Question

Based on the articles in this week's resources, what is the impact of commercialization on hip hop music and culture? Do you believe the mainstreaming of hip hop has impacted the industry in a way that changes the meaning of the artform and culture from its original roots in the 1970s

Answer 1

Money creates Money

Hip Hop originally began in the 1970s in and around New York. From there it started spreading throughout the east coast and the west coast. People started forming groups and collaborating with each other. It was the era of live shows and live audiences. Radio and Televisions were not so common in those days and not everyone had a feel for this sort of art as it was something people have never heard and experienced.

Jumping forward to the 90s,  Cassettes and Vinyl records came around and artists were not only performing live anymore, They were also recording songs in studios and releasing tracks on the radio and on Cassettes. People who were well educated in finances and doing taxes and marketing etc were hired to be managers for hip-hop groups and solo artists. They started managing all the live events, all the music productions, recording studios, and featuring artists. The culture of commercialization began with this and artists were earning more money than ever because of record cassette sales. Live shows weren't the only source of income anymore. Hip-Hop was everywhere on the radio, on TV, etc. There were a lot of diss tracks being made at the time and people were loving the fight, the competitive attitude among artists was working as good publicity. Moving into the 21st Century, It's the Social Media age. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter so many social media platforms to advertise the new, hottest releases.

Even though the level of Hip Hop has gown down a bit, There are still some carrying the torch and the legends of the game always ready to preach to the younger generations.