Hip Hop, Ethnicity Race in

Christa Ward

Even with hip hop's crossover appeal, it would be difficult to discuss this culture without speaking about the racial dynamics. As producers and consumers of hip hop, the voices of this culture began as those of African American males and still largely belong to them. African American and Puerto Rican voices began the dialogue in the urban ghetto of America in the 1970s. Audiences could see negative images of the black people on the nightly news, and prime-time television shows regulated African Americans to small and stereotypical roles. The music scene offered little relief because many young blacks could not identify with the message of disco music. In hip hop's early days, racial tension in America was high. African Americans lived in poor urban areas and held little hope for economic advancement. The dominant power structure exacerbated their plight by indirectly blaming them for much of the deviance in society. ...

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