Can radical, rebellious music remain authentic and pure in the face of popularization? Or, does message content change when radical music becomes generally accepted by a mass audience?
In my project, I examine the change in hip-hop music from its 1980s beginnings to its present as an example of what happens when a protest music and culture becomes popular and generally accepted. As I will show, hip-hop culture began as a politically radical form of expression by wholly rejecting mainstream society, but today, rap music is an inescapable part of our media and mainstream culture. In the process, the music and message underwent a drastic change; as rap music became more and more popular, it became less and less radical.
Throughout my paper I will define and discuss the differences between rap music and hip-hop music. Generally speaking, rap music is created with the specific purpose of being sold to a large, young-adult—but otherwise undiversified—audience. Rap artists work with record companies (including marketing strategists) in an effort to sell massive amounts of albums, and because rap is being sold to a general audience, many rap songs today are party-based. Rap artists and labels then sell the product to consumers through marketing schemes and advertising. Today, most rap albums contain a song designed to be a hit single. These hit songs are usually made into a video, released to radio stations and disc jockeys, and heavily advertised in an effort to sell an artists entire album. Rap is the most visible part of hip-hop culture because it gets the most media time and exposure.
Hip-hop music, on the other hand, is usually created by independent labels or artist-driven labels. This music is created with a small, specific audience in mind: people with a vast knowledge and understanding of the history of hip-hop culture. Because of this, hip-hop artists are not under the same constrains as their rap counterparts. As I will discuss, hip-hop artists can create politically controversial and revolutionary music because they are outside of the mainstream view and media structure. Hopefully, these differences between hip-hop and rap will become more vivid through elaboration and illustration. This paper deals with the most “political” of questions: How can a radical sub-culture/movement gain a large audience while remaining radical and progressive?
As I will show, rap music today is directed toward a “foreign,” sympathetic and mass audience and ceases to be revolutionary or even politically relevant. Meanwhile, today’s hip-hop remains largely underground, authentic, and untouched by the market and remains a form of cultural resistance. However, underground hip-hop must deal with a bigger problem: the lack of a large audience.
When protest music changes into pop music, the political significance vanishes.
In my project, I examine the change in hip-hop music from its 1980s beginnings to its present as an example of what happens when a protest music and culture becomes popular and generally accepted. As I will show, hip-hop culture began as a politically radical form of expression by wholly rejecting mainstream society, but today, rap music is an inescapable part of our media and mainstream culture. In the process, the music and message underwent a drastic change; as rap music became more and more popular, it became less and less radical.
Throughout my paper I will define and discuss the differences between rap music and hip-hop music. Generally speaking, rap music is created with the specific purpose of being sold to a large, young-adult—but otherwise undiversified—audience. Rap artists work with record companies (including marketing strategists) in an effort to sell massive amounts of albums, and because rap is being sold to a general audience, many rap songs today are party-based. Rap artists and labels then sell the product to consumers through marketing schemes and advertising. Today, most rap albums contain a song designed to be a hit single. These hit songs are usually made into a video, released to radio stations and disc jockeys, and heavily advertised in an effort to sell an artists entire album. Rap is the most visible part of hip-hop culture because it gets the most media time and exposure.
Hip-hop music, on the other hand, is usually created by independent labels or artist-driven labels. This music is created with a small, specific audience in mind: people with a vast knowledge and understanding of the history of hip-hop culture. Because of this, hip-hop artists are not under the same constrains as their rap counterparts. As I will discuss, hip-hop artists can create politically controversial and revolutionary music because they are outside of the mainstream view and media structure. Hopefully, these differences between hip-hop and rap will become more vivid through elaboration and illustration. This paper deals with the most “political” of questions: How can a radical sub-culture/movement gain a large audience while remaining radical and progressive?
As I will show, rap music today is directed toward a “foreign,” sympathetic and mass audience and ceases to be revolutionary or even politically relevant. Meanwhile, today’s hip-hop remains largely underground, authentic, and untouched by the market and remains a form of cultural resistance. However, underground hip-hop must deal with a bigger problem: the lack of a large audience.
When protest music changes into pop music, the political significance vanishes.
