Hip Hop in History

Introduction: Hip Hop in History: Past, Present, and Future
Author(s): Derrick P. Alridge and James B. Stewart
Source: The Journal of African American History, Vol. 90, No. 3, The History of Hip Hop
(Summer, 2005), pp. 190-195
Published by: Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, Inc.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20063997
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INTRODUCTION:
HIP HOP IN HISTORY:
PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
Derrick

P. Alridge

and

James

B.

Stewart*

as a cultural the past three decades,
Over
and
Hip Hop has developed artistic culture around world. the For phenomenon many youth affecting reflects the social, economic, and cultural realities youth, Hip Hop political, to them in a language and manner of their lives, speaking and conditions they understand.
As a result of both its longevity and its cogent message for many as merely a passing fad or as a youth worldwide,
Hip Hop cannot be dismissed soon run its course. that will be Instead, Hip Hop must a as and intellectual cultural, economic, seriously political, to previous of scholarly similar African deserving study, phenomenon American artistic and cultural movements such as the Blues, the New
Jazz,
youth taken movement

and the Civil
Black
and Black
Arts
Renaissance,
Power,
Negro
Rights,
in
Movements.
The this issue undertake such essays special scholarly historical of Hip Hop. analysis to many Hip Hop aficionados, of at
According
Hip Hop culture consists least four fundamental elements: Disc break jockeying
(DJing),
dancing,
Since
its emergence in the South Bronx art, and rapping graffiti (emceeing).1 and throughout the northeast the early and mid-1970s, during Hip Hop has a a not musical but also and of genre, dress, dialect just style encompassed an at and aesthetic that the of the reflects world, way language, looking
1965 and 1984.2 sensibilities of a large population of youth born between seem to some, but it
This broad characterization of Hip Hop may imprecise or to reflects the Hip Hop refusal be defined singularly community's demonstrates

categorized,

and

phenomenon communicated. that many

hip

hoppers

birth about 35 years ago,
Hip Hop's
It has have examined the phenomenon. now classic, in 1994 of Tricia Rose's publication in Contemporary
America
and
Black
Culture

very been and
Rebels:
Politics,
Culture,
an extensive to provide first on rap music, Rose primarily Class. of Hip

Since

studies

the Black historical examined

Black
Robin

Working study the historical

few academic over a decade

and

historical since the

Noise:

and
Rap Music
D. G. Kelley's
Race
Rose's treatise was the
While
focusing
Hop.
development

at the University in the College
Derrick P. Alridge is Associate
Professor
of Education and James B. Stewart and African is Professor of Labor Studies and Industrial Relations
PA.
State University, Mckeesport,
Pennsylvania

190

a

as

nature of Hip dynamic Hop must be felt, experienced, believe the

of Hip

of Georgia, Athens;
American
Studies at

Introduction: Hip Hop and Hop

inHistory: Past, Present, and Future

its

impact discussions present-day

on

191

and she anticipated of culture, many youth about black female rappers. While study Kelley's

the did not focus solely on Hip Hop, he linked Hip Hop to black history and located
Hip Hop

along

a continuum

of black working-class

culture.

Rose

and Kelley's

works remain invaluable in the field of Hip Hop history and have helped lay a solid foundation

for contemporary

historians'

of Hip

investigations

Hop.3

The most recent historical study on Hip Hop at the time of this writing is
Jeff Chang's journalist huge 500-page work, Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History the in style, Can't Stop, Won't Stop offers an
Generation.
of
Hip Hop
Literary
text on many with filled valuable historical data. Based interviews, engaging an offers work oral narrative of and Chang's history Hip Hop and is destined a classic to become in the field of Hip Hop studies.4
A number of other works an historical foundation for

to providing contributed immensely of David study scholarly
Hip Hop.
Toop's

have the also

Rap Attack 3 is an updated version of his classics Rap Attack I and Rap Attack
2. One
Hip

Hop

the earliest

of

history

traces of Hip Hop, Toop's volume analyses interviews with the movement's personal pioneers.

historical

through

Rap Attack 3 brings Toop's trilogy up to 1999 and provides a somewhat nostalgic reflection of 1970s and 1980s Hip Hop. Lacking the rich historical contextualization and insightful frameworks of Rose and Kelley's interpretive an interpretation volume that seems in sync with Hip provides because much of the text was written in close contact with the Hop,
Another
is Alex similar work
The Hip Hop
Hip Hop community. Ogg's, on many personal a Years: A History interviews, of Rap. Based
Ogg presents narrative the voices of hip hoppers from the past to the history through on the topic of Hip Hop,
For many novice readers brief present.
Ogg's
texts,

Toop's mainly biographies and glossary at the end of the book are helpful.5
Historian

James G. Spady's oral histories and interviews of hip hoppers accounts of individuals firsthand whose lives and careers have provide with include interviews shaped and been shaped by Hip Hop. His volumes
Afrika
Kool Here, LL Cool and many
Bambaataa,
J, MC Lyte, Salt-n-Pepa, other icons of the Hip
Such
interviews have been
Hop
community. valuable the limited availability to archival of and access particularly given sources on Hip Hop. Spady's collections documents and other primary of oral histories include Nation
Conscious
Rap, Twisted Tales: In the Hip Hop Streets also ofPhilly,

and Street

Conscious

Rap.6

Equally important is Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's Yes, Yes, Tail: The
Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip Hop's First Decade. This well organized volume includes interviews with such early hip hoppers as Afrika
Afrika
Bambaataa,
Islam, and Grand Wizard
Theodore,
text also presents from the early Hip Hop photographs source material excellent for Hip Hop historians.7 primary others. The among which era, provide

A helpful volume edited by Alan Light, The Vibe History

of Hip Hop,

a collection of essays that covers the history of Hip Hop. While presents text leaves some gaps in Hip Hop it is nevertheless effective history,

the in 192

The Journal of African American History

highlighting some of the major events and artists of the Hip Hop generation.
The Vibe History

also provides

chronologically

arranged

essays

by some

of the

major writers on Hip Hop and youth culture, including Danyel Smith, Greg
T?te,

and Light

A

himself.

number
One

of

other

books

present

Hip

Hop's

history

through

is Steven Hager's Hip Hop:
The
Break and work is of
Dancing,
Rap Music,
Graffiti. Hager's some of because it the earliest about details extremely important provides two elements as break dancing and graffiti, of Hip Hop that have not received as rap music. much attention
Ernie Paniccioli's volume Who Shot Ya? also a vivid of Hip Hop from its early years to the history provides pictorial Like other historical the in and Paniccioli's data, present. photographs Hager are valuable sources accounts works that convey firsthand of the primary photography.
Illustrated History

of the earliest

such works

history and
William

imagery of Hip Hop8. on Rap
Science:
Eric Perkins's
Critical
Droppin'
Essays
some and Hip Hop in the Rose
Culture
extends of the themes and in this volume, works. The essays also fill gaps in Hip Hop however, in Latino issues such as Hip Hop and by exploring largely neglected

Music

Kelley studies Puerto and the connections
Rican
between communities, Hip Hop and dance,
Hip
Forman and Mark Anthony
Neal's
That's the Joint!:
Hop and sports.9 Murray a collection of essays written
The Hip Hop Studies Reader, and by academics an that covers almost the whole range of historiography journalists, provides in Hip Hop
The book studies. features essays subjects by encompassed of disciplines, scholars Eric Dyson, from a variety
Paul
including Michael
David
Robin D. G. Kelley,
Joan Morgan,
Tricia Rose, Mark
Gilroy,
Toop,
S. Craig Watkins, and many others.10 Forman,
Neal, Murray
Anthony
or literary analysis of Other that provide social critique important works include Houston
Blacks
and the Academy,
Baker's
Studies,
Rap,
Hip Hop and the Politics
A. Potter's Spectacular
Vernaculars:
Russell of the
Hip-Hop
Between
God and Gangsta
Michael
Eric Dyson's
Postmodern,
Rap: Bearing to Black and Holler
Culture
Witness
Searching
for Tupac
If You Hear Me:

Shakur, Todd Boyd's Am I Black Enough for You?: Popular Culture from the
The
Bakari Kitwana's
Nelson
'Hood and Beyond,
George's
hip hop america, in American
Crisis
the and Generation:
Blacks
African
Young
Hip Hop
Black Popular and the
Culture
Soul Babies:
Neal's
Mark Anthony
Culture,
Comes
First:
Forman's
The
'Hood
Post-Soul
Race,
Aesthetic,
Space,
Murray
and Place
Activism,

Hood:

Political
Yvonne
Stand & Deliver: and Hip-Hop,
Bynoe's
and
Imani
and
Perry's Prophets of the
Hip Hop Culture,
Leadership,
in Rap

Politics

and Poetics

in Hip Hop.

The

literature on Hip Hop

is

to add to our understanding of each year and new texts continue expanding an overview to provide of many is meant
This
the movement. introduction the intellectual for that have helped of the major works provide grounding our analysis of the history of Hip Hop.11
American
seeks to
This Special
Issue of The Journal
History
of African on Hip Hop by examining to the scholarship the movement within contribute

193

and Future

inHistory: Past, Present,

Introduction: Hip Hop

the historical context of the African American experience. The featured essays examine both the history of Hip Hop and the role of Hip Hop in
American

African

the

investigating

the

Basically, between history. connections Hip

are

authors
Hop

and

with

concerned social previous

and

intellectual movements; the history of social and political ideas in Hip Hop;
Hip Hop and gender inAfrican American history; and Hip Hop's relationship to a variety
In addition, of contemporary social ideas and theories. although we recognize an that Hip Hop the essays in this is international phenomenon, on Hip Hop's origins and development
Issue focus primarily within the
Special
States.
United
We also acknowledge that much Hip Hop, like earlier African
American
art and cultural forms and those of many other ethnic minority has groups, been by what

commodified

Frankfurt

School

theorists

Max

Horkheimer

and

Theodor Adorno called "the culture industry,"which has distributed Hip Hop to the masses

Americans

in ways

that

by highlighting

reinforce

historical

about

stereotypes

sexist, misogynistic,

African

lyrics and

and nihilistic

Some of the essays in this volume examine aspects images.12 specifically this collection this problem. also offers complex
However,
interpretations

of of Hip Hop that often defy and challenge the negative images promulgated by
Our
here is to offer purpose critical, the context of within of African scholarly, analyses
Hip Hop on the solid foundation
American
of scholarly historical history, building work that has already been produced.
In the first essay, in the Music:
Political
in Black
"Message
Commentary to and
Music
from
Blues
James
B.
Stewart
Rhythm
Popular
Early Hip Hop," some notions from artists of the that challenges
Hip Hop generation
Rhythm
vacuous musical and Blues form that failed to engage
(R & B) was a politically mainstream media.

commercial

and

balanced

the social justice and community issues of the 1970s. Examining
R & B lyrics on the perspectives from the 1970s, and drawing of such scholars such as
Zora Neale Hurston, W. E. B. Du Bois, an and Alain Locke,
Stewart presents to derived theoretical framework that illuminate various historically helps ideas and messages in R & B. In illustrating the role of earlier musical political in nurturing forms Stewart's shows the fertile consciousness, essay political were from which musical to forms able and flourish. ground grow
Hip Hop

In the second essay "From Civil Rights to Hip Hop: Toward a Nexus of
Ideas,"

Derrick

P. Alridge

engages

the

pressing

problem

of

generational

tensions between the civil rights and Hip Hop generations. Alridge argues that socially and politically

conscious

with the Civil Rights-Black
Struggle.
Alridge

dialogue

Hip Hop

shares

Power Movement

common

ideas and

ideology

and the larger Black Freedom

the shared ideas and ideology of the two generations,
By illuminating common to as a means of encouraging attempts identify ground between

the civil rights and Hip Hop generations

collaborations and coalitions
American
African and other

to address historically the ongoing liberation oppressed people. and forging struggles of

194

The Journal of African American History

an Oppositional
Consciousness
within essay, "Oppositional
Case of Feminism in Rap and Hip Hop, and Womanism
1976
a
Kerri
and
Dionne
offer
2004,"
Layli
Phillips,
Reddick-Morgan,
Stephens
feminist and womanist of female and and their rappers analysis lyrics, of thinking traditional about women's
This
ways empowerment. question traces in and ideas the of womanist feminist female essay rappers and lyrics manner and oppositional in which shows the dialectical black women's ideas In

Realm:

their
The

and their relationships themselves with men in Hip often materialize
The
the authors that idea female reinforce rappers merely
Hop.
reject and misogynistic ideas about women, that female rappers negative arguing a "street-level" offer black women's of realities. Such interpretation and the authors of feminist argue, ways interpretations, expand womanist and of ways by redefining reinventing articulating liberatory thinking of women, for a broad segment
African
American particularly possibilities about women.

"In Search of the 'Revolutionary
In her essay
Generation':
(En)gendering
Charise
offers a fresh analysis the Golden
Cheney
Age of Rap Nationalism,"
1988 to 1993. Moving the years from of Rap,
Golden
of the so-called
Age
a to the of rappers of this era, merely progressiveness tendency praise beyond and analyzes and sexist the the homophobic illuminates language and ideas, of black nationalist
Such language rappers or "raptivists." in black nationalist rhetoric and argues, have a long historical lineage Cheney notion of nationalism the extends the black essay beyond Cheney's thought. and shows and physical nation-state the manifestation idea of a geographical and ideology that exhibits many of Hip Hop as a type of black consciousness

Cheney mindset of the positive

and negative

The concluding essay

attributes

Black History's
Reward Our Research': a much
Pero
G. provides Dagbovie by for the Hip Hop
Dagbovie
generation.
American
and African study African in of Hip Hop better understanding a as use to tool Hip Hop
Hoppers
masses. of the pragmatism
Praising
Dar lene Clarke
John Hope
Franklin,
historians

of the Hip

Hop

of classical

black

'"OfAll Our Studies, History

generation

nationalism.

Is Best Qualified

to

to the Hip Hop Generation"
Relevance
of black history needed historiography to calls on the Hip Hop generation a to help guide them toward history black

He

also

encourages

Hip to the history disseminating such as Carter G. Woodson, historians that and others, Dagbovie argues Hi?e, such in popular magazines should write for history.

black

as Vibe, XXL, and Ebony to reach the Hip Hop generation and to bring about a renaissance
We hope

in the study of black history. as as well in this special issue will the essays inspire historians on to conduct research historical of disciplines from a broad variety scholars to include collecting to expand their efforts scholars encourage
Hip Hop. We that document artifacts and of Hip Hop, oral histories identifying preserving derived and historically and developing flexible of Hip Hop, the evolution our In this to which examine frameworks way, goal is not
Hip Hop. through in field the of Hip discourse to advance the to and contribute scholarly only Introduction: Hip Hop

inHistory: Past, Present, and Future

195

Hop studies, but also to play an active role in helping preserve Hip Hop for future generations.

NOTES
We would

like to thank Gloria Harper-Dickinson,

Association for the
V. P. Franklin,
Editor
and encouragement Study of The Journal for support

V. P. Franklin for working diligently to fruition. in bringing this project

past President of the

and History, and American for their of African
History,
this to Issue.
Thanks
also
Special
with us on the issue and for his support

of African

American

Life

*Over the years, hip hoppers and scholars have identified additional activities as elements of Hip Hop.
2
to Bakari Kitwana, the Hip Hop generation is comprised of those born between
1965 and 1984
According
who the language, associated with Hip Hop. For practical culture, and music identify with purposes, we but we do not exclude those born before
1965 and after 1984 who embrace Hip accept this periodization,
Hop culture. in Contemporary and Black Culture
America
^Tricia Rose, Black Noise: Rap Music
Connecticut,
(Middleton, and the Black Working Class (New York,
1994); Robin D. G. Kelley, Race Rebels: Culture, Politics,
1994).
4
Jeff Chang, Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History
Generation
(New York, 2005). of the Hip-Hop
^David Toop, Rap Attack 3: African Rap to Global Hip-Hop
London, 2000) and Alex Ogg
(Blacstock Mews, with David Upshal, The Hip Hop Years: A History of Rap (New York,
1999).
"Joseph D. Eure and James G. Spady, eds., Nation Conscious
Rap (New York,
1991); James G. Spady, Stefan and Charles G. Lee, eds., Twisted Tales: In the Hip Hop Streets of Philly
DuPree,
PA, 1995),
(Philadelphia,
and James G. Spady, Charles G. Lee, and H. Samy Alim, eds., Street Conscious
PA, 1999).
Rap (Philadelphia,
'Jim Frick and Charlie Ahearn, eds., Yes, Yes, Y'all: The Experience Music Project Oral History of Hip-Hop's
First Decade
(Cambridge, MA, 2002).
8
Ernie Paniccioli and Kevin
Powell,
eds., Who Shot Ya?: Three Decades of Hip Hop Photography
(New
and Graffiti
York, 2002); Steve Hager, Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing,
(New
Rap Music,
York,
yWilliam

1984).
Eric

(Philadelphia,

Perkins,
PA, 1996).

ed., Droppin'

Science:

Critical

Essays

on Rap Music

and Hip

Hop

Culture

10Alan Light, ed., The Vibe History of Hip Hop (New York,
1999); Murray Forman and Mark Anthony Neal, eds., That's the Joint!: The Hip Hop Studies Reader
(New York, 2004).
A. Baker,
A. Potter,
^Houston
Jr., Black Studies,
Rap, and the Academy
(Chicago,
1995); Russell
Vernaculars:
and the Politics
Eric
Spectacular of the Postmodern
Hip-Hop
(New York,
1995); Michael to Black Culture (New York,
Dyson, Between God and Gangsta Rap: Bearing Witness
1996); Todd Boyd, Am
I Black Enough for You?: Popular the 'Hood and Beyond
Culture from
IN, 1997); Nelson
(Bloomington,
The Hip Hop Generation:
George,
hip hop america
(New York,
1998); Bakari Kitwana,
Young Blacks and in African American Culture the Crisis
(New York, 2002); Mark Anthony Neal, Soul Babies: Black Popular and the Post-Soul
Culture
Aesthetic
The 'Hood Comes First: Race,
(New York, 2002); Murray
Forman,
in Rap and Hip-Hop
Political
Space, and Place
CT, 2002); Yvonne
(Middletown,
Bynoe, Stand & Deliver: and Hip Hop Culture
Activism, Leadership,
(Brooklyn, NY, 2004); Imani Perry, Prophets of the Hood: Politics in Hip-Hop and Poetics
For a very useful source book on Hip Hop, see Vladimir
(Durham, NC, 2004). et al., eds., Hip-Hop:
The Definitive
Guide to Rap & Hip-Hop
Bogdanov
(San Francisco, CA, 2003). and Theodor Adrono, Dialectic
12See Max Horkheimer of Enlightenment
(New York,
1972), 120-21. For a concise and useful discussion of the culture industry, see John Story, An Introduction to Cultural
Theory &
Culture
For a discussion of the concept
Popular
(Athens, GA,
1998), 104-115. black music and culture, see Ellis Cashmore,
The Black Culture Industry (London,

of the culture
1997).

industry

and