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Hip-Hop: A Cultural Appropriation

1088 Words5 Pages

The mixture of globalization and multiculturalism are catalysts for the ever existing cultural appropriation. Now more than ever, individuals are exposed to various outlets such as, media, music, and movies that portray many ethnicities, ideas, and beliefs, thus making cultural appropriation inevitable in this generation. Arguably, the most notable way of cultural change is music, Hip-Hop is a prime example. Hip-Hop has been dominated by African American communities for years. Through Hip-Hop the spreading of “African American” culture and the awareness of the “Ghetto” grew. This essay aims to discuss the notion that cultural appropriation exists and is good for society, and it will be supported by the ideas of social inclusion (race), Hip-Hop …show more content…

With that said, it is not surprising that Hip-Hop has made such a huge impact on world-wide culture. In Jason Rodriquez’s article Color-Blind Ideology and the Cultural Appropriation of Hip-Hop the author states that Hip-Hop itself has been appropriated by the majority, this was done in order for the music to enter the mainstream and for the artists to make money(Rodriquez, 2006). This is simply untrue; many mainstream songs were directed against the majority. NWA, a legendary Hip-Hop group who recently got inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame, created one of the most notorious songs of the 80s called “Fuck the police”. This song brings police brutality and various other racial conflicts such as the “Ghettos” into light. This is a prime example of a Hip-Hop group going against the norms of society, and bringing real issues into light, while still appeasing the mainstream audiences. This example is not isolated, various artists such as Jay-Z, Tupac, Mos Def, Biggie, and other rap legends do not adhere to Rodriquez’s ideas of cultural appropriation in Hip-Hop. Aside from mainstream Hip-Hip artists, …show more content…

Globalization allows for the world to have access to information from different cultures and media. The diffusion of cultures results in similar cultural traits, identical materialistic cultures, and even similar laws depending on the state (Hahn, 2008). Ultimately, globalization makes the world more aware of different ideas. This includes African American culture through Hip-Hop. Rodriquez often states in his article that individuals listen to hip hop music because they think it makes them cool (Rodriquez, 2006). The simple rebuttal to this point is the fact that people could just like the music. I conducted a survey regarding Hip-Hop and cultural appropriation. Approximately 50 individuals answered the questions with about 60% of them are Canadian or from the United States; the participants were of various ages, consisted of 43% female and male, and 12% identifying as other. The survey aimed to answer a series of simple questions regarding whether individuals enjoyed Hip-Hop, why they did, and if they believe music can influence the masses, as well as their definition of the ghetto. Approximately 70% of individuals who answered, enjoy Hip-Hop, and about 93% of the participants, believed that music brings awareness to cultural issues. About, 80% believed that the ghetto is an impoverish location, with mostly minorities in an isolated area of the city. The survey proceeded to address how people know about ghettos. Most

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