The Notorious B.I.G. - легенда рэпа Бигги Смолз

Hip hop в 21 веке давно перестал быть культурой избранных, культурой бедных или культурой только ганстеров и бандитов. Теперь это новая субкультура , занимающая достойное место в социуме даже уже не только среди молодежи. Рэп-музыку слушают уже везде, принимают на все концерты в формате...
А дальше статья для реальных манов...

Hip-Hop is no longer limited to rap music and break dancing; today it represents a multi-billion dollar industry that influences everything from fashion to prime- time television programming, professional sports, mass media marketing and advertising.

Today Hip-Hop is becoming a way of life, a culture that is intricately woven into every aspect of young people’s daily lives.

Artists like Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Public Enemy, 2Pac (to some extent right?) and many more use hip hop to describe the social inequities of the Black community and the inner city.
They are putting a very human feel to issues that are calloused by misinterpretation and exoticism and sensationalization.

Artists like 50 Cent and the genre of ‘gangsta rap’ have become extremely popular in America today, in part because of corporate manipulation and the large, multiracial audience that now exists for hip-hop music.
Hip-hop is an expression of the social, political and economic problems associated with living in urban areas.

Since African-Americans are the dominate group in urban centers, their influence is the largest on urban music. Hip-hop lyrics, with their emphasis on “keepin’ it real” and marked by a colossal indifference to mainstream taste, became an equally powerful influence on young black men.

These two influences have created a brand-new, brand-name generation that refuses to assimilate but is nonetheless an important part of mainstream American culture.

Legendary hip hop icon Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, of the pioneering hip hop group RunDMC, told a crowd recently that what they see on television in music videos is “show business” and not a true reflection of what hip hop represents. “The whole purpose of hip hop is to inspire, to motivate and to educate. It is the transfer of information whether you are in the ghetto or Beverly Hills.