Hip hop, the history of the musical genre that turns 50

Fifty years, like the ones Eminem just turned and just one less than Snoop Dog and Missy Elliott. Hip hop will turn 50 in 2023, and such a round and imposing figure deserves celebrations, but also reflections. Which must necessarily start from a fact: Over the past half century, hip hop has taken the world by storm. And to think that it all began at a legendary back-to-school party of Cindy and Clive Campbell (aka DJ Kool Herc) held in the recreation room of their apartment building in the Bronx on August 11, 1973. There, among the dilapidated houses of the BronxOf Harlem he was born in Queensat the time ghetto neighborhoods for all ethnic minorities, with a high concentration of Latinos and African Americans, the hip-hop cultureidentity element of the black culture and a founding part of contemporary American history itself. “If the majority of the black community at the time limited itself to emulating the formal attire of the whites – as here Francesca Milano Ferri -, with the diffusion from the break dance a new wardrobe is also starting to take shape. These are the years of the first graffitiof the boomboxes and some crew of b-boyingwhich play with fashion to differentiate themselves from each other and create a strong and immediately recognizable visual impact, ending up giving life to a clash of different styles: from the beginning, the first characteristic trait of the hip hop style proves to be its versatile nature. It’s not so much the individual garments that make the difference or define a look as hip hop or not, as much as the underlying nonconformity. And slowly thisattitude rebel begins to take more and more the shape of a subculture with all the trappings”.

hip-hop history

Jamel Shabazz for Hip Hop

Over the past two decades, the popularity of hip hop has grown tremendously in the United States and around the world. It happened in part thanks to the transversal success of musicians like Jay-Z, Drake, Kanye West (who since becoming Ye has been making one mess after another, or rather: he’s doing it more than usual) Nicki Minaj, Cardi B , Megan The Stallion. In 2017, to understand the extent of the explosion of the phenomenon, according to a report by the statistical services company Nielsen, hip hop and R&B – one of hip-hop’s most influenced genres since the 2000s – surpassed rock in the United States for the first time, becoming the most listened to music ever. Here, however, this upcoming birthday is not without some more worries, compared to the very recent past of pure glory. A recent decline in market share and a decline in the success of singles and records has some analysts wondering whether this trend is stable: in other words, whether the years of hip hop’s great success are over. At the moment it is a phenomenon attested by data referring to the US market and not to other contexts, including Italy, where hip hop and sub-genres such as trap are instead stably among the most popular ever, especially among the youngest. But it is true that in the last three-four years hugely successful Latin talents have come forward, such as Bad Buny and Rosalia, who by going fishing in that world there, already revived by people like J Balvin, have made it not only mainstream, but also cool. Rock, for its part, has returned to roar, and the Maneskin are proof of it, who with Damiano’s scratched guitars and voice have taken prizes and stages all over the world. Hip hop, therefore, does not arrive in perfect shape, in its first 50, but precisely because of the aforementioned characteristic of versatility, it certainly still has many cards to play to regain the throne of the most loved and played genre. But to say that this birthday is only about streaming data would be idiotic, because hip hop is music, but not only. Style, which is one of the most pervasive manifestations of 21st century culture and fashion, from luxury designer labels to everyday wear, owes a great debt to hip hop. Artists and fans of the genre have transformed and popularized streetwear, athleisure and logomania, just to name a few significant and enduring fashion movements. And it is on this aspect that the exhibition focuses Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, which from February 8 will explore this revolutionary and influential style with over 100 iconic garments and accessories. Not only that: this is the first time ever that the museum examines fashion exclusively through a musical genre.

hip-hop history

Jamel Shabazz for Hip Hop

Precisely because it is the result of the creativity and inspirations of African American and Latino working class youth, hip hop style has been criticized, stereotyped and simplified, in the same way that institutional racism affects the cultural expressions of most marginalized people. Much of the hip hop style involves aspiration, inventiveness, remixing of existing forms, personalization and individualization, which have been read by its detractors as outside the bounds of propriety, good taste and generally as “too much”. And they were, and they are: hip hop is too much. Too flashy, too loud, too loud, too controversial, too provocative. In this he resembles punk, but he undoubtedly prefers gold necklaces and rolexes to safety pins. It talks about social redemption, but ends up being too closely related to the world of gangs. However, pushing boundaries is also a general tenet of hip hop style, and inevitably what hip hop started, mainstream culture adopted, adapted, and appropriated. Some might think of hip hop style as just baggy jeans, oversized tees, glitzy jewelry and yes, artists and fans alike definitely popularized this kind of look in the 80s and 90s, mixing luxe pieces with casual sportswear. A bit like the Madonna herself, always in those years, but with a few kilos more not of gold but of anger on her. Hip hop style, however, is so much more. As hip hop evolved and spread, so did the style and, importantly, women in hip hop developed their own looks, first taking inspiration from their male peers and then adding more and more feminine touches as they went along. . So for a tracksuit-faithful Missy Elliott, there are the various Doja Cat and Cardi B in skintight micro dresses and mileage nails.

hip-hop history

Jamel Shabazz for Hip Hop

The ambitions of hip hop artists and fans have led to big loves with American brands like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, to European luxury houses like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Versace. Dapper Dan, one of the most influential designers of the late 20th century, married luxury logos with modern silhouettes in true hip hop style. He led a group of New York designers creating custom pieces, including April Walker, 5001 Flavors and Shirt King Phade, that catered to the hip hop generation in their own way. In the late 90s, artists and producers saw the huge potential of fashion to extend their brands and it seemed like every rap artist created a brand of hers to embody their style and sell it to their fans. Despite their successes, these designers have rarely been welcomed into the fashion industry as serious creators of American style. This shows how convoluted and complex the relationship between hip hop and the international fashion industry has been. A breakthrough moment occurred in 2004 when Sean Combs won the Menswear Designer of the Year Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He was the first black designer to receive this award and showed the industry that hip hop fashion was not only different than they expected, but it could no longer be ignored. Today, hip hop references are pervasive, hip hop artists bring relevance and exposure to fashion brands, and culturally steeped designers, from Virgil Abloh to Pharrell Williams and Rihanna, are respected, if not revered, in the industry. Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Stylem wants to pull the strings of this almost fairy tale, and will do it in true hip hop style: showing off and showing off, at 50 even more brazenly.

Source link

Leave a Comment