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Sunday, Apr 17
Hip hop is commercial. They days of hip hop being 'counter-culture' are long gone, as the vast reach and popularity of the art and culture of hip hop has transformed the music from protest music to packaged product. It's true: rap music and hip hop imagery is used ot sell everything on the face of the earth, from watches to cars, from jeans to deodorant, from fast food to cell phones.
This is not a lament, just an observation of the impact of hip hop, and the fact that it has become a victim of it's own success. The rise of the Bling Bling Culture is a both a product of and a response to commercialism.
Of course, hip hop is more than gangsta rap and baggy jerseys. Graffiti, as you know, is one of the four pillars of hip hop. So I found this article in the New York Times fascinating, as it demonstrates that even the truly underground art of tagging has transformed in stature and form into 'high culture'.
The power of hip hop is amazing, and I believe that the recognition of the art is overdue. Just please, don't make graffiti go Bling Bling, too.
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