Rap and Hip Hop Culture traces the ideological, social, historical, and cultural influences on a musical genre that first came to prominence in the mid-1970s in one of New York's toughest neighborhoods, the South Bronx. Orejuela describes how the arts of DJing, MCing, breakin' [b-boying], and
graffiti developed as a way for this community's struggle to find its own voice. He addresses rap's early successes on the pop charts; its spread to mainstream culture; the growth of gangsta rap and mainstream society's reaction to it; and the commercial success of rap music from the '90s through
today. Throughout, this enlightening text highlights key performers, producers, and voices in the rap and hip hop movements, using their stories to illuminate the underlying issues of racism, poverty, prejudice, and artistic freedom that are part of rap and hip hop's ongoing legacy.

ISBN: 0199987734 EAN: 9780199987733

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (View Publisher's Titles)

Binding: Paperback

Pub Date: August 01, 2014

Copyright Date: 2014

Rap and Hip Hop Culture (1ST ed.)