What came first: The culture or the crime? Are young people easily influenced by hip hop or is hip hop easily influenced by young people? Who or what is responsible for the rise in young offenders?
In order to answer the questions, one must start by looking at the birth of hip hop.
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It’s so easy to forget that hip hop is not just Rap music, but rather, a form of expression that presents itself in six other elements including ‘tagging’ (graffiti art), break dancing, beat-boxing and record scratching, every day dichotomy and attire.
The story begins roughly in 1974 with Afrika Bambaataa fathering The Zulu Nation as a means of empowerment amongst the black community. Afrika Bambaataa (meaning ‘affectionate leader’), was originally a ‘Black Spade’- one of the prevalent gangs in the Bronx, New York. He aimed for Zulu Nation, to convey peace throughout the inner city via hip hop.
Meanwhile, Jamaican born DJ Kool Herc, moved to the Bronnx. Along with his aim to start a new life he brought along his reggae roots and ‘toasting’-the original form of emceeing compiled of Jamaican Patois and rhyming couplets complimented by heavy drum beats and strong base lines now known as ‘Deejaying:’
Later, Grandmaster Flash introduced the art of technology. In 1977 he formed a style of implementing fast beats whilst upholding an uninterrupted track so that the break dancers (B-boys/girls) were able to follow the beat easily throughout their routine, which was predominantly a fascinating fusion of gymnastic and capoeira (a type of African martial arts which merged after Africans were enslaved by Brazilians).
From the Jamaican Patois influence and the inner city idioms of young New York culture, the street language was formed. The synonyms of the day to day English language were given different connotations in hip hop dichotomy. For instance, ‘Thug Life’- a term coined by Tupac Shakur may appear abrupt and volatile, but ironically was an acronym saying. “The Hate U Gave Little Infants F—- Everybody!”
Additionally, Doug E Fresh, the Fat Boyz and Biz Markie were recognised for their beat boxing during the eighties.
Culture Critic, Nelson George refers to hip-hop as ‘Post-Soul’- a form of postmodernism, created from the hardship of street life. Hip hop was a lifestyle one becomes- it gave a sense of belonging to the individual and labels one’s place in society. It defined the way one walked, ate, breathed- if you were to cut a b-boy/girl, tagger, DJ or Emcee open, they would bleed hip hop.
By reading into the foundations of hip hop, we must question how a subculture of USA custom is of any significance to the UK? Not to mention the wonders of where the connection is between freedom and criminal captivity? Art and ASBO?
Join us next week when we look at the problems similar social groups in the UK faced during the 1980’s which eventually paved the way for the hip hop culture to counterbalance certain pessimisms at the time.
In the meantime, send in your comments.
Stay blessed,
Nadia Gasper.

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