The Ugly Truth About the Hip-Hop Journey to the Forefront of Popular Culture

Hip-Hop, originating from the poverty-stricken Bronx, has in recent decades infiltrated popular culture and gained recognition as the most prominent form of dance. Optimistically, critics can hypothesize that the increased appearance of hip-hop in the media is a result of accessibility to individuals of all economic walks of life and the instinctiveness of the dance. Realistically, however, many scholars have concluded that the presence of hip-hop in contemporary media is due to its appropriation, making it a commercialized and mutilated branch of the culture in of itself. Media moguls have worked to dilute hip hop to make the art relatable to people of more backgrounds than the impoverished-which at first may sound positive, but in reality strips the art of its rich culture, taking only what is "appealing" and ignoring the rigid truth of its origins. Through investigation of history, politics, and fluctuation in American society, the following analysis will give an introspective look into the ugly truth about hip-hop's journey to the forefront of contemporary popular culture. Scholarly analysis of dance reveals that "shifts in popular music that acknowledge African-American wellsprings in the 1970s, including disco and funk, arrived alongside activist gains of the civil rights era," (Borelli , 114).

We see throughout history that during political uproar, the hip-hop community reflects upon the times through their music and dance. Simultaneously, we note that those heading media corporations often display Hip- Hop in a different light than what it was intended for originally. Instead of showcasing hip-hop that gives a respectable representation of what the culture stems from, commercialized media simply picks what appears to be sexy or entertaining to a broader audience in order to turn a profit. By studying the aspects that commercial media perpetuates, we see that factors symbolizing real issues such as poverty or drugs are overlooked for the more marketable factors such as eye-catching dance moves or highly energized perfomances. In doing so, the media appeals to larger audiences seek entertainment, but do not wish to offer any assistance with the issues the community faces. The fact that society has a clear conscience reaping the benefits from a community without acknowledging the pressing issues reveals underlying racism in this industry. According to recent analysis, "...most hip hop and rap artistry... work] countless hours at home or in a club to shape the impulses into choreography" (Gottschid).

With improvisation being one of the defining factors of Hip-Hop, it is evident that the art is becoming more and more commercialized. In the 1980's, a new trend emerged in commercialized media that further appropriated the culture while also opening doors for more consumers. With Hip-Hop emanating from primarily Black and Latino/a communities, the emergence of Caucasian Hip-Hop artists such as Vanilla Ice became a cultural shock. While being Caucasian does not disqualify one from being a genuine Hip-Hop artist, neglecting to understanding the culture this art originates from automatically classifies an artist as an appropriator. With over 81 million views on his most popular song on Youtube, it is clear that Vanilla Ice's popularity skyrocketed ("lce Ice Baby"). This video is a clear example of appropriation; it incorporates entertaining parts about Hip-Hop like colorful grafiti and polycentricism, while leaving out relevant aspects such as the thousands of individuals belonging that suffer "politically, socially, and economically," (Cheng). Technically, to be Hip-Hop, the art must include DJing, MCing, Break dancing, Graftiti, and community. "Ice Ice Baby" embodies few to none of these aspects of Hip-Hop, and those that are represented are highly artificial.

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For example, Vanilla Ice and back up dancers preform choreographed dance with costumes and back stories (dismantling the improvisational factor), the graffiti in the video is brightly colored and unlike that found in genuine Hip-Hop communities, and the entire video is altered professionally with lighting, frontal facing, and other editing factors. Let's face it-if hip-hop were presented in its purest form to the media, few would appeal to it unless he or she comes from the community themselves. The media has manipulated society to gravitate toward commercialized and appropriated versions of Hip-Hop, effectively uncovering the racism society associates with the community itself. While Hip-Hop may be the most prominent sector of dance, it is important to recognize how this came to be. In doing so viewers can gain a much broader perspective on where our country stands in terms of progression toward equality.

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