How Did Hip Hop Influence The English Language

Emilly Alves

Eng 205

Professor Woods How did “ Hip Hop” influence the English language? How many times did you talk or went to a place and felt like everybody else was speaking another language? Hip-hop frequently inspires online memes, dance moves, and overnight celebrities; its influence can perhaps be found everywhere. The musical movement started in the 1980s has impacted and uplifted America, standing up for decades and giving neglected groups a voice. The Black community, as well as other oppressed groups, converted their dissatisfaction with the injustices they confronted into an effective protest, helping to reorganize social attitudes and possibilities. Hip-hop, which has a large audience and obtains both acclaim

Non-African Americans wanted to embrace its freedom and careless attitude by incorporating terms like "yo" (a phrase for hello or to attract someone's attention), "homie" (a term for buddy), what up? ( used as hi, how are you?) , and "ghost” ( a term to leave) daily. Hip Hop culture also embraced words that were used to offend marginalized communities and gave a new meaning to transcend the prejudice that was faced by them. However, people lose sight of the genuine meaning of some terms when they hear them all the time, whether in the media or their daily lives. They can't seem to distinguish culture from context, and this causes issues that are solely related to ethnic considerations. The word “nigga” or “n***” or '' n-word “for example, which is constantly used in Hip Hop songs by African American artists, for generations has also been used as a pejorative word for persons of African heritage. And even though it's known as the forbidden word, many people still use it saying things like "You know I don’t mean it; I was only singing along to music”. Other words like "bitch" or "dawg" gained a new meaning depending on the context used, can be used to refer to a close friend, or was a curse

The four-step hug: handshake, shoulder, pat on the back, and release that was once used by black soldiers during the Vietnam War to show solidarity; he would become ubiquitous, making it nearly impossible to walk across a college campus or walk into a bar without seeing him executed. Or a simple lift of the head to represent “hi”, without the need to start a conversation. They were gestures widely used by singers in music videos that later became universal. The casual and fun but also respectful greeting was quickly adopted by not only the English language but many others as well. Hip Hop has also influenced the way people dress. The gangster style became fashionable among the people. New clothes and smells were added to everyday life that made their way into American culture. The adoption of Hip Hop led to a new style of fashion, including baggy jeans, oversized T-shirts, basketball hats, and Converse All-Stars, which are now a staple of mainstream culture. Gradually the way of dressing or greeting became everyday