Hip Hop Culture

HIP HOP CULTURE

Music. It seizes to amaze me how this five letter word has the immense power to influence, change, and identify someone's entire persona. It's like an adrenaline rush that overcomes your entire body, thoughts, and emotions. While standing in a crowd at a concert, you are completely succumb to the music in which you fail to realize the make-up, which was once perfectly set, is now completely sweated off, or how the person next to you reeks of that awful combination of sweat, body odor, and cigarettes. Listening to these artists somehow make you completely oblivious to your surroundings. In addition to being indulged in the music, underground hip hop, as demonstrated by the fans, is not just music; it's a way of life. It has the incredible ability to tell a story and let people know what is real, which is why it has created this elite culture which developed a whole new revolution.

Often times certain music can be compared to a clique. There are various reactions obtained depending on the type of music you're listening to whether it is anywhere from alternative to hip hop. The crowds are completely different depending on the genre of music you are listening to. It was at a concert I had attended at Logan Square Auditorium, about two years ago, which sparked my interest in a not so popular, yet influential clique. While patiently awaiting the show, I overheard several conversations about the artists' scheduled to perform. People mentioned how rare it was when so many talented hip hop artists were scheduled to perform. It was indeed a legendary line-up. As I stood there awaiting these artists I have never heard of, I saw hundreds of different types of people anxiously awaiting this music I had newly discovered. It wasn't long before I came to the realization that the crowd wasn't as big as other concerts I had attended. Perhaps it was because they weren't overly bombarded by the media or weren't signed to a multi-billion dollar label. This, however, exemplifies the true passion these artists have for music. They don't seek money, yet just want the ability to get their thoughts and ideas out in the open in hopes to change people's views on certain issues.

The music began and was almost immediately followed by the head bobbing. These fans demonstrated an evident interest in their eyes and appreciation for the words. This was highly different from what I was accustomed to. To my surprise, it wasn't about dancing to the beat, yet listening to the words. Everyone in the audience seemed to grasp every single word that came out of the artist's mouth. It was like poetry spoken out to us. Their songs were about real-life situations, and things which encouraged listeners to think beyond the norm. The idea that they were able to blow away a crowd with sheer lyricism is completely amazes me.

While at the concert, I noticed that many of these artists didn't use a beat, yet most of them used a cappella. This helped obtain a greater appreciation from the crowd. Underground artists are notorious for being positive and sticking to the artistic aspect of things and bucking the norms of commercialism. If you listen to the radio, you hear a lot of artists who sound the same, talk the same, have the same beats, and talk about the same things like money and cars, yet have no message. Those with skill, like these