To better understand the cultural impact of Hip Hop in society we must briefly go over its inception and history. The act of doing so will show the cultural significance as it relates to African Americans as a tool for liberation. Without knowing the full scope of historical context, one cannot fully understand the importance of Hip Hop culture and what Hip Hop really is.

The pedagogy of the oppressed has two distinct stages. In the first, the oppressed unveil the world of oppression and through the praxis commit themselves to its transformation. In the second stage, in which the reality of oppression has already been transformed, this pedagogy ceases to belong to the oppressed and becomes a pedagogy of all people in the process of permanent liberation.

Paulo Friere, ” Pedagogy of the Oppressed” Pg. 8

Before we go into some of the key players that created Hip Hop, I would like to expand a bit upon the socio-economic issues that started the growth of it. The beginning of Hip Hop as we know it started as a creative outlet for inner city youth. “It was an escape from the financial crisis that had overtaken their neighborhoods and eliminated so many of the social programs upon which they had come to depend on” (Persaud Pg. 3) Hip Hop culture stemmed from a time following many strives in art and culture for the Black/African American community. Prior to its formal creation we see inspiration from The Black Arts Movement and the Harlem Renaissance. We see an oppressed people trying to pave ways through these forms of art as a building block to their liberation.

DJ Kool Herc

The general consensus on the history of hip hop is that it began back in August 13, 1973 in New York’s South Bronx area by a DJ known as DJ Kool Herc. Here is where the first hip hop block party was started. Herc innovated a new way of performing with the music by implementing a use of two turntables playing identical songs consecutively for the purpose of stretching out a songs drum break. This style of music gave birth to many styles of art & music in African American communities that started with break-dancing and after a few years the beginning of spoken word over music. (what we know as rap today)

Throughout the 70’s there were many pioneers in hip hop, as it was in its infantile stages of development there were other people that greatly influenced the culture. Although DJ Kool Herc was credited for its inception there were many others that helped create the sound and culture of Hip Hop.

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash broke out into the scene as a DJ in the late 1970’s, following in his predecessors footsteps (DJ Kool Herc) he helped innovate and create iconic styles of DJing that we still use to this day. Grandmaster Flash is credited for perfecting the style of the iconic turntable scratch and manually manipulating the turntables to create a unique sound.

He gained notoriety for his unique sound and shortly put together a group called Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. This group was extremely important to Hip Hops growth as they were the beginning of the first party groups comprised of a DJ and multiple MC’s. (MC was a term created by this group which means Master of Ceremony) This group paved way for the introduction of spoken word being implemented into a DJ’s performance as part of the musical performance.
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five are best known for their pioneering of rap as we know it today and were the first to put MC’ing and freestyling into the public eye. With this introduction of Rap to be included into the DJ’s performance we see a cultural breakthrough in Hip Hop, and they are credited with creating the one of the first conscious rap songs in “The Message” . This song was pivotal to the culture and community as we see the commercial success of a song telling the story of an African American youth in society.

With this knowledge of DJing through the innovation of DJ Kool Herc & Grandmaster Flash we can fast forward toward to the early 80’s where throughout African American communities in New York have embraced and expanded upon a newer style of hip hop.

Afrika Bambaataa & The Zulu Nation

Afrika Bambaataa is known as “The Godfather” of Hip Hop and was a DJ that started in the Bronx in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. He was a prominent DJ in his time but is most known for creating the Zulu Nation and the Four pillars of Hip hop. The Zulu Nation was a group created to spread international awareness for Hip Hop. Their mission statement was to create peace, love, unity, and having fun for those in the ghetto. They were an all out supportive group for the culture of Hip Hop. The Zulu Nation was created by Afrika Bambaataa give African Americans a place to feel at home as in the 70’s and 80’s there was a rise to gangs in New York. Among his work with the Zulu Nation he created the Four Pillars of Hip Hop which consists of DJing, Graffiti, Breaking, and Rapping. This solidified the meaning of what hip hop was and was a way to embrace and advocate the culture.

We have touched basis on the creation and early history of Hip Hop, now we must go into more detail of the historical context as it relates to the pedagogy of African Americans in society.

The Impact

Rap began as spoken word, or more so a commentary on the DJ’s skills in the early periods of Hip Hop. Rappers were known as MC’s and they would frequently give more energy to Hip Hop parties and bring the crowds into the performance. As time moved on rap MC’s branched out from shouting out DJ’s skills or friends/family in the crowds to being focused more the the rhyme or raps. These MC’s would use personal stories and experiences and rap over the DJ’s beats. Hip Hop became an outlet for young African Americans to express themselves in a time post enslavement where they could be themselves and be in the presence of their peers. It was an outlet for a people still under an oppressive society that could make music and art that resonated that they could call their own.

“Forces of oppression assumed temporal, ever-shifting guises, and the vanquishing of one target, such as slavery, often led to discouragement and bewilderment as racism, seemingly defeated, simply morphed into a subsequent form, such as North American segregation.

“Reversing the Sail” Gomez, Asserting the Right to be, Pg. 110

Hip Hop is African American/Black culture; it came at a time where many African Americans were trying to find their way and identity in America. This is something that they could truly embrace as something of their own, and helped as a tool of empowerment.

The Power of Spoken Word

Traditionally its easy to think of rap as rhyme or poetry, but for African American people it actually has very deep rooted cultural and historical significance. The historical significance comes from West Africa, where oral tradition has this idea of nommo. The word nommo comes from the Dogon people of Mali, and specifically in Malian Dogon cosmology Nommo is the first human, a creation of the supreme deity, Amma, whose creative power lies in the generative property of the spoken word. (Blanchard 99) In the philosophical context of the word nommo, it is stated that it is the animative ability of words and the delivery of words to act upon objects, giving life. The significance of rap is understated in a sense that it has deep rooted significance in African culture prior to the inception of what we know as modern day Hip Hop & Rap.

The correlation between Ancient African peoples and modern day Hip Hop can be connected by the African oral historians and praise singers which were known as griots. Griots were the keepers and curators of knowledge in Ancient Africa. They were members of tribal villages and often times traveled and shared their spoken word. This knowledge included tribal history, family lineage, news of birth/death/war. The correlation between the griots of Ancient African, and rappers of our modern day have many parallels. Rappers speak about the stories and struggles of their daily lives, their dreams, socio-economic & political concerns. Rappers are the keepers themselves just as the griots of Ancient Africa were in keeping the history of contemporary African Americans lives.

Who are better prepared than the oppressed to understand the terrible significance of an oppressive society? Who suffer the effects of oppression more than the oppressed? Who can better understand the necessity of liberation? They will not gain this liberation by chance but through the praxis of their quest for it through their recognition of the necessity to fight for it.

Paulo Freire, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” Pg. 2

The knowledge of Hip Hop and its history can be thought of as a chronological telling of the story of African Americans. One can understand why Hip Hop is so integral to the African American community with this context. The use of Hip Hop is a tool in the fight for Liberation.

Fight The Power

The story of Hip Hop is the story African Americans and how they view life and society. There is none better to tell us this story, of a people historical disenfranchised and oppressed in our society. As political tensions and racial issues arose to the public eye in America starting in the 70’s we start to see Hip Hop being used more as a form of rebellion and resistance. This use of rhyme as a form of resistance goes back to the times of enslavement in America. The enslaved would use rhyming games as a form of encoded speech to communicate with each other knowledge, ideas, and as a way to communicate in a way that the slave masters could not understand. (They had to do this for fear of punishment) The correlation here being that we see the use of rhyme as a powerful tool for Hip Hop & the African American community to tell their story and as a form of political advocacy and resistance.

Hip Hop Was…

By this point it is easy to see the significance of Hip Hop to Black culture in America. Hip Hop is a chronological sequence of people and events that have culminated to what we know of Hip Hop culture as it stands today. By this point, we have learned about the pioneers and ideals that shaped its progress through its early stages. Hip Hop was a tool for young, poor Blacks in America to create something out of nothing. It was a tool for liberation of a people oppressed in society to create something that would unite themselves. It was an outlet that was made for a people that felt were not represented properly in society, and that outlet was a form of empowerment within the community itself. With this knowledge we can further analyze what Hip Hop is today and if the ideals of the earlier years still apply to the concept of Hip Hop as it was known.

Hip Hop Is…

As Hip Hop has grown into what it is in our modern times, we have seen a dramatic shift in terms of the cultural impact and message as a whole. It started out in New York with block parties and DJ’s and has grown into a billion dollar industry that is one of the most popular and profitable genres of music in today’s society.

Modern Era Hip Hop Commercialization

In the present day, Hip Hop is mainstream and is everywhere in popular culture. There has been a dramatic shift in the very essence of Hip Hop and what it used to be to what it is now. With the increase and popularity and profit, we see a heavy commercialization and industry driven focus on Rap itself. As the time has changed in the short life that Hip Hop has been around, we see that the message and the focus has changed as well. The commercialization of Hip Hop has overtaken a big share of the direction and message of the rap. From the early days where the raps would be about social/economic/political issues we see this shift into a more glamorous lifestyle influenced by materialistic messages.

We have Hip Hop artists who have been trained by corporate America to promote messages of mass materialism. Along with very self destructive messages about drug use, violence, etc. They’ve made our kids into zombies. They’ve gotten to the point to where they are excessively materialistic and they don’t have the money to by the things that they want”

Dr. Boyce Watkins : “Hip Hop Is…” (Time in video ; 10:04 – 10:23)

Is this a good thing? This is a question one must ask, this approach may benefit the artist monetarily and can be considered a business oriented move. We can see the influence that money and material things have in many modern day rap culture, it is made very apparent through the music/videos/lifestyle that some rappers create. With this heavy influence on business and commodification of Hip Hop it causes one to question the authenticity of the art itself. With the messages that are being portrayed, does it stay true to essence of what Hip Hop was? That is a culture and art that is there to unite a historically oppressed people, one that spreads peace, love, unity, and having fun? Which also begs the question, are the artists that are being pushed into the mainstream an accurate representation of Hip Hop culture as a whole or are they merely a persona of what a commercial structure thinks will benefit said structure in terms of profit. In some cases I would say that this holds true, but I would also say it is this is a complex argument that cannot be fully realized with general statements. Unfortunately though even though it is not for all cases, this very act causes the artists themselves to take on the role, as Friere would describe as a sub-oppressor.

But almost always, during the initial stage of the struggle, the oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors, or “sub-oppressors.” The very structure of their thought has been conditioned by the contradictions of the concrete, existential situation by which they were shaped. Their ideal is to be men; but for them, to be men is to be oppressors. This is their model of humanity. This phenomenon derives from the fact that the oppressed, at a certain moment of their existential experience, adopt an attitude of “adhesion” to the oppressor.

Paulo Friere, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” Pg 2

Commodification of Hip Hop Culture

The question therein lies, has the commercialization of Hip Hop become a commodification of black culture? The capitalist society we live in has taken over Hip Hop culture and abused its message for profit.

“We see a major contradiction between capitalism in this country and our interests. We realize that this country became very rich upon slavery and that slavery is capitalism in the extreme. We have two evils to fight, capitalism and racism.”

Huey Newton, “Huey Newton Talks to the Movement”

The commodification of Hip Hop has changed what Hip Hop was supposed to represent. It has been morphed into a tool used for greed and sells messages of a false reality that prides itself on materialism and narcissism. This is not the intended message that Hip Hop strives to create. The malicious form of an oppressive society took notice of the influence that Hip Hop brought to the black community and took it upon themselves to try to capture that essence and use it for its own personal benefit. This is part of the reason we see these materialistic and unrealistic messages being pushed into modern day Hip Hop. By selling this false image of Hip Hop, promotes division and harmful messages which do not empower and uplift.
These messages form a mind-state of selfishness which is harmful to the culture and community as a whole. For artists that are profiting off Hip Hop, instead of using that profit to help the Hip Hop community the commercial powers that be tell them/us that they should be investing that money into materialistic and self enriching things.

This commodification is harmful because in a sense it does not allow many artists to the right to be themselves. Creative control and critical thought have been replaced with material obsessions, a degradation on how to perceive women, and a promotion of violence and drug use that is harmful for the minds of those that are listening along. Although instances of all these topics can be seen throughout Hip Hop history, the part that makes it harmful is the glorification of all these negative concepts.

Misrepresentation

Now this is a very complex situation as well. Rap has primarily been used as a way for young black youth to tell a story, a struggle, a concept. This is no different in many instances today. The heavy promotion of artists that are promoting drug use, violence, misogyny, etc. does facilitate toward a negative connotation of Hip Hop as a whole though. There have been a lot of negatives that have been focused on, but to sum up all of that we must understand that within this commodification of Hip Hop, the business that control and run it (along with media outlets who have just as big of a role, if not bigger) have created a huge misrepresentation of Hip Hop as a whole.

“What we’ve allowed to happen is to render meaningful criticism of the commercial takeover of a black cultural form designed not only to liberate but to create critical consciousness and turned it into the cultural arm of predatory capitalism in the last 30 years.”

Tricia Rose “Hip Hop Is…” (Time : 31:28 – 31:48)

“We want an end to the robbery by the white man of our Black Community.”

Huey Newton and Bobby Seale “Black Panther Platform and Program”

Then whom does the blame fall on? One could argue that Hip Hop was the catalyst for these negative connotations as they are the ones that are glorifying it. The unfortunate truth here is that even without Hip Hop, these negative ideals that are pervasive in rap today are not caused from rap music itself. They are a reaction from systematic oppression and systems that hinder economic growth and societal progress in poor black communities. What we see today in modern Hip Hop is selling this image or idea of what it is to be black or be apart of black culture. It is highlighted throughout the video this fascination for non-black people to experience what it is to be black, but they really don’t want to be black.

To follow up upon this idea, a quote by Dr. Cornel West I believe describes it best.

American mainstream is obsessed with black creative genius via music, walk, style. But at the same time puts a low priority on the black social misery which is the very context out of which that creativity flows.”

Dr. Cornel West “Hip Hop Is…” (Time : 33:37 – 33:56)

Although it may seem there is a lot of negative promotion and aspects of modern day Rap/Hip Hop, it is not entirely the fault of the Hip Hop community. The fault lies within the systemic problems that are prevalent in our society. The culture as all things do changes with the times and new voices arise to speak about its current issues and mindsets. The culture may have shifted, but some of the foundation is still there.

The struggle of the Hip Hop artist and genre gained popularity from the 60’s leading up all the way to the 80’s. Here during this time we see the culture being embraced in many facets of society including the what is considered the mainstream. This time period stretches from the 80’s to the 90’s and we will go over the significance and the people that made it stand out from the rest.

What Makes This Era Stand Out?

The claim for Hip Hops golden era being the 80’s-90’s is concisely due to the fact that this is a time where Hip Hop artists are seeing huge commercial success but haven’t “sold out” completely. We see the elements of the four pillars of Hip Hop holding true during this time. This was a time where the artists message and value hasn’t been commodified as we see in contemporary Hip Hop. The rappers style was not influenced by a corporate entity during these times and we see a focus on artists representing where they came from and their stories. Here we see iconic, culture shifting artists and groups emerging. Along with trendsetting we see strong themes of Afrocentrism and political activism. The main claim to how it got the term Golden Era would be the amount of innovation, growth, and classic compositions that came out within its stretch.

The 80’s

Run-DMC

Run-DMC was comprised of three members from Hollis, Queens, New York. The group was started in 1981 and was and is one of the most influential rap artists/group of our time. When the trio formed in the early 80’s they took upon stage names; Jam Master Jay, DMC, and Run were chosen. The rap duo of Run and DMC would be what would form the groups name.

Their importance in the genre would be stated as a cultural icon in the early to late 80’s. The rise of their impact in the culture was them trying to separate themselves from the old guard of Hip Hop in the 70’s by embracing a new style and wave within the Hip Hop community. From the disco/glam era in the 70’s they incorporate a street style look and sound that resonated in the community. Their look was B-Boy inspired and heavily promoted Adidas which transcended the group themselves and inspired a lot of the Hip Hop style in the 80’s.

They bursted into the scene with the commercial success of “It’s Like That” in 1983. This song charted in the top 20’s of the R&B charts. (This was a time where Hip Hop did not have its own lane yet) Following this success they created their first self titled album which did very well, and this was the beginning of what would make the legendary group what it is. Their sophomore album entitled “King of Rock” was what pushed the group to a high status in Hip Hop. The song on “King of Rock” on the same album was the first Hip Hop video to ever be feature on MTV. The style of Run DMC would be shown to a huge mainstream audience and with the help of this push made the song certified platinum.

Run DMC’s ever growing mainstream appeal lead them to join many artists in the historic Live Aid concert in 1985. They were the only Hip Hop group comprised in this legendary line up, the concert was broadcast on TV to an estimated audience of over 1.9 Billion people. This put Hip Hop on the map to people all over the world and solidified Run DMC’s place in history not only for Hip Hop but for music in general. The notoriety of the group and the commercial success they attained would be a catalyst for the growth and longevity of Hip Hop in society today.

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Public Enemy

From Long Island, New York a group named Public Enemy emerged in 1986. They are a Hip Hop group comprised of 6 members that were inspired by the new style of Hip Hop innovated by Run DMC. They had a dream and a focus on having that same sound with poignant lyrics that were heavily driven with a political message. The groups debut album tilted “Yo! Bum Rush the Show” was met with a moderate response. It achieved much success for a new group but was ignored by many radio stations due to its controversial messages of Black nationalism and bringing to light the systemic oppression of black people in society mainly focusing on the governments role. It did not reach much commercial success, until their sophomore album “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” released in 1988.

“Groups like Public Enemy and Arrested Development call for “revolution” and for “poor whites and blacks to bum rush the system”

“Black Popular Culture and the Transcendence of the Patriarchal Illusions” Ransby and Matthews

“It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” brought to us two breakthrough songs that came from the group “Don’t Believe the Hype” And “Bring the Noise”. The political and Afrocentric notions of these two songs sprung Public Enemy into the mainstream and made their message heard around the nation.

“Turn up the radio
They claim that I’m a criminal
By now I wonder how
Some people never know
The enemy could be their friend, guardian
I’m not a hooligan
I rock the party and
Clear all the madness, I’m not a racist
Preach to teach to all
‘Cause some they never had this
Number one, not born to run
About the gun
I wasn’t licensed to have one
The minute they see me, fear me
I’m the epitome, a public enemy
Used, abused without clues
I refused to blow a fuse
They even had it on the news
Don’t believe the hype”

“Don’t Believe the Hype” – Public Enemy

The message of this song was one the perception of Black people in America at the time. ( I would also argue still holds true to this day ) The group shines light upon the misrepresentation of the Black community as well as the Hip Hop community with the notion of being criminal or millitant. Although their music preached a lot of Afrocentrism which was seen as aggressive to the government the main message was not to perpetuate this negative and false stereotype that was the perception of the time. It was a revolution through their words and music.

“Now they got me in a cell ’cause my records, they sell
Cause a brother like me said “Well
Farrakhan’s a prophet and I think you ought to listen to
What he can say to you, what you ought to do is follow for now”

“Bring the Noise” – Public Enemy

They brought light to the suppression of the voice of Black people through their music as well. They received a lot of public adversity for the messages they were bringing about in their music. Many politicians feared that their music was politically charged and was an effort to militarize blacks in the America against the government and police.

“Listen for lessons I’m saying inside music that the critics are blasting me for
They’ll never care for the brothers and sisters now, ’cause the country has us up for the war
We got to demonstrate, come on now
They’re gonna have to wait ’till we get it right “

“Bring the Noise” – Public Enemy with Rap Genius analysis

Following all this work, Public Enemy released their third and most renowned album of their discography entitled “Fear of a Black Planet” in 1989. This album was not only the most commercially successful album of the group but was also one that checked all the major messages and themes they were trying to spread through their music. The album tackled social issues in black community’s, institutional racism, and power struggles among wealth classes. (among many other social and political ideals) Public Enemy’s impact on the culture was one of bringing Black socio-economic and political ideals and analysis to a broad audience through their music.

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DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

In West Philadelphia born and raised, two young men named Jeff Towns and Will Smith would make the duo of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince in the mid 80’s. Their style that they created one was that was lighthearted, fun, with an emphasis on story telling. The groups charisma and quirk would be the catalyst that propelled them into the mainstream. With their first album “Rock The House” they caught the attention of Russell Simmons and Jive Records who then put them on tour with Run DMC, Public Enemy, and other artists. This would be their first step into stardom. The help accompanying this tour would lead them to sell a moderate amount of records on their first album.

In 1989 the group would release “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper” which was their most successful album together. This album was the first double album in Hip Hop history and became triple platinum. Leading the success of the album was the mainstream appeal from a song called “Parents Just Don’t Understand”.

The success of the album reached a grand audience and in the same year, 1989 they received the first Grammy ever awarded for rap performance. A bit of controversy though led with this award. The Grammy’s did not televise the award being given for the group so they chose to boycott it. In this interview featuring the group they explain their motives behind the boycott.

On top of the Grammy they received, they also were awarded best rap group in 1989 from the American Music Awards. DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince came at a time where Hip Hop was being integrated into musical institutions. They were the introduction to Hip Hop on a mainstream level, one that showed the world that Hip Hop is a multi-faceted genre with their quirky, lighthearted, fun style. One of their great successes was solidifying Hip Hop as a genre that was here to stay and their will to stand up for the genre itself as only they could.

The 90’s is where rap truly hit its stride. Innovation and style was at a all time high by this point with the help from the groups aforementioned in my previous post leading up to this point, but with the entrance into this new decade we see the all the heavy hitters in the Hip Hop world starting to establish themselves.

The Notorious BIG

Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious BIG or Biggie Smalls, is one of the most revered artists in Hip Hop history of all time. A native of Brooklyn, he was regarded in his time as King of east coast Hip Hop. His debut album “Ready to Die” released in 1994 and received high praise from the community. It eventually reached quadruple platinum status after a couple years. His unique sound, complex wordplay, and riveting story telling made him an instant success. A pioneer in the rags to riches theme that we can see in Hip Hop to today, he is attributed for influencing most of the common tropes seen in the culture.

“Yeah, this album is dedicated
To all the teachers that told me I’d never amount to nothin’
To all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin’ in front of
Called the police on me when I was just tryin’ to make some money to feed my daughter (it’s all good)
And all the (explicit) in the struggle
You know what I’m sayin’? It’s all good, baby baby “

“Juicy” – The Notorious BIG

The 90’s were a start to what would be known as gangsta rap, and The Notorious BIG was a big proponent to the success of this sub-genre. There was a huge importance on representation (mainly on where you came from) and BIG represented the East coast. His lyrics related to those living a street life and his style and charisma led him to become a pop culture figure and household name. In his raps one can see vivid imagery painted of the rags to riches story and on the opposite can describe the life of a drug dealer just trying to survive. Biggie found an outlet with his incredible talent for rap and used his life experiences to describe that lifestyle and whether he knew it or not provided an image of hope for those still living that life as means to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

“At their best, rappers shape the tortuous twists of urban fate into lyrical elegies. They represent lives swallowed by too little love or opportunity. They represent themselves and their peers with aggrandizing anthems that boast of their ingenuity and luck in surviving.”

“Gangsta Rap and American Culture” – Michael Eric Dyson

The gangsta rap culture that was bred in the early 90’s was subject to a culture of violence which unfortunately led to Notorious BIG’s death on March 9th, 1997 while he was in Los Angeles. Violence due to a feud between himself and Tupac Shakur stemming from a coastal rivalry. 16 days after his death, his second album “Life After Death” released which reached #1 on the Billboard charts and earned a diamond rating. (The highest rating for a solo album in Hip Hop history)

A giant in his time, Biggies legacy lives on through his music. His whole character shaping the archetype for gangsta rap as we know it, has influenced Hip Hop like no other. He has become a timeless artist and one who changed the game.

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Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amare Shakur, was a LA based rapper that was part of the West Coast movement in Hip Hop. His name should not be unfamiliar to most as he (Notorious BIG included) is in the category the most renowned and legendary Hip Hop artists in history. His influence, much like BIG was from his gangsta rap music and representation of the West coast. His debut album, “2Pacalypse Now” released in 1991, had commentary on many social issues in America such as racism, teenage pregnancy, police brutality, poverty, and black on black crime.

” I hear Brenda’s got a baby
But, Brenda’s barely got a brain
A damn shame, the girl can hardly spell her name
(That’s not our problem, that’s up to Brenda’s family)
Well let me show ya how it affects the whole community
Now Brenda really never knew her moms and her dad was a
Junky, went in death to his arms, it’s sad ’cause I bet
Brenda doesn’t even know
Just ’cause your in the ghetto doesn’t mean you can’t grow (you can’t grow) “

“Brenda’s Got a Baby” – Tupac Shakur

Visceral storytelling of these social issues made Tupac a force to be reckoned with in the Hip Hop community. He was seen as a leader of the people and spoke on issues that where prevalent in his time that related to many. In a way he became a spokesperson for the people, shedding light on the struggles of a young black man (and in the case of black women through “Brenda’s Got a Baby” among other songs gave a “real” perspective on the troubles plaguing the black community.

Tupac’s follow up albums “Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z…” (1993) and “Me Against the World” (1995) received critical acclaim and propelled Tupac into the mainstream. Afrocentric themes and a inspiration from Black revolutionaries such as Malcolm X and the Black Panthers made Tupac an inspiration and a voice for the black community. His power and influence resided within painting real portraits of black life in America, from all the good to all the bad aspects.

“Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don’t nobody else care
And uh, I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don’t cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don’t forget, girl keep your head up “

“Keep Ya Head Up” – Tupac Shakur

In 1996 his most coveted album “All Eyez on Me” released in 1996 which would become one of the best selling albums in the United States at the time. In September of the same year Tupac was tragically murdered in a drive by shooting. His message was one of empowerment of the black & hip hop community. He was a spokesperson of the culture and from his influence is still known to this day as one of the greatest to ever do it.

“We get a lot of brothers who talk to a lot of people. But they ain’t saying nothing. Here’s a brother who’s saying something – who won’t sell himself out.”

“Nappy Happy: A Conversation with Ice Cube” Angela Y. Davis and Ice Cube

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Wu-Tang Clan

Enter the Wu-Tang: A group of 9 talented artists got together from New York City and formed what would be known as the Wu-Tang Clan. In 1993 their debut album released entitled “Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers“. Leading the album was their hit single “Protect Ya Neck” which was the beginning of this legendary groups success. Their style was like no other at the time. Wu-Tang style could be described in many ways; unorthodox, gritty, gangsta, conceptual, etc. One thing was for sure, the Hip Hop community had seen nothing like the Wu-Tang Clan before.

Heavily influenced by Eastern culture, the Wu-Tang clan founded it-selves on the ideals and philosophies of martial arts movies and interwove those ideals into the hip hop.
The Wu-Tang also had a desire to teach the youth. They wanted to spread a message of knowledge with the realism of society. They also integrated sounds from martial arts movies into their music and put their own style to it which made them sound more unique then any hip hop artist/group. Their grimy and haunting production led to a sound created like no other to represent their New York upbringing.

“I grew up on the crime side, the New York Times side
Staying alive was no jive”

“C.R.E.A.M.” – Wu-Tang Clan

36 Chambers would be the only group album completed by the full Wu-Tang collective but due to the massive success propelled each member to go on to create solo albums within this same decade. They had a style that inspired many within the hip hop community and integrated eastern culture & philosophies within Hip Hop.

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