The Beginnings of Hip Hop #3: The Nine Elements of Hip Hop (Hip Hop culture)

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The Nine Elements of Hip Hop really shaped Hip Hop for years to come, giving it a defined cultural background. The four core elements gave the art form a cemented foundation so that it could really turn into a cultural movement. 

The four core elements (as discussed in the previous article) are, B-boyin', MC-in', Aerosol Art (graffiti), and DJ-in'.

When people talk about Hip Hop now, it includes the nine elements, which the first four are the fore core elements and then there is; 

Beatboxin'- making a beat using your own voice to create snares, high hats, and the bass drum. It has gotten so intricate now-a-days to where people can do the drums, instruments, and singin' or rappin' while beat boxin'. Peep this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZkeDDE79ew

Street fashion- a form of fashion that usually pairs up some cool kicks and well coordinated casual attire that often times sported with matching colors or well organized color clashes.

 

Street language- Some call it slang, some call it ebonics, but whatever it is, it was pretty much made up by MCs spittin' new wordplays in songs or new definitions. Many books and websites have been created on this subject, for example, Urbandictionary.com, which was created by a college student in 1999 and now has contriubtions from all over the world.

Street knowledge- The stories and tragedies around the world we live in through the eyes of a Hip Hop scholar. Street knowledge has been printed for years as well as chronicled, through people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Clarence 13X, and just about every relevant Hip Hop artist ever to grace the golden mic (my personal favorite, KRS-One the pinnacle Hip Hop artist of street knowledge). 

 Street Entrepreneurialism- When you think of this subject, Russell Simmons comes to mind. He is the Berry Gordy of Hip Hop, being a co-founder of the pioneering record label Def Jam. He helped push the genre forward with his savvy business sense and has brought out legend after legend, but he couldn't do it without the production quality of Rick Ruben (also a founder of Def Jam).

Hip Hop (music in general) as a culture is diminishing, record companies and big egos has taken over making it one big money machine. I was told this by a local artist, Dap Daniel from Da Brohydez of Richmond, "When Tupac came to the studio, he gave us all a book on Malcolm X and said that we had to read this before he'd working with us." Where has this gone, when Hip Hop spit knowledge? Now it is about nothing and stands for nothing. Music now-a-days is a rehash of music that came out before, it is hard to do something original and the "hip hop" that is coming out now, is just an updated rehash of the funk and soul days in the 70s but what makes it irrelevant to Hip Hop is the egotistical maniacs that are behind it. There is no knowledge being spit, they talk about having all this money while their respective audiences struggle to make ends meat. This type of arrogance is not needed in music, it is the type of arrogance that gets people killed. A word to the wise audience, always stay humble.