Rosales-Representing and Re-Membering Hip Hop

Published on: Author: rosalesa6 Leave a comment

In the city with thousands of people around it is hard to stick out and be a leader. Ezekiel took leadership when trying to get the man who was selling recordings of Grand Master Flash. Kuttner and White-Hammond state that Project Hip Hop helps mold young artists into leaders. These young adults need a space that can help them prepare for the real world and soon become leaders in their communities. Ezekiel showing up late to his internship and then demanding for a second chance shows how he will give back to his community. Leadership is not a one person job, leaders need a support group to rise above. As in the show “The Get Down” Ezekiel and his crew are preparing for a battle against the Fantastic 3. Within these battles you see how the cyphers benefit both crews. Cyphers are competitions to see which crew gains the most respect on the streets. Cyphers were once the only way artists can show their talents because technology wasn’t around. In a cypher you have to one-up others, this allows for each artist to grow and learn from each other. Having support behind you makes the cypher going. In the beginning of hip hop, cypher’s were the only way to prove to your community you have talent and have a purpose in your community. Especially in urban cities, it is important for the youth to connect with their purpose in their music. In order for artists to develop a sense of purpose they have to see in themselves they are competent and powerful. For example, Fransisco pathed his purpose to represent the poverty in the Bronx. He is powerful and helped his community out during the black out. Compared to modern day Hip Hop artists don’t battle against each other because they have other outlets like social media and youtube. Technology has taken away the originality of Hip hop.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *