History+of+Hip-Hop

In this lesson, students will:
 * Define hip-hop and describe its four main elements.
 * Become familiar with the roots of hip-hop music and culture, in socio-economic and geographic context.
 * Make connections between personal/community identity and hip-hop culture.
 * Think, write, and speak intelligently about the differences between mainstream popular rap and hip-hop as a culture.

“**The thing about hip-hop is that it’s from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized.”** -Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings


 * “Rap is a gimmick, but I’m for the hip-hop, the culture.”** -Method Man, hip-hop artist, member of the Wu-Tang Clan


 * “Hip-hop is a vehicle.”** -Talib Kweli, hip-hop artist, founding member of Black Star

Questions to guide the conversation could be: Do you like hip-hop? Why or why not? What is hip-hop? What is rap? Are they different? Why do you think hip-hop started? What are the stereotypes about hip-hop? What role does the media play in teaching us about hip-hop?

[|Hip Hop History Audio Lessons]

Where did hip-hop come from? Who invented hip-hop, and under what conditions? What is “the break”? Does hip-hop bring people together, or does it divide them? How? What was Kool Herc’s message to successful rap stars? Do you agree or disagree with him? In what way did Afrika Bambaataa create a culture? How do popular definitions of hip-hop differ from the way artists in the documentaries define hip-hop?

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Artistic Brainstorm - Hip-Hop in Society:

Draw a large triangle on the board. At each point of the triangle, write one of these categories: CONTEXT, IDEAS, PEOPLE. In the middle of the triangle, write HIP-HOP. Explain that the goal of this brainstorm is to gather as many vivid adjectives as possible about hip-hop and to re-cap the most important things we’ve learned. CONTEXT includes the structures or systems that hip-hop came out of. Responses under this category might include historical facts, geographical places, or urban policies. The IDEAS category could include artists’ understandings of hip-hop, media stereotypes, or the students’ own beliefs about hip-hop. PEOPLE includes important people in hip-hop such as artists, people who shape our ideas about hip-hop, and consumers of hip-hop. In the center of the triangle the class will list hip-hop’s essential elements in order to create a working definition of hip-hop.



Hip-Hop Controversy: Find an example of a politician or TV personality’s criticism of rap music and have the class come up with a rebuttal in light of what they have learned about hip-hop. One famous early example is the criticism surrounding Ice-T’s song “Cop Killer” and Tipper Gore’s editorial “Hate, Rape and Rap” (Washington Post, January 8, 1990), where she says that rap glorifies violence and teaches children to hate.

Here are a few excerpts from her article: …As someone who strongly supports the First Amendment, I respect the freedom of every individual to label another as he likes. But speaking out against racism isn't endorsing censorship. No one should silently tolerate racism or sexism or antisemitism, or condone those who turn discrimination into a multimillion-dollar business justified because it's ‘real.’… ...Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard psychiatrist who is black, believes that the widespread acceptance of such degrading and denigrating images may reflect low self-esteem among black men in today's society. There are few positive black male role models for young children, and such messages from existing role models are damaging. Ice-T defends his reality: "I grew up in the streets--I'm no Bryant Gumbel." He accuses his critics of fearing that reality, and says the fear comes from an ignorance of the triumph of the street ethic. A valid point, perhaps. But it is not the messenger that is so frightening, it is the perpetuation—almost glorification—of the cruel and violent reality of his ‘streets.’ Children must be taught to hate. They are not born with ideas of bigotry—they learn from what they see in the world around them. If their reality consists of a street ethic that promotes and glorifies violence against women or discrimination against minorities—not only in everyday life, but in their entertainment—then ideas of bigotry and violence will flourish.

Stage a debate between two (or a few) positions; for example, “Rap is harmful to society” vs. “Hip-hop is a positive force.” Read a short newspaper article, such as the television review “Breaking down Hip-Hop,” by Sarah Rodman (Boston Globe, February 17, 2007). Use arguments made in the article to provoke discussion.

[|Davey-D Hip Hop Corner]

[|Idea of Masculinity in Hip Hop]

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