Hip-Hop and Youth Culture (continued)

• Limited reliance on traditional musical systems of chord, verse, chorus and other formal and/or traditional methods of Western musical structure
• Non-traditional utilization of musical instruments including the human voice; i.e., the technique known as "beat boxing" where a person imitates the sounds of percussive instruments.
• Another Hip-Hop innovation is the technique utilized by the DJ (acronym for disc jockey) known as scratching. Scratching is when DJs rhythmically drag the turntable stylus across a record, so that the needle creates unique "scratching" sounds. Over the years, it has become an art-form.
• Rapping serves as a method of declaring pride in one's community. It also becomes a form of competition whereby a rapper can display his skills and defend his neighborhood or community. This competition was created during the early days of rap , commonly referred to as "battling"
• Early rap relied heavily on lyrical compositions that expressed the joy of immersing oneself in the music, dancing, partying and competing in the various forms of musical expression particularly rapping, scratching and break-dancing
• Spontaneous "rapping" (delivery of rhythmic lyrical compositions) known as "free styling" comprised many competitions between rappers from school corridors and grounds to street corners to large promoted demonstrations. Competitions have remained a mainstay of Hip-Hop culture

It is interesting to note that rap music was widely ignored by the music industry until approximately the mid- 1980's. Even the ground-breaking, innovative cable television music program MTV stayed clear of rap music and Hip-Hop during its infancy. It was when rap music became more violent and volatile that the music industry became interested in the possibilities the genre represented, at least from a business perspective.

Part of the appeal of rap music appears to be its ability to easily deliver the message of the author or the artist to the listener. Much like blues and country music, Hip-Hop is a form of music that is close to the hearts of many of its listeners. Rap lyrics echo familiar themes that cans can identify with, including young people involved in gang culture.

There are many who question why Hip-Hop culture appeals to young people who have no association with urban communities or urban culture. There is no clear-cut answer to this question, but it would appear that the fascination with urban culture for many middle- and upper-middle-class young people is nothing new. During Prohibition, it was typical for young affluent white youth to frequent the "juke joints" and taverns of urban communities. Other forms of music throughout history have attracted those young people that were prohibited from listening to music that was not part of their respective culture and therefore was not culturally acceptable.

The advent of television changed how young people are influenced and, as global communications become faster and more far-reaching, new cultures are more readily revealed and promulgated. Hip-Hop for many young people is the proclamation that they are independent and intolerant of much of what they consider to be adult society, which they frequently view as hypocritical. Whereas conventional wisdom states that family, school, church and community are the primary influences on young people, Hip-Hop declares otherwise.