Hip Hop and the Media in the USA

Hausarbeit (Hauptseminar) , 1999 , 32 Seiten , Note: 1,0 (A)

Amerikanistik - Kultur und Landeskunde

1. Introduction:

In the following study the relationship and interaction between “Hip Hop and the Media in the USA” will be discussed. The aim of this paper is to put hip hop into a wider framework of media and culture.

Hip hop has triumphantly emerged from the underground to take its place in the mainstream of popular culture. It is clear that the pervasive influence of hip hop extends to television, film, advertising, fashion, the print media, and language itself. Although it has taken almost twenty years to reach this level of mass exposure, the movement now stands as a multimillion-dollar enterprise and a dominant cultural force that continues to grow. To put it quite bluntly, hip hop cannot be considered as an independent entity on its own; it has to be explained in a broader context – a creation out of a reaction with and against existing conventions. Hip hop must be reinvented from moment to moment, centered around the impossibility of closure – the moment it becomes identifiable, its modes reducible, it dies – but hip hop’s ability is to reinvent itself continually. Hip hop is, as Potter puts it, “a cultural recycling center, a social heterolect, a field of contest, even a form of psychological warfare” (109).

This paper tries to shed light on the following questions: What is the media’s influence on the history and development of hip hop culture? How are the different rap categories treated by the media? Why is authenticity especially appealing to a white audience and consequently to the major spending power? In how far are violence, drugs and misogyny important for the development of hip hop culture, how is the media coping with these issues? The latter question leads to the next one: Why is rap, as a part of hip hop, the subject of a permanent call for censorship? To answer this question some examples will be illustrated.
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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Function of the Media
• The Development of Hip Hop in the Media
• Categories of Rap
• Authenticity in Hip Hop
• Violence, Drugs, and Misogyny in Hip Hop
• Against the Law – A Call for Censorship

Objectives and Key Themes

This study explores the relationship and interaction between hip hop and the media in the USA, placing hip hop within a broader framework of media and culture. The paper investigates the influence of the media on hip hop's development, the media's portrayal of different rap categories, and the role of authenticity in its appeal to a white audience. It also examines the presence of violence, drugs, and misogyny in hip hop, the media's response to these issues, and the reasons behind the ongoing calls for censorship of rap music.

• The impact of the media on the history and development of hip hop culture.
• The media's treatment of different categories of rap music.
• The appeal of authenticity in hip hop, particularly to a white audience.
• The significance of violence, drugs, and misogyny in the development of hip hop culture.
• The reasons behind the calls for censorship of rap music.

Chapter Summaries

• Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the study's focus on the relationship between hip hop and the media in the USA. It highlights hip hop's rise to mainstream popularity and its complex relationship with existing cultural conventions. The chapter outlines the key questions the study seeks to address.
• Function of the Media: This chapter defines "the media" within the context of hip hop, emphasizing its role in the production and distribution of knowledge and its influence on American culture. It discusses the key elements of the media, including news media, radio, film, music, fashion, and advertising, and their impact on the development and propagation of hip hop culture.
• The Development of Hip Hop in the Media: This chapter examines the origins of hip hop culture in the ghettos and barrios of New York City, highlighting the diverse African-influenced cultures that contributed to its formation. It traces the rise of rap music as the most commercialized element of hip hop and discusses the challenges faced by Puerto Rican rappers in gaining recognition within a predominantly African American-focused industry.

Keywords

Hip hop, media, culture, rap, authenticity, violence, drugs, misogyny, censorship, mainstream, underground, ghetto, barrio, African-American, Latino, Puerto Rican, marketing, commercialization, industry, corporate, influence, development, history, representation.

• Hochschule: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (American Studies)
• Veranstaltung: Transnational American Culture Studies
• Note: 1,0 (A)
• Autor: Dana Kabbani (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 1999
• Seiten: 32
• Katalognummer: V7569
• ISBN (eBook): 9783638147897
• ISBN (Buch): 9783656218630
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Hip Hop, Medien, Rap, Violence, Media, Zensur, Censorship