope for the better and strive for success.