I’ve been playing the clarinet now for 11 years. As a classical musician, music to me was Copland, Saint Saens, and Motzart. Expression came in the form of crescendos, decrescendos, key changes, and tempo.
As I’ve grown older, my definition of music and musical expression had expanded and evolved. After a talk on hip-hop, what music means to me has changed yet again.
Two young men spoke to our group and members of their community on hip-hop as both a culture and musical genre. I found it refreshing that the audience consisted of young and old, community leaders, and outsiders.
Hip-hop can mean something to everyone. The speakers made it clear that there are two forms of rap and hip-hop. One is the type found on the radio and in popular culture that endorses violence and disrespect of women. The other type of rap within the hip-hop culture goes much deeper and is used in a non-violent way to express pending issues and viewpoints.
This more constructive type of rap supports the progressive nature of hip-hop culture. Young people are now using this form of musical expression to illustrate the truths and realities of their everyday lives. They make music not to become famous and make millions, but to shine light on a social movement and raise awareness. Afterwards I talked with one of the speakers and asked for some of his musical recommendations. Even if you are not a huge hip-hop fan, I encourage you to check out one of these artists and try something new. You may be surprised.
USA – Mos Def and Talib Kweli
Spain – Violadores del Verso
Dominican Republic – Obsecion de Cuba and Sr. K.R.
France – Siniky Dians
Puerto Rico – Siete Nueve
Argentina - Mostafa Yodu
Contributed by Katie
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