Excursions in Hip Hop theory: an introduction
Posted on November 26, 2009 by Aloxe | Share |
“Behold our key to our destiny
we can make it everybody
feel the music
Just free your mind, sit back relax and unwind
To a higher plane we’re going
Can you feel the music?”
– Baybe
I can. I’ve been feeling the music ever since I stumbled on my father’s collection of Motown albums as a child. Little did I know that I was about to trade in my passion for Lego for Soul and Hip Hop. I know I don’t fit the image of a b-boy, but when it comes to Hip Hop, I like to think I have the passion to match one. These posts are my way expressing that passion.
I want to bring sociocultural scholarship on hip hop to a wider audience by curating some of the landmark publications on Hip Hop. I don’t claim originality nor exhaustiveness, but I do want to share some of the insights that I think illuminate what Hip Hop is – or better, what it has become – and what it is not.
For the sake of transparency, let me say where I’m coming from. I’m a social scientist who is interested in language and communication. Basically, I try to understand society by studying what people do with language. I’m not a laboratory scientist; I prefer to observe people in real life situations and encounters. Hip Hop is but one of my research interests. Professionally, I’m into organizational discourse, journalism and ethnography.
Now, as a way into my ‘Excursions’, I’ve established some parameters: 10 statements if you will about Hip Hop. Some are self-evident, others may not be. Call them what you want: labels, cliches, ideologies, but I hope that they spark some discussion and debate. Here they are:
1. Hip Hop is cultural representation
2. Hip Hop is cultural misrepresentation
3. Hip Hop is participation
4. Hip Hop is performance
5. Hip Hop is technology
6. Hip Hop is politics
7. Hip Hop is intertextuality
8. Hip Hop is globalization
9. Hip Hop is glocalization
10. Hip Hop is mainstream
I’ll be posting on a weekly basis and look forward to talking with you.
Thanks to Julius for giving me this opportunity.
Pictures from Anattitude’s “Hip Hop is …” project
I can agree with those ten but if it has to be ten, I would trade in technology for underground as being more significant. Not that I consider myself an underground-purist but like the first two are opposites, but true, I do believe the underground-movement keeps playing a huge role in the evolution of this genre
Take the exploding beat-community for instance that sparked the electro(nica)-crossovers… (leading us back to technology ;) )
Just my first two cents…
Really looking forward to this series!
Oh that sounds exciting, I can’t wait to read your articles! I can agree with Wafflez comment to an extent, however, the underground movement can be applied to almost, if not all, ten points (in my opinion anyway…) Either way, really looking forward to these! Much love!
Thanks for joining us Tom.
Can’t wait to read your articles (especially the one about technology…)
That sounds like an interested project, it seems like the “Hip Hop is..” project inspired you a lil bit, thats nice! (For more, check my flickr account)
And yes can’t wait to read the Hip Hop is poltics article.
looking forward, 1love, Jee
Hey Jee, great to see all those “Hip Hop is …” on flickr!
thanks julius, there are so many more and more to be made…. its growing & growing… everybody can still contribute. much love!
Hey there Tom, here’s some more for the list…
Hip Hop is discourse
Hip Hop is cyclical
Hip Hop is contradictory
Hip Hop is my life 2!
Cheers for the comments and feedback everyone. Appreciated. Will do my best to use ‘em as much as i can in the posts.
T.
Good to see the love being spread in these posts! Hip-hop for life!