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Hip Hop as It Relates to American Culture

© Steve Scarbriel

I was asked to do an interview for the Dallas-Ft. Worth Star Telegram about hip hop as it relates to American culture. Below are some of the questions I was asked hopes in enlightening their readership. If any of the questions seemed "asinine" (i'm quoting here) that's because those were the questions that their audience (as their editor put it: older, white and conservative) would want to know the answers to. I hope I was of some assistance...

1. How would you define hip-hop culture?  

Hip hop culture is a mentality, a consciousness thought process of constant elevation and enlightenment. The lifestyle promotes abstract thought; a knowledge of political and self awareness, a certain degree of humbleness, and an acceptance that true hip hop embraces freedom of expression and creativity. Deejaying, emceeing, breaking and graffiti make up the four original forms of expression of hip hop, known as the 4 Elements. The elements are tools used to express the culture and lifestyle.

2. Explain why hip-hop is important and how that importance is eflected in hip-hop movies. 

Hip hop is important because it is a forum for non-violent expression. A guy who raps about shooting someone isn't going to go out and shoot someone. He doesn't need to, the song speaks for itself. The battle is fought with words, not guns. Rap is a lyricist's game. The same can be true for hip hop movies. In both instances, both mediums are a reflection of real life. Don't blame hip hop, we're simply the messengers. Hip hop movies changed with the times; Crush Groove and Beat Street reflected the early days of hip hop and by the 1990's the tone changed and became hardcore (and stereotypical). Movies like New Jack City and Juice are the granddaddies of the string of rap movies made by Master P, Nas and Snoop Dogg today.

3. What would you say to an audience unfamiliar with the history and culture of hip-hop who think of gangsta rap and cop killings when they think of the genre? 

I would remind them that what they are referring to is gangsta rap, which is completely different from hip hop. At most, the two are cousins, decendents of original rap music (rhyhmic afrocentric poetry). I challenge anyone who thinks of cop killings when they think of hip hop to name one cop that's been killed as a result of hip hop. I don't see cops getting killed, in fact it's the other way around and many hip hop artists, organizations

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