Out of all our recent readings, "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" is one of the first that has addressed graffiti as a strong part of the culture we call hip-hop. Graffiti, which started as a fight against the establishment, was discovered by the establishment. This is when things started to "go wrong" in lot of people's eyes. Graffiti artists started to switch their work to canvas instead of buildings and sold it. To many, this destroyed the authenticity of that part of the culture. Canvas art is tamed; there isn't as much of a point and it isn't for all to see. It's not splattered across the city, making people acknowledge it whether they want to or not. There was a lot of resentment when people started to place monetary values on the art of graffiti.
I was also fascinated by the the dressing down of the "bling" idea. Jewelry, or the mass amounts thereof, didn't really hit hip-hop immediately. While the early Emcees and rappers did accessorize, it was definitley not like what happens not. Run DMC was identified by a black fedora and sunglasses. This warped into rappers being idealized with gold chains and silver and "bling". The jewelry found today is really just a symbol of success among artists; the more "bling" someone has, the better they are doing. To me, this is a perfect example of the change that took over hip hop. It started as a way to break out and be heard, to fight political battles, or to rise up. Then it started to be more commercialized and broadcasted; the songs and art changed from being done for the sake of the art to being done for the sake of the money. Money slowly corrupted the basic ideals of hip hop and everything, at least in my eyes, went downhill from there. Bling is the perfect example of this. Does someone need to be wearing gold and diamonds to rap or emcee? No. But nowadays, if it isn't there, then the artists isn't really viewed as successful or meaningful to the general public. It has really just become a giant roundabout. Someone starts out with a message, they are discovered by establishment, establishment simultaneously hold their message back and places the artist of a pedestal, and then the message slowly dies while the artist becomes rich and famous. Of course, this is not always the case, but it happening and it does seem to be tarnishing the name of hip hop.
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Perhaps you have an answer to my woes. What is the point of GRILLS?! Since when did diamonds on your teeth coated in gold become an acceptable accessory, a sign of status? Money does seem to make the world go round as much as we try to find other avenues to explain how hip hop culture has changed, but it all comes down to the "spins" the music industry gets per song rather than the whole recording. I wonder if we will be the generation of "one-hit...not so wonders?"
ReplyDeleteI like this post, and Lisa, I really like your comment. Since I listen to so much of my parents' music, which has lasted several decades, I always wonder what music from our generation my own kids will be listening to. Or will they at all? There doesn't seem to be much worth saving. I can just see a son or daughter of mine seeing a picture of 50 Cent or Nelly with his "grill" and just thinking they look absolutely ridiculous... I hope hip-hop will have moved away from that trend by then!
ReplyDeleteMari,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I find it interesting that when graffiti artists began to make a profit they were considered to be unauthentic and the idea fizzled out. But when DJs did this same thing by working with record companies, they made millions and started a very popular musical genre. It just seems strange. As to the bling, I believe that the said materialism definitely had an effect on this current era of hip hop. By concentrating solely on the money you make from your records you lose track of the content that is being produced. Looking forward to discussion!