Hiphop Generation2

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i , Volunte IT Number2Summer 1999 pp 07-112

Hip Hop Generation/YouthinHigh Risk EnvironmentsNathaniel Wilkins

ABSTRACT: This article describes some of the characteristics of the hip-hop gen eratio n, and the im plications of some of these youth characteristicsfor recreadon prog ramm ers. Hip-ho pis notjust a thing;itencompassesapeoplein themain, youth,and teens. H ip-hop can belikened to othersubcultures that grewoutof the60sthat protested war, racism,andothernegative facets of societ> . Teens are being drawninrecord num bersto thehip-hopand rapcultureby themediaforeconomic purposes. Recreadonand leisure providers needtounderstandrap and thehip-hop cultureandbeginto create opportunides that encourage teensto usecreative expres-sions. Communit) centers couldbe attractive locationsforteenstohonetheir writing, poetr) ,and other creative skills. Teensare one of a largedemographic force with great economic power. Consideration shouldbegiven to programs such as fashion show s, creative w riting, poetr\ ,com-puter tec hnolo gy, video pro duc tion, rites of passage,carshows, concerts,self-expressions, and opportunides to see and be seen in parks andrecreado n facilides. Ad didon ally, we should be careflil in condem ning rapmusic because yo ung people see the con tradiction. Recreadon and leisure-service providers needto understand thatnot all rap isnegativeandthat,instead of viewing hip-ho ppersaslosers,weshouldseethem aspotentialachieversinneedofdirecdon.KEYWORDS:Rapmusic, teens, hip-ho p cultureA U T H O R : Nathaniel Wilkins is Superintendent with the CincinnadRecreadon Commission.

I think it would be cheaper just to be a street sweeper,Don't push me because I'm close to the edge,I'm trying not to lose my head.It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonderHow I keep from going under. Grand Master Flash


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108the lines contained the wordship hop^ used interchangeably to define themusic of rap and the cu lture of those who participated in it; thus , the termhip-hop was born.Rap music is at the core of the hip-hop genera tion. For purpo se of thisdiscussion, let us be ver}' clear what we are talking abo ut: the hip-hopgeneration is not just about black culture and rap music. While they havesome connec tion, they are not synonymous, but they are used interchang e-ably by some. It must also be stated that the hip-hop generation and blackculture are not identical. Graffiti art, breakdancing, rap music, style ofdress, attitude , verbal language, body language, and urban-influencedlifestyles are all aspects of the hip-h op c ultu re (Bakari, 199 4) .Hip Hop in Our Culture

The hip-hop culture, with its booming bass and many voices, lives inAmerica's innercities,suburbs, and rural towns . It reaches every continent.Many want to label hip-hop as simply black street culture. While hip-hophas its origin in black urban America, it has evolved into cultural form thattranscends race, color, and gender, reaching across the world. Rap musiccommands the attention of politicians, clerg\', journalists, and socialscientists. Rap music and the hip-hop culture represent the pulsethetho ughts , values, and experiencesof youth u'orldwide today. Rap musichas been criticized within and outside the black community', but itcontinues to be popular despiteor perhaps because ofwidespreadopposition (Figure 1).Figure 1The Before You work with the Hip-H op G eneration Test

Are you familiar with hip hop language?Are you comfortable with hip hop language?Are you aware of what it means to play the dozens?Are you comfortable with h ip hop style of rapp ing , in terms of voic e, facialgestures, hand movements, and posturing?As a parent, would you approve of your son or daughter dating a hip hopper?Are you aware of what a wigger is?Do you possess some intimate and personal experience that allow s you to havespecial insight into hip hop lifestyles?List five negative rappers 1.ODB2.DMX3,No Limit Records4.Foxy Brown5.Cel lyCel


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109While some might think rap music and hip-hop culture are new, theycan be traced back to the black ch ur ch es, with their call and response', andto the street term playin g th e do ze ns . Ad ditionally, if we further examinehistory, we find that these facets of culture have evolved from the Africantradition of stor}^telling_^nofIn traditional African societies, oration (speaking) was a sophisticatedand highly develop ed form of expression. De pen ding on the occasion,oration could include reciting poetiy, stoiytelling, and speaking to drum-ming and other musical acco m pan ime nt. Rarelyw sthe wo rd spoken plain,flat, and un em bellis he d. O ratio n always served a dual pur pos e: to informand to entertain.The task of carr>ng out oration fell to the^n^i. Griots the majorityof them m ale, were professional singers and poets wh o traveled from regionto region th ro ug ho ut their king dom s carr>qng news of wars, births, deaths,and othe r events. T h e ^ r/ iw a s an exalted person; his status was distinctfrom that of rulers, elders, medicine men, and others in African societies(Jones, 1994).

Implications of the Hip Hop Generation for Recreation and ParksHip-hop is not just a thing; it encompasses a peoplein the main,

youth and teens . H ip -h op can be likened to oth er subcultures that grew outof the '60s that protested war, racism, and other negative facets of society.In the early 1970s, housing development community centers, and particu-larly, neighborhood parks were the sites for summer jam sessions in majorcities across the U ni ted States. It was a prim aiy source of en terta inm en t forblacks and L atino s. C row ds of peo ple wou ld flock to the park for freeconcerts until the police arrived to end the conc ert. Th ey moved from parkto park, listening to free concerts (Figure 2).Figure 2Hip Hop Terminology

A in t go in o ut like that: not going to accept bad situation passively:I ain tnopunk.Ain t having that: not going to put up with thatAround the way: from the general area.Audi, audi 5000: good-bye, I m out of here.Back:bodyguard (person who watches your back).


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l ioFigure 2 Cont.Hip Hop Terminology

Bet: for sure: Bet I'ma try Io hook up with him tonight.Bomb: the bestBout-Bout-it: to get something done in a timely mannerThe C hronic: marijuana. Most of the time I'm on the chronic, so the rhymes willcome out. (MC Breed, Sept. 1993/issue 48, p. 49)Droppin ' Science: to spread information or knowledge.Down low: quiet: '7was never an outgoing type. o Iguess I was on the down lowtip." (Slick Rick, July 1991/issue 22 , p. 53)Down wi th : enthusiastic about accepting of, connected with: My fans have beenreally down with m e . (Ice T, May 1991/issue 20, p.52)Ends: money.Forty: forty ounces ofbeerFlow: io rap.Flavor:style, especially one that is unique.Gee: A friend.Gee: to steal or shoplift.Hitt in ' : Creatlif usedasa verb, m eans succeeding.Wack: weak, of poor quality, worthless.Phat: Something good, well defined, impressive.Peeps: friends or people or relatives.Spittin:giving information.Wiggers: people non-black who like rap music.

Today we can see the influence of the hip-hop generation in our parksand community centers, as well as in marketing and economic forces. Formany, the hip-hop culture seems negative; nevertheless, the culture hasallowed youth to use God-given talents , skills, and abilities to form groupsand build recording companies. As we move into the 21st centur\'^,recreation, park, and leisure sence pro\iders are challenged with finding


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I l lhip-hop culture have been com mercialized. In the No vem ber 1991 issueof the New Republic David Samuels reports that based upon Billboard'snational sales totals, suburban, white, male teens are rap music's greatestbuying audien ce. (Kitwana, 1994)

According to Kitwana, Billboard's data are based on monthly findingsof Soun dSca n, a com pute rized tracking system th at logs o ver-the-countersales. Ho w ever, the tracking system does not include any dem ographicdata. Ac cordingly, Sou ndS can relies on S ou nd D ata , a research gro up th atcon ducts m on thl y survey panels of 1,500 to 2,0 00 active music consum ers.In com bining th e data from Sou nd Scan and So und D ata, one can concludethat rap is purchased mainly by teenagers.Th e imp lication of this information for recreation and leisure providersis that teens are being drawn in record numbers to the hip-hop and rapculture by the m edia for econ om ic purpo ses. As recreation and leisureproviders, we need to und ersta nd rap and the hip-ho p culture and begin tocreate op po rtun itie s tha t enc our age teen s to use creative expressions. O urcommunity centers could be attractive locations for teens to hone theircom pu ter, w riting , poe tr)^ and oth er creative skills. Teen s make up a largedem ographic force with great econo mic power. A dem ographic thumbn ailsketch of the current teen population shows us that the U.S. teen popula-tion is over 26 million and will not peak until 2010 at nearly 30 million.

Additionally, teens are ethnically diverse, with one in three a member ofaminority group and three of four having worldng mothers (compared toone in three in 1980).As professionals, we might consider borrowing the same marketingstrategies that rappers use and employing them positively to create newpossibilities for the hi p-h op ge ner ation . Recreation and leisure sendeesproviders must be willing to look with new eyes to see facets of the hip-hopgen eratio n we have not seen befo re. We can be the catalyst for teaching

valuable life messages to the hip -ho p gen eratio n. Ifw are to reach thisgeneration, we need to be more effective in our programming.What, then, must we do with what we know about the hip-hopgeneration? Le t us no t be like othe rs, w ho exploit this gene ration only foreconomic gain. W e unders tand that hip-h op cuts across race and gen der;they like to see and be seen; they like music; and respect is important tothe m . H ip- ho pp er s are me dia savvy and generally averse to hype. The y arenot dependent on the mass media for promotion of their music. The

quickest way to alienate this group is to express views that are intolerant.So,we should plan with the group and not/orthem, build trust, learn


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112and ICirk Franklin, is becom ing increasingly popu lar am ong African Am eri-can youth.Recreation and leisure professionals should ask more questions insteadof searching for answers from other departments when dealing with thisdem ographic g roup . The answers tha t fit so well in one city, if used inothe rs, may create problems. We must un derstand that yesterday's keys donot always open today 's locks. The key is to unde rstand youth by askingmore questions.In conclusion, recreation and leisure service providers equipped withinformation about hip-hop and the youth culture can develop programsthat meet the needs and interest of this generation. Consideration shouldbe given to programs such as fashion shows, creative writing, poetry,computers, video production, rites of passage, car shows, concerts,selfexpressions, and opportunities to see and be seen in parks and recreationfacilities.Additionally, we should be careful in condemning rap music, becauseyoung people see the con tradiction. We need to listen to their music andlearn not to condem n them for listening. W hen we listen and talk to them ,we getalook into and an understand ing of their challenges and perceptionsof the world. We can then let you th know when they are right or wrong.Only whenvvebuild these types of relationships will we be able to breakdown the barriers. A key com ponen t is learning to listen to their music.Most important, recreation and leisure service providers need to under-stand that not all rap is negative and that, instead of viewing hip-hoppersas losers, we should see them as potential achievers in need of direction.References

Baker, H . A. 1993).Blackstudies, rap and theacademy. Chicago: Universityof Chicago Press.Costello, M, (1990). Si^nifyin rappers: Rap and race in the urban present.

New York Ecco Press: Foster Wallace.D. Chuck. (1997). Fi^ln the power: Rap, race, and reality. New York:Delacorte Press.Jawanza, K. (1993). Hip-Hop vs.MAAT: A psycho/socialanalysis of values.Chicago: African American Images.Jones,K.(1994) .Sayitloud Voestonofrap music.Brookfiel(, CN: MillbrookPress.Kitvvana,B. (1994) TJje rap ojjansta rap.Chicago: Third W orld Press.Lois S., M ozeso n, I.E., M ozes on, D . R. 1995^). A 2 Z: The book of rap hip hop slang.Perkins, W . E. (E d.) 1996).Droppin science: Criticalessays onrap music and


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