Hip-hop

By Kristin Grech, Fall 2006

Hip-Hop can be easily defined as music that has made its mark worldwide. Many artists have made an impact by the contents of their lyrics, which can sometimes be ridiculed and/or praised. Not only in the United States, but also in other countries such as Jamaica, Greece, Pakistan, Hip-Hop artists usually have focused their lyrics on issues such as politics, war, and culture.

After Hip-Hop was founded in the late 1970's, according to Mary- Agnes Beau, author of "Hip-Hop and Rap of Europe" written in July of 1999, Hip-Hop was exported to England. After the early 1980's, Africa had made its mark on Hip-Hop with the Zulu Nation, focusing lyrics on rules, hierarchy, and spirit. Once African-American Hip-Hop artists got recognized, Hip-Hop started to make emerge in Europe, starting with break dancing.

In many countries, Hip-Hop was mainly based on urban youth, and because many United States artists have been recognized worldwide, a lot of artists based their version of Hip-Hop on the break in the US. A difference in lyrics has also made its way through mainstream Hip-Hop. For example, in England, lyrics were mainly based on social and political expression, whereas now, lyrics in the United States are based on what “bling,” artists have, what kind of car they drive, or the type of women they woo and seduce.

Many Hip-Hop organizations got started underground in other countries, such as France. There, Hip-Hop is seen as a way to communicate with people. Many people see artists as independent, strong, and perhaps arrogant, and with the message they send, it can easily be portrayed as that. Mary- Agnes Beau had stated that many artists feels like they have to prove themselves, or compete with other rappers to move up in the world of Hip-Hop and rap. Once they have done that, it is seen that they commercial their fame and fortune.

European Hip-Hop seems to have an itch to write about their home life. They may write about the social groups they either support or clash with, or they write about personal life to make an identity for themselves. The biggest different have between the U.S and European Hip-Hop artists is that in Europe, they do not expose or commercial themselves as "players," or represent “thug life.” Also, unlike those artists in Europe, many artists in the U.S. market themselves. For example, rapper Jay-Z is the CEO of a record label, has his own clothing line, and commercializes his personal life so that he can broaden his fan base.

Hip-Hop has a wide variety of artists and lyrics, from Eminem to Kanye West to John Legend, and their lyrics represent different aspects of the US. Eminem's lyrics are usually seen as a rebellion from his home life, whereas Kanye West has lyrics focusing on women, cars, and sex. John Legend's lyrics are often seen as more respectable, and talk about love.

The competition in the Hip-Hop industry in the U.S is far more extreme than in Europe. The competition in the U.S. is competition between artists, whereas in Europe, it is mainly focused on which country has more talented artists. Many countries are seeing a huge break in young artists. France, for example, has many strong youth within the culture that are rapidly influencing other musical with faster breaks, and are including techno, pop, jazz, and rock sounds within the music. The culture, however, does not have a high demand of Hip-Hop as the U.S, and it is less commercialized.

Hip-Hop in the U.S and Europe both have many talented artists who respect where it came from. There are many similarities and differences. Either way, Hip-Hop has definitely made a name for itself in both the US and Europe.