HIP HOP AS A PRODUCTION OF URBAN SPACE
By Student
To many, hip-hop is recognized simply as a genre of music consisting of rhythmic beats and rap. However, hip-hop has proven to be more than just music we listen to, rather it is a lifestyle that can be appreciated in the way one walks, how one talks, or what clothes one wears. Hip-hop, born in Bronx, New York City in the 1970’s, largely developed as a response by low-income minority communities that were displaced and ignored by mainstream America socially, politically, and economically. A part of hip hop’s history stems from the desire of urban builders in the 1950’s to transform Manhattan into a center of wealth. Their execution plan was designed to connect Manhattan with the surrounding boroughs through a vast highway network system, uprooting poor African Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Jewish families, and leaving many of them jobless. As Jeff Chang wrote in “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” If blues culture had developed under the conditions of oppressive, forced labor, hip-hop culture arose from the conditions of no work.”
At the time, and arguably still today, capitalist America was interested in expanding its revenue, particularly in New York City. One strategy to project profit into the city consisted of building highways that would bridge the surrounding boroughs to Manhattan. Construction of this highway system, designed by Robert Moses, bisected the Bronx in half, destroying entire neighborhoods, and resulted in middle-class whites to migrate north to widely-spaced, Levittown suburbs while forcing low-income minority families into crowded, high-rise buildings in underserved locations of South Bronx. As a result of the large displacement, many people also lost their jobs - South Bronx lost nearly 600,000 manufacturing jobs. Consequently, South Bronx saw a rise in poverty, youth violence, and crime all of which were products of deliberate neglect by mainstream society towards low income minority groups.
Historically, hip-hop has often served as a voice for those normally unheard. Many of the lyrics and images of hip-hop were a reflection of the conditions and emotions people were experiencing. The poor and rough environments were characterized by the language used in the music and were visualized by the accompanying music videos. Take for example, Grandmaster Flash’s song, “ The Message.” In it, he raps, “ It’s like a jungle sometimes. It makes me wonder how I keep from goin’ under. Broken glass everywhere. People pissin’ on the stairs, you know they just don’t care. Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice.” as he walks down the streets surrounded by run down buildings beside garbage clutter. Here, Grandmaster Flash refers to the city as a “jungle” of concrete buildings crowded with people. He then continues narrating his surroundings when he talks about the broken glass and the people pissing on the stairs. He also briefly refers to his economic situation when says he doesn’t have enough money to move out. Based on hip-hop songs such as Grandmaster Flashs’ “The Message” and considering the circumstances many low-income minority groups were forced into, it becomes apparent that hip-hop music isn’t the cause of cultural violence, rather a result of intentional disregard by a capitalistic American society.
Bibliography
Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: a History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Ebury Digital, 2011.
Chatelain, Phillipe Martin. “5 Things in NYC We Can Blame on Robert Moses.”
Untapped Cities, 22 Jan. 2019, untappedcities.com /2013/12/18/5 -things-in-nyc-
we-can-blame-on-robert-moses/.
It's definitely clear that hip-hop came about as a result of neglect and I think it served as an important way to fight against this neglect. As songs like "The Message" became popular and more people listened to it, it brought attention to the conditions that people were living in and forced people to think about it.
ReplyDeleteThere are several things that I agree with. I really like how you make it clear to the readers that hip hop wasn't just music; it was types of clothing, style of talk, and movements as well. Hip hop specifically at this time may have been a source of money for the many participating in it but it was more so a source of expression. In a way, it could be considered a cry for help. Lastly, your analysis of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" was enlightening.
ReplyDeleteWhile Hip-Hops creation was primarily rooted in the misfortunes that many blacks in America faced, was its development geographically restricted? There are many more places outside of NYC and the north east that have high black poverty, and low employment, but was Hip-Hop mostly developed in the north east, primarily NYC?
ReplyDeleteYour emphasis on hip hop being more than music was very impressive. Many only think of it as music but as you stated this was a form of empowerment to get the voices of the unheard, heard. Something that bothered me was the reasoning behind it happening and what people were fighting for. Obviously the main goal is to gain better living but to be simply wanting national attention amazes me. How come we need to desire media attention if people were well aware of what the highway was going to do to all these people.
ReplyDelete