From 1950 to the late sass’s, social conflicts all over the world encouraged the success of HIP Hop due Its ability to mirror the negative and positive aspects of society, and in doing this, the concept of Hip Hop’s real lyrics were very easily translated and adopted overseas. To understand Hip Hop’s ability to migrate around the world, it must be understood what Hip Hop was created out of.
First, American Urban society, from the Civil Rights Era until now has matured, creating Hip Hop’s lyrics in both Its negative recap of the destruction of South Bronx and the new AIDS epidemic and positive reenactment of the solution brought by the Civil Rights Era and the urban society ability to attain wealth. Secondly, after the Cold War and the reconstruction of Europe and Asia, urban societies were more open to accept anything that reflected American culture, especially the idea of a genre that could explain the pain experienced as a result of the Cold War.
Lastly, even though lyrics follow the urban society’s view on their own situations, many contemplate that the content can be mislead, over exaggerate or Inappropriately describe the nation and Its people. As often as Americans preach the good word of fairness and equality, the American urbanites filling cities Like Chicago, Atlanta and Watts were locked out of the sermon. During what historians call the Civil Rights Era (Timeline: Civil Rights Era 1954-1971), Americans would witness multiple changes in the country history in regards to minorities, especially African Americans.
And to truly understand the lyrical significance of Hip Hop, it is imperative that the history leading up to the beginning of Hip Hop. Take year 1 956, this Is not only the same year Clive Campbell, he father of Hip Hop was born, but also the year that the Supreme Court found the segregation of the Montgomery Buses as an unconstitutional practice (Timeline: Call Rights Era 1954-1971).
And from that year on, that generation would enter into their teenage years witnessing the creation of greatest label known to Black society during that time: Mouton, the Woolworth Sit-ins, the 1965 Watts Riot and the death of two political figures who were known to be the most influential African Americans alive: Martin Luther King Jar. And Malcolm X. By the time of both men’s deaths, It is 1968 and hat generation is old enough to comprehend their environment and the lasting effects it would have on them as individuals.
The African American children who lived in South Bronx, which is known as Hip Hop’s birth place, were influenced by much more than the national issues of Civil Injustice and the end of the Vietnam War. In the late 1960, the state government of New York ordered the bussing of inner city kids out of the South Bronx and Into the suburban areas. Worried about the late arrivals of their children after school, many parents In South Bronx moved out Into hose suburban areas resulting In a large number vacancy In the South Bronx.
On top of that, New York City is known for its rent control which gave building owners no incentive to improve their building, which resulted in more vacancies. With these two factors increasing the amount of vacancies and the economy of South Bronx deteriorating, the government blindly created thirty five story high housing developments for low income citizens. Now that the housing developments have the market value was decrease more drastically when the state decided to concentrate the welfare households, making South Bronx home to thousands of lifer recipients.
Then, by increasing the lump payments by more than two thousand dollars for low income tenants to move in, South Bronx became not only a borough of welfare recipients but a place where poverty ran ramped. And poverty didn’t end there. During all of this, the personal and business taxes were increasing. This, unfortunately, resulted in the self inflicted destruction of South Bronx. Business and Home owners began burning their own property as a way to escape with some financial stability. (City on a hill.
The South Bronx: From Urban Planning Victim to Victor) Fortune magazine’s Herbert Meyer wrote an article about the South Bronx entitled, “How the Government helped ruin the South Bronx”, which describes the South Bronx as a “human hellhole”. It is reported in only five short years (City on a hill. The South Bronx: From Urban Planning Victim to Victor), due to the arsenal business and home owners starting and causing 68,456 fires (Yuan), South Bronx was filled with poor minorities who were economically and socially trapped.
By this time, it is 1975 and the generations responsible for Hip Hop are now in their late teens and early twenties. They lived in those housing developments and not only did they witness the deaths of Martin Luther King Jar. And Malcolm X but they watched as their own state government abandoned them. This created Hip Hop. Its lyrical content was cocky but more importantly, bluntly honest. They talked about their clothes, their neighborhoods, the cops, but they offered the nation the opportunity to hear how the generation that endured grew up during that Civil Rights era felt about their own existence.
Some microphone controllers, also called Masc., rapped about fighting “the powers that be” (Public Enemy “Fight the Power”) but it couldn’t be ignored the heroically content of sass’s “The Message”. Grand Master Flash, one of the pioneers in the genre known as Hip Hop wrote his song “Message” giving the world lines like, “Don’t push me, ’cause ‘close to the edge. I’m trying not to loose my head. It’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under”, where he descriptively narrated about his life in the Bronx.
Even though African Americans are increasing their financial incomes and attending universities at a higher percentage (African American History Month: February 2006), they also, unfortunately, have the shiest reported percentage of HIVE/AIDS cases (Fact Sheet: HIVE/AIDS among African Americans) and collectively are more poor than any other race in US (2006 Census Poverty and Income Data). Reacting to this major change in urban society where Hip Hop was created, the lyrical content changed to reflect that.
As forty nine percent of the African American Community suffer from HIVE/AIDS (Fact Sheet: HIVE/AIDS among African Americans) in addition to having the highest poverty percentage among any race, the artist Common mentions the effect of AIDS and the poverty issue plaguing African American society in his song “Misunderstood” released this past summer. Evidently the lyrical content of Hip Hop directly mirrors urban American society.
On an international scale, the social and economic despair was caused by most of Rupee’s inability to repair itself fast enough after the Cold War and their own civil disputes. Cold War, which happened during the 1945 through 1960, affected the entire world individually. As late at 1990, Europe still saw the immediate aftermath of area were that the once isolated areas would be swarmed by civilians wanted a deter life (Gumball), which resembled America’s issues with immigration being that “… Nearly half of all Americans believe[d] that the nation accepts too many immigrants… ” (Flowed).
Specifically in the United Kingdom, they were not only experiences the rebirth of their nation, but enduring the after effects of the 1965 Race Relations Act and the devastating South London riots (Commanding Heights: The United Kingdom Rule of Law). The South London riots occurred only three years before America’s Los Angels Riots, but the same year they adopted their Race Relations Act, Malcolm X was assassinated. It is evident that this period was very important for the minority community both in America and in the United Kingdom, which is the reason the United Kingdom has always been open to adopt American music.
The Japans, on the other hand, wanted to be like the Asian America. After the Cold War, Japan reassessed its security policy, mirroring the American policy on international policy (The United States and Japan after the Cold War). During the end of the sass’s, the Japanese youth were evolving into themselves. They are described as individualists and expressionists (Sukiyaki). This may have been a result of what some historians call “the Lost Decade”. During this decade, economic expansion halted and unemployment rose significantly Pan History – The sass (the “lost decade”)).
Now, as Japan is one of the most economically successful countries in the world, Hip Hop has grown into its own. Internationally, the lyrics truly speak to the World’s youth. For example, the lyrics of Hip Hop communicate to the youth at such an alarming rate that the United Nations Youth Assembly invited the Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council to participate in the 4th Annual Youth Assembly (Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council Partners with Friendship Ambassadors Foundation and United Nations Member Countries to Support 4th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations).
The UN member countries that are sponsoring this event are Bosnia, Herringbone, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Republic of Argentina, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain, proving that Hip Hop is being used as an international tool to reach today’s youth (Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council Partners with Friendship Ambassadors Foundation and United Nations Member Countries to Support 4th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations). Turning on the TV, blasting the radio or even surfing the internet will definitely result in seeing something Hip Hop related.
From HP commercials to Don Emus and his comment about “nappy headed hoes”, Hip Hop’s creativity and sometimes vulgarity can be seen any and everywhere. This is definitely the case when Don Emus, a famous American television and radio host, was quoted referring to the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team as “nappy headed hoes”, resulting in his temporary dismissal from CBS (CBS Fires Don Emus Over Racial Slur). In response, Russell Simmons, founder of Deaf Jam Recordings, calls for radio to bleep out “ho”, “bitchy” and “Amiga” (Adages).
When it comes to censorship, he believes artists should “… Voluntarily show respect to African Americans and other people of color, African American women and to all women in lyrics and images… ” (Adages). In the I-J, the Black Music Congress has even gone so as to create “… An ethical code for the British black music industry to tackle the increasing use of offensive lyrics… ” Joseph). For censorship is not an option. When was mentioned to American rapper T. L. He replies “l know the a-word, the H-word and the N-word are the words under attack right now.
And I don’t know if you know it or not, people, but there are pitches, insignias and who’s who live in America. And as long as that fact exists, I think rappers deserve the right to talk about it. ” (Mitchell). In regards to the violence in lyrics, American rapper 50 cent spoke with Billboard explaining that “Music is a mirror and hip-hop is a reflection of the environment we grew up in, the harsh realities” (Mitchell). And as this reality is lived only for a minority of the world’s population, global acceptance of
Hip Hop’s lyrics will always be a conflicting issue, but it will remain a trend that continues to grow as the generations adopt it. Due to the world’s history and the youth’s ability to evolve around it, Hip Hop has been the communication tool to express their concerns to the world. Whether those concerns are about the great economic progress of the overall minority community in America or the horrific deaths resulting from the historic yet still relevant religious wars in the Middle East, the lyrical content tell it all.
It’s Easier to Promote MS Late than Nominee Love In their prime, which would be the late ass’s and early ass’s, Auk’s Nominee Love was the equivalent to Brooklyn MS Late. Now days, MS Late is touring the US, installing friend’s into the Hip Hop Hall of fame and hosting the AIDS Responsibility Project in Toronto (MS Late “High Lutes”), while Nominee Love loses her position as a radio host with 100. 3 The Beat in Philadelphia (DC/On Air Staff.
Examples of the long term success of I-J Hip Hop versus Hip Hop in the US don’t usually come through this clear, especially when it comes to promoting the music. To make this point easily nonviable, keep this in mind: If the lyrics are an image of urban society, then a Hip Hop artist is the wall length mirror, making everything seem relatively smaller than it would appear in real life. It is smaller in the sense that its lyrics are watered down to hinder an International Don Emus-like scandal.
And with both UK and US Hip Hop being graded by its “radio-friendly’ demeanor, it is still harder to promote a Hip Hop artist from the I-J in the UK if its major competition is a rapper whose fame was sought in the US due to the concept referring to the “dramatic loss being affected y the development of notably rap, hip hop and R… ” (Make or break Supporting: UK music in the USA) and the Auk’s inability to compete (Make or break Supporting: UK music in the USA).
First, the evidence is in radio play; American famed artists hit Auk’s top ten more frequently than an artist from the country would. Secondly, in regards to MET, US artists are more visible than UK artists as a direct relation to their Billboard performance. And lastly, based on information found about and on the topic of Taskmaster, British venues are selling American hip hop artists at a higher rice than the British Hip Hop artist, making it financially encouraging to find innovative ways to sell more tickets.
In the August 1 lath issue of Billboard, out of the five American-famed artist that sit in the top 10 1-J singles (Gauge 1 lath: Hits of the World: I-J), three are in the Billboard Hot 100 (August 1 lath: The Billboard Hot 100). Two weeks later, American-famed artists took over by taking six of the ten top spots (Gauge 25th: Hits of the World: I-J). This shouldn’t be a surprise. International and Paul Brindled of the British Council know this well. The gentleman report that the US “… S the world’s most dominant music market… “, making it easy for American artist to move from country to country (Make or break Supporting: UK music in the USA).
As far as the UK is concerned, the concept of American culture isn’t what pulls their consumers in to buy American rapper Kenya West’s new album because the UK has always been a supporter of America and its culture, whether it be political or social. It is the lyrical content. And it should not be hard to grasp that if the American-famed artists are taking a majority of the Billboard top spots, then I-J radio play is in favor of American hip hop. Other than radio, American hip hop artists are searched at a higher rate than British Hip Hop artists. Take MET.
On their most popular searches, for weeks at a time, seven out of the eight popular searches listed where American (Popular Searches). What is more astounding is that six of those where either hip hop artists or shows that play hip hop music (Popular Searches). Now, believing that an artist is famous due to the relevancy of the lyrical content, then these artists must be affecting the culture of the I-J. If MET is the channel for the young, then the young must be accepting American problems expressed by these American Artists as those of their own. In other words, American and British youth relate to each other.
And because this is true, promoting the American artist resembles a “foreign delicacy’ whose concept isn’t so foreign. So if an artist does well with his radio play and goes to MET, he is expected to go on tour, where he will receive most of his income. As a music lover would, the British consumer would go onto Taskmaster and see that twenty out of thirty-nine Hip Hop shows are those with British Artists (Taskmaster). And how do the prices vary? Indeed they do. For British Hip Hop artists, a consumer wouldn’t have to pay any more than twenty Euros, while their American counterparts go for way past twenty Euros (Taskmaster).
Now, Taskmaster has Jumped onto a new promotional idea brought to the I-J, which is targeted at the younger generation: Mobile. This company has dedicated itself to mobile phone ticketing and has seen extreme success after achieving “… The world’s largest ever use of mobile ticketing with over 20,000 tickets for general admission… At the 02 Wireless Festivals in London and Leeds” Lully 2006 Mobile Newsletter). Now, it s reported that “… Taskmaster has now announced that they are to roll out mobile ticketing to all of their I-J clients… ” Lully 2006 Mobile Newsletter).
With tickets being sold up to the very last minute to increase sales, Taskmaster will be able to sell more at a faster rate Lully 2006 Mobile Newsletter). And it seems silly to announce that Taskmaster will push the American Hip Hop artists at a higher rate due to their popularity and financial success. Any market that harbors American Hip Hop will succeed for multiple reasons. First, the American culture is widely accepted all over the world. Also, the American market share for Hip Hop music is huge in comparison to its foreign competitors, making it a sure money-maker.
So in comparison to the British competitor, who is in a market that the British Council admits suffered a major loss during Hip Hop’s prime (Make or break Supporting: UK music in the USA), American Hip Hop had no choice but to succeed and dominate radio and television while causing change in the way performances are being marketed and sold. The Youth of Japan take the Promotion of American Hip Hop without a Fight The over Americanization themselves, they have adopted American hip hop and its artist hill promoting and accepting their own Hip Hop artists at a larger scale, unlike the I-J.
This is proven by one major fact: Japan has a plethora of Hip Hop artist who relate to the Japanese population lyrically and receive much better radio play than that of British hip hop artists in the I-J. With relatively any crime and absolutely no poverty Pan Information), it’s no wonder Japanese can’t identify with American Hip Hop. So the Japanese created their version of Hip Hop. And it’s selling. “l never thought there would be a time when Japanese records could outsell American ones UT it’s happening”, explains a store manager from Tokyo Pan grows its own hip- hop).
In fact, while observing that Americans dominated the I-J charts, it was also observed that Americans were not present on the Japanese charts at all (Hits of the World: Japan). And there is no Taskmaster, but there are multiple sites dedicated to that service. These sites did not translate to English, but it was evident that their most popular performers, who would be on the home page, were not American. So even though American music, specifically Hip Hop, do well in Japan, the market is turning more isolated every day.
And due to this isolation, only huge stars, like Jay Z or legend Run DAM, would be profitable touring there. Worldwide Glimpse Since 2002, record sales have been declining and they have stopped nose-diving yet (Global sales of recorded music down 7% in 2002). And as Hip Hop matures lyrically, its consumer base widens to accommodate the mature lyrical content, which should hopefully stabilize the decrease. But as the world adopts this genre as their own, the trend of lyrics explaining the grief of urban and young society will continue and mature as the genre is mastered and marketing successfully.