Good Life Satire

Early hip hop emerged in the late 1980’s and has evolved to become the most popular trend today. Hip hop has created so many unique styles of clothing, music, and other art. The documentary, This is the Life, focuses on the beginning of hip hop and how popular the underground music was it first became a popular trend. This documentary specifically focuses on the Good Life Café and how the music was so central to the rise of this trend. This is the Life highlighted the importance of freestyle raping as a way of expression for the followers of hip hop in Los Angeles. The documentary spoke a lot about the purpose and the methodology behind the lyrics of the music. Artists were encouraged to speak their minds, but refrain from swearing or using certain filler sounds as a way of making their music sound more appealing. It was not uncommon to hear chants of “pass the mic” if an artist was struggling or if the music was unappealing to the listeners. Many artists considered this gesture to be constructive criticism; hearing a reaction from the audience allowed the artists to know how compatible their style was to the hip hop culture.

Just like the music, there was not a single style that best describes hip hop. Flat billed hats, bling, jean shorts, and vintage jerseys were the style of choice for the artists who were interview about the Good Life Café. Even with many artists wearing the more popular hip hop trends, it wasn’t uncommon to observe other styles that were more closely related to Punk or Grunge. Leather jackets, sweatpants, and boots are just some of the clothing that appears to be linked to these other fashion trends. Regardless of what the artists were wearing, the hip hop style clearly impacted the lifestyle of these individuals, and much like the music, it provided a way for people to express