The Effect of Hip Hop on the Youth

The effects of hip-hop music on the youth.

What is hip-hop?

Hip-Hop is a musical genre, which is defined by key stylistics such as sampling scratching, rapping, djing, break dancing and beat boxing. The roots of Hip-Hop are in the fusion of Africa and America. West African slaves to north and South America brought African music and oral traditions. (http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/bul3-6hip-hop2). The travelling singers and poets with their vocal style bore a striking resemblance to that of rappers and Hip-Hop musicians. It is music with a particular voice style in which the artist utters lyrics in rhyme and verse commonly to an instrumental or synthesised beat. The beats are by looping potions of various songs, usually by a DJ or sampled from parts of other songs by a producer. Modern beats incorporate synthesisers, drum machines and live bands and in most cases rappers write, memorise, or improvise the lyrics and perform their works to a beat.

Whom is it influencing?

Hip-hop has developed to become a way of living and culture. It has become so popular that it has even entered mainstream fashion and modern language. The culture permeates everything, ranging from television commercials to video games. Corporations such as Burger King, Coca-cola, America Online (AOL), Nike and Reebok have launched advertising campaigns featuring the hip-hop culture, responding to the popular or hip image of these elements. The music is commonly embraced by urban youths, regardless of gender or colour. Hip-hop drives every aspect of youths' lives in some cases It has influenced youths to live life with no fear. No purpose, no respect for authority or parental guidance. They live hip-hop, breath it, wear it and die for it.

Hip-hop's effect on youth appearance.

Hip-hop has affected young people in various ways such as clothing, which in most cases is characterised by sagging jeans, tight fitted tops and bottoms, gang related outfits and prison attire, these are the clothes that hip-hop influences young people to wear. The other major area of influence on markings comes from tattoo's, piercing, strange hairstyles, vicious jewellery and the crucifix.

How hip-hop affects youth's behaviours.

Language

Popular culture in the United States has had a unique effect on everyday English for many generations. African-American music, in many ways, has played a significant role in this revolution. From the days prior to the emergence of the spirituals and the blues, African-American music has informed it's listeners of the current events and liberation strategies, using alternative language that is only understood by those within the cultural networks. Emerging from the ghettos of New York City in the 70's, hip-hop echoed the desolation of the African=Americans in the changing urban culture of the United States. Through the formation of stereotypes and role models, hip-hop protested for the association of black civil rights to unemployment, poverty, criminality and police brutality expressing political speech, resistance and controversy. Black youth found away to express a new culture through distinctive communication patterns such as speech, hand gestures, and body movement. The affects of hip-hop are visible in the way that young people dress, behave, walk, and talk. The language used in hip-hop is typically shortened words and broken English such as Aight

A contraction of "all right", dis (v) Insult or thwart in a social manner, short for disrespect. "Challenge BDP, you will get dissed, expect it" -- Boogie Down Productions (Part time sucker [1988]). (http://www.anthonyvitti.com/hiphopdictionary.html). Language is a product of society, as a society changes so does it's language. Mainstream English has been drastically altered by hip-hop expressions that mirror the diversity of a culture that has the power to gear itself to anyone who choose to participate in it, hip-hop is obviously a culture that has successfully moulded a status quo that is reflected in distinctive language, outfits, artwork, and ideology.

Hip-hops influence on fashion.

Hip-hop ha soften been described as a culture. Unbeknown to its fans, fashion also plays a vital role in the make up of its culture than they may realise. Hip-hop