Monday, April 16, 2012
Week 14- Hip-hop's Influence on Theater, Fashion and Performance
This week we are discussing Hip-hop's impact on theater, fashion and performance practices. We can broadly understand "mainstream" and/or "Western" concepts of theater as those that adhere to a linear narrative and plot. Hip-hop Theater often disrupts this linear storytelling to employ other devices such as media, dance, politics, etc as seen in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights. and Danny Hoch's Jails, Hospitals and Hip-hop. Fashion is also a a theatrical performance. As seen in the work of Kanye West, Nikki Minaj and other MCs, artists choose (and often design) the fashion that they wear. Their performances in videos often require them to act out characters created uniquely for a song, or to engage a character they have created for their brand. Moreover, designers create fashion lines that people can use to perform parts of their identity using particular styles of self-adornment. Theater, fashion and
performance are all tied in Hip-hop.
As you blog on the words Hip-hop Theater and Self Adornment, think about the ways that Hip-hop Theater and Fashion incorporate many of the themes and subjects of Hip-hop music and culture. How do Hip-hop Theater artists use the theater space to perform personal narratives of struggle, identity, etc.? How does Hip-hop fashion sample from Hip-hop's elements to construct literal and/ or abstract engagements with Hip-hop aesthetics?
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Hip-Hop influences several different ways people present themselves. The style of hip hop is sampling, mixing and being a voice for change. Whether they wear haute couture attire or baggy, bright, old school hip-hop fashion, what artists wear defines who they are and what their trying to tell society about themselves (Lecture 4/16). Nicole Fleetwood’s article “Hip-hop Fashion, Masculine Anxiety, & the Discourse of Americana” sees a development in hip-hop fashion with two important positions- America and the predominantly white, suburban markets for hip-hop products. Since hip-hop has dominated American pop culture for a while now, the arrangement of an American aesthetic with hip-hop fashion can be seen with designers like Phat Farm. Also, with the demographic of white, suburban males as the target audience, African American fashions have had to make a leap to diverse spaces. In Josh Kun’s article on blackboard , “Two Turntables and a Social Movement: Writing Hip-hop at Century’s End,” he says hip-hop fashion has “impacted fashion trends across the world.” Kanye West, Nelly and Run DMC all have respective clothing/shoe brands that they themselves wear and rap about, such as Louis Vuitton, Air Force Ones, and Adidas. In lecture, we watched Kanye West’s ad for Louis Vuitton shoes, and his calm, relaxed approach in the video seemed like the perfect way to make his fans feel like he is talking to them on a personal level. Since he is a celebrity, brands he represents become trends in hip-hop fashion. His fans respect him and want to wear what he wears.
ReplyDeleteAs presented in lecture, a spectacle can be defined as centering our perspective on a performance that pays attention to storytelling, styles, history, and period. Both Hip-hop theater and Hip-hop fashion are about creating thought-provoking, conversation-sparking spectacles as a form of self-expression. “Both theater and fashion are used to represent identity, to share something either real or imagined about racial identity” (NHP Lecture 4/16.) Styles of self-adornment are essential elements of both Hip-hop theater and fashion. Styles of self-adornment silently communicate messages about oneself on and off the stage. Whether people like to admit it or not, people make automatic assumptions based on how one presents their self. “Styles of self-adornment situate us in particular time and space that help a story” (NHP Lecture 4/16.) There is very specific and different style of self-adornment associated with late 1980s Hip-hop versus late 1990s Hip-hop. It’s easy to recognize what era someone is sampling from based on their fashion choices. There’s been an undeniable shift from athletic wear inspired fashions being the norm in Hip-hop to high dollar, luxury designer brands. This shift from low class to high class can be seen in Hip-hop’s emergence in fine art as well as theater too. “How do the aesthetics of hip-hop change when the cardboard and linoleum become a $20,000 marley floor? How about when your audience is paying seventy-five dollars to see you on Broadway instead of for free in their own neighborhood?” (Hoch 359.) The brands and designers rappers boast about today are nowhere near the grasp of the average listener. The majority of consumers of Hip-hop art and theater are predominantly upper-class whites. I see a problem when a cultural movement like Hip-hop, with roots in giving a voice to the marginalized and oppressed, begins to exclude and be unattainable by the very same people who are responsible for inspiring such a movement.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater begins as what is considered a spectacle, which is centering perspective on a performance that pays attention to storytelling, styles, and history. (Lecture 4/16). Hip-hop theater and overall performances work hand in hand with fashion. This includes the different styles of self-adornment such as specific clothing, jewelry, and hairstyling that help the performer tell a story. (Lecture 4/16). My favorite line from the article by Eisa Davis where she says, “I think that just like calculus being invented simultaneously by Leibniz and Newton, hip-hop theater simply arrived because of evolutionary necessity.” (Davis 71). When I think of theater I think automatically of stand up comedy. I am a huge fan of Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, and Chris Rock, all of whom have incorporated hip-hop into their jokes. Chris Rock in his special “Never Scared” he talks about how he loves rap music, but tired of defending it. He talks about how it was easy to break down intellectually why Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC was art, but how hard it is to defend “I got hoes in different area codes” and “Move Bitch get out the way”. He is going along the lines with the transition of hip-hop as the generations have passed, which relates to the transition in fashion within hip-hop culture.
ReplyDeleteIn Eisa Davis’ reading “Found in Translation: The Emergence of Hip-Hop Theatre,” I related with the author’s sentiments that first appear in the third paragraph: “I heard about something called hip-hop theatre…but I had no idea that this sort of work was being created by artists all over the country, all over the world” (Davis, pg. 70). This quotation by the author correlates directly with how I felt/knew about hip-hop theatre. Although I have a bit of an understanding of successful theater shows and genres, I had never heard much about hip-hop theatre. Davis is able to sum the genre’s importance in one sentence, which helped me understand more about it: “A new movement was being born, a syncretic art form that, in combining two genres, was actually revitalizing the aesthetics of each” (Davis, pgs. 70-71).
ReplyDeleteAnother important topic we discussed in class this week was self-adornment. Nicole R. Fleetwood’s reading “Hip-Hop Fashion, Masculine Anxiety, and the Discourse of Americana” does a great job of bringing in different types of evidence and examples to connect self-adornment with hip-hop culture and society. Some of the examples that most readers can understand and relate to are Run D.M.C. wearing Adidas, P.Diddy and Russell Simmons’s clothing lines and Notorious B.I.G.’s music video for “Big Poppa.” The use of these examples in the reading makes the understanding of the important concepts being discussed much easier. Being able to identify and think about important examples from society not only made me more interested in the reading itself, but it helped me understand the concept of self-adornment in hip-hop culture.
Both theater and fashion have been used to represent identity by many designers, playwrights, models and actors in a way to help share something that is real or imagined across racial lines. Hip-hop theater ties back to the influence of black and African American theater practices of call and response, disruption of linear narratives and representing relationships to Africa. It also addresses many social, cultural, economic and political issues and states of consciousness of oppressed people in the United States (4/16 Lecture). Theater is used as a site to suggest theories and practices for social justice, social economic and cultural freedom, addressing civil rights and systematic denial through acts of racism, sexism and classism. Some of the historical links within hip-hop theater is the linkage to boasting and braggadocio, spoken work poetry, jazz culture and elements of repetition, social change, and much more. The different styles of self-adornment have been seen through various types of jewelry, clothing and hairstyles that situate us in a specific time and place, helping to tell a story (4/16 Lecture). This growth in fashion has been an important element of hip-hop culture since the beginning, “From leather Louis Vuitton suits to fat-laced or no-laced Adidas athletic shoes, to tight spandex shorts, African medallions, baggy Tommy Hilfiger jeans and oversized hooded sweatshirts, hip-hop fashion has provided the visual markers for a larger cultural movement that has transformed popular music and international youth cultures in recent times,” (Fleetwood 326). These styles of self-adornment surrounding music genres from bebop to hip-hop continue to have a significant impact on the rest of the population, in the way that these trends are watched, sampled, and remixed around the world (4/16 Lecture).
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater is intertwined with the rest of hip-hop. It shows roots of call and response, the disruption of linear narratives, addressing social, cultural and economic issues. (Lecture 4/15)Hip-hop uses theater as a site to suggest theories and practices for social justice, economic, and cultural freedom. (Lecture 4/15) Davis writes, “ The name hip-hop theatre still brings people together, recognizing that the separation of hip-hop from theatre to begin with was an unnecessary, artificial split.” (Chang 71) “I think that just like calculus being invented simultaneously by Leibniz and Newton, hip-hop theatre simply arrived because of evolutionary necessity.”(Chang 71) I personally feel that hip-hop theatre combines all the elements of hip-hop into one way of expression. On stage the artist can rap, they can dance with a graffiti backdrop.
ReplyDeleteEisa Davis like many other hip hop admirers believed that Hip Hop theatrical performances were a great way to bring people together and show that theatrical performances are meant for anyone to see. My opinions swayed more towards Eisa Daivs when I learned about the different aspects of Broadway. Joe Hernandez Kowalski opened my eyes to a new form of Performance Theater his work showed me that not all performances are about jolly people singing with bright red lipstick, but by simply writing his poems about his struggle and like every true hip hop oriented performer generating a call and response with the audience with his DJ he had me hooked. Joe states “I write about what most people would think is not cool” but to me his poem “Cool” had my eyes glued to the screen the whole time. Sarah Jones just like Joe connected with the audience and made an impact. After listening to Sarah’s poem “ Your Revolution” it got me to start thinking “Do I respect myself?” and she did that without standing on stage lecturing but by writing it into a poem that connect with the things we know and love. Like we learned in lecture “The roots of Hip Hop Theater involve call and response, disruption of liner narratives, and references and relations to Africa, African Diaspora, and or Black Subjectivity “(Lecture 4/16/12). Performers like Sarah and Joe bring much more to the table than hip hop they help break a stereotype of only European whites attending Broadways by attracting to a broader audience with their hip hop style.
DeleteHip-hop in theatre is a script to the story that hip-hop has already told and continues to tell. It is more than just a use of the four elements within a “hip, modern” rendition of Romeo + Juliet. These works instead are products of a generation that grew up in hip-hop and is now branching out of the fundamentalist book of elements and rules (Chang 355). Hip-hop has always been about finding space to define struggle and exchange poverty for power through sonic, visual and physical expression. Hip-hop in theatre is just an extension of this definition. It is taking the culture out of its “tokenized slot” and incorporates hip-hop’s wide range of aesthetics, and not just the four original elements (Chang 357). What hip-hop in theatre does is problematize blackness and disrupts the linear narrative and works to subvert the normative “whiteness” associated with the American theatre (N.H.P lecture 3.15.12). What hip-hop in theatre struggles to do is to be by, about and for the hip-hop generation but not become a catchall box for post-multiculturalist arts, a way for mainstream theatres to check off both the “young” and “of color boxes at the same time (Chang 358). By overcoming this obstacle, hip-hop in theatre will accomplish what the movement set out to do in the first place, take over mainstream institutions and redistribute power and ownership (Chang 359).
ReplyDeleteIn modern day Hip-hop, theatrics and fashion play significant parts in displaying the Hip-hop culture, both directly and and indirectly. In the theatrical aspect, Artist’s are able to communicate their social and political ideals to large audiences, which was one of the main goals of Hip-hop when it started in the 1970s. Whether or not the audience realizes it, Hip-hop performances allow the artist to communicate with them to create a type of “call and response” interaction, which stems from old African traditions (Hodges Persely). Both of these aspects of Hip-hop theater create a certain spectacle, which allows the artist to tell a story throughout the entire performance. Certain styles of self-adornment also enhance the story telling ability of the artist, including wearing certain clothing styles that relate to the story being told (Hodges Persely).
ReplyDeleteHip-hop fashion, like the music, flourishes through the “mixing” of elements including high end brands like Louis Vuitton to sports merchandise such as Adidas (Fleetwood 327). Nobody in the Hip-hop industry is better at combining both theater and fashion in order to create a unique Hip-hop experience more than Kanye West. Self-proclaimed (At least I’m pretty sure it’s self-proclaimed....) the Louis Vuitton Don, Kanye’s knowledge of fashion has led him to be a designer of sneakers for both Louis Vuitton and Nike. His knowledge of theater and the fine-arts make his performances and videos some of the most unique and complex acts of Hip-hop theatrics in the industry.
Hip-Hop's engagement with theatre and fashion are numerous in both its lineages and aesthetics that define the cultures. We can see parallels of hip-hop's call and response in theatrical performance; and when defining identity, fashion empowers individuals and can be a form of braggadoccio (NHP 4/16/12). Furthermore, the hip-hop and theatrical stages are often viewed as spectacles of entertainment, but they also serve as platforms of social commentary, expressing racial, political, and economic disparities (NHP 4/16). Fashion has become an important, dynamic aesthetic of hip-hop and self-identification. Common styles like baggy pants, backwards hats, jewelry, and sneakers have become a mainstay of hip-hop culture; while similarly, influencing the commodification of hip-hop. On hip-hop's expanding popularity, Josh Kun states, “The impact has of course become increasingly global as well: it has left its mark on local music scenes from Tokyo to Johannesburg to Mexico City, impacted fashion trends across the world” (Kun 581). In theatre, we see many parallels to hip-hop gesture, story-telling (MC's), and interaction with physical space and audience. Finally, we can attribute the aesthetics and evolution of hip-hop culture, in regards to theatre and fashion, to an ever expanding web of polyculturalistic influence, disparate lineages, and societal dynamics.
ReplyDeleteI focused the majority of my attention this week on the Fashion aspect in hip-hop. My main points and comments will be based off of three of the audio examples. The first one is the song My Adidas by Run DMC. That video was very interesting to me not only in a hip- hop way, but also in a business world. Basically what happened is Adidas signed the group to a 1.6 Million dollar Endorsement deal for this music video. This was a win- win situation for both the group and Adidas. Run DMC got the 1.6 Million Endorsement, while Adidas had at the time one of the most known, great artists represent their brand through a well known song. This turned out to be such a creative and fancy way of advertising that at the time you didn’t really hear about. The next clip I watched was on Kanye West and Louis Vuitton Don Sneakers. Anyone that knows Kanye, knows that his swagger/ style and his Ego are very important to him and play a big role. He’s started his own fashion lines, he’s started and ended fashion trends across the world, and is currently in the middle of starting his own brand new world wide clothing line. Some don’t like it, and some are big fans. His Ego has made him who he is today, but also got him in some troubles (such as the Taylor Swift Incident). All in all, he plays a big role in the fashion of hip- hop and is personally one of my favorites when it comes to swaggers. The last example is based off the audio of Jay Z- “Off That”. Jay Z does a great job lyrically of describing his life as living in the present. A couple quotes he says in the song are “I’m so Tomorrow”, and “Being Ahead of the Game” which demonstrates his power, style, and his position in the game called hip-hop. My view on the song is that after hearing everything he says, it is obvious that not only does he feel like he is on top of the world, but lives like it as well.
ReplyDeleteTo me Hip-hop Theater is not different than any other element we’ve talked about in this class to this day. Hip-hop music is a way for MCs to get their message out. To have a voice, theater to me is the same way; it is another way for one to get their message out to the audience about change and what is going on in the society. Javier Reyes says, “Theatre is the responsibility in what you say and the work you have to put in to best convey the message,” (Chang 81). Yes, the might have different styles and different formats (plot, actors, lighting) however all theater performances have a same go to convey a message to the audience. Esia Davis in Found in Translation says, “You change the venue, you change the expectations for listening,” (Chang 75); the reason I believe this quote is interesting is all hip-hop theater really does it just change the audience to which the message is directed. It is still however using hip-hops core element, such as call and response, “disruption of liner narratives”, braggadocio (Lecture 4/16). Another element that really uses braggadocio is hip-hop fashion, from baggy jeans, gangsta style, to the high fashion (Lecture 4/16). All that matter, to quote LL Cool J, “is who is doin it and doin it and DOIN IT WELL” (Doin It). Hip-hop fashion like any fashion has changed through the years, but one thing has stayed the same, is about showing who you are, be able to set yourself apart, and have more swag than the guy before you and after you. Danny Hoch says, “Hip-hop is art,” (Chang 349). He is right and so is hip-hop fashion, it is no different than graffiti or any other element, it has the same characteristic. Sampling others style, showing the world who you are through what you wear, and in some cases getting a message out. Fashion and theater interrelate in that they both rely on visuals. And heck both require a lot of time and effort, cause it take me at least 30 minutes to get ready, but at least when people look at me I know they are like, “dang that boy is doin’ it well!”
ReplyDeleteWithin a year of Run DMC's hit single "My Adidas" they had worked out a 1.5 million dollar contract with Adidas to wear their product and represent their company (Fleetwood 329). When Run DMC created this song, style, and image, it gave way to many different types of theater in hip-hop. In the music video for "Female Funk" by Lee Majors and The Jacka, these artists take a new identity for themselves but stay very familiar to the hip-hop scene from the 80's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T44hz-HHJWo). In this video, they sample a Too Short beat from the 80's and wear fuzzy Kangols, large gold rope chains, four finger rings, Adidas' tracksuits, thick large eyed glasses and shell toe shoes. In the background there are break-dancers, pagers, "old school" boomboxes, and even car phones. The elements of hip-hop in this music video are an act, and this is a piece of theatre. With a basic knowledge of hip-hop, this video can be decoded, and the meaning can be translated. "Hip-hop is art. Whether it is revolutionary or bling-ass-make money biaatch art, hip-hop art does not depend on how many records it sells... (Hoch Lecture)" Expression is important in hip-hop and can be seen by all artists whether they are trying to portray themselves, or creating an alter ego such as Ol' Dirty Bastard or Nicki Minaj. Either way, it is a "performance."
ReplyDeleteAs with all other aspects of hip-hop culture, both theatre and fashion involve sampling and creating something that steps away from the norm. Those involved in hip-hop theatre feel that “[they] are doing exactly what they were doing in the Black Arts Movement of the ‘70s: trying to make theatre that is for [them], by [them], about [them]; being ignored by the mainstream; funneling the same raw energy into work that takes a stance in the endless struggle for socioeconomic, racial, gender, and sexual equality” (Chang 74). The draw of hip-hop theatre is the dialogue. They talk openly about whatever they wish and as loudly as they want to. There seems to be an “intergenerational dialogue that’s going on with hip-hop theatre, too. Sometimes it’s a screaming match, sometimes it’s a passing of the torch, sometimes it’s an active collaboration. But it’s a dialogue that is entirely welcome, and it has to do with the conscious relationship that hip-hop has always had to the past” (Chang 73). People learn from past stories and ideas and incorporate them into their work. As for fashion, the styles are always changing and being recreated in order to stay on top and avoid being too mainstream. “From leather Louis Vuitton suits to fat-laced or no-laced Adidas athletic shoes, to tight spandex shorts, African medallions, baggy Tommy Hilfiger jeans and oversized hooded sweatshirts, hip-hop fashion has provided the visual markers for a larger cultural movement that has transformed popular music and international youth culture in recent times” (Fleetwood 326). Often the styles are flashy and over the top like using “white upper-class status symbols, such as luxury car insignias and European fashion designers, are the equivalent of the musical practice of sampling” (Chang 75). Hip-hop is a mixture of techniques, styles, and ideas. This can be seen in every aspect of the culture including theatre and fashion.
ReplyDeleteBoth theater and fashion associated with Hip- hop culture work, to address social, cultural, economic and political issues of the artists like most of the elements of hip- hop intend to do. “From leather Louis Vuitton suits to fat- laced or no- laced Adidas athletic shoes, to tight spandex shorts, African medallions, baggy Tommy Hilfiger jeans and oversized hooded sweatshirts, hip- hop fashion has provided the visual markers for a larger cultural movement that has transformed popular music and international youth culture in recent times,” (Fleetwood 326). There was an obvious shift in Hip- hop fashion and it still is constantly changing with things going in and out of style. Hip- hop fashion is a way for artists to form their identity; it’s a form of braggadocio and call- and- response with other artists (NHP Lecture 4/16/12). “Yet, as Tricia Tose has examined, hip- hop as a style based in referentiality and reflexity, thrives on appropriation and redefinition, which is the essence of ‘mixing’- the musical technique that is at the root of the cultural movement,” (Fleetwood 327). The changes in Hip- hop fashion reveals the changes in the music altogether. As artists bring in different styles and techniques to the music, changes in what they wear and how they choose to present themselves can change as well. The world watches these changes and they have a significant impact on their audience. Hip- hop fashion intertwines with all of the elements of hip- hop and similar to Hip- theater creates an identity to then tell a story using a script for instance (NHP 4/16/12). “In New York, London, San Fran, and L.A. a new movement was being born, a syncretic art form that, in combining two genre’s, was actually revitalizing the aesthetics of each,” (Chang 70). Hip- hop theatre is a way to display hip- hop culture to the audience and to simply tell the story of the culture’s coming out, using references to the past and the present.
ReplyDeleteTheater and fashion are just as important as one of the four natural elements of Hip-hop we have talked about thus far. Just like music, graffiti, and dance, theater is a way for people to express challenges they face in their life, and fashion is a way to express their style. In theater, even though it’s hard to distinguish, you see a lot of “call and response,” and the stages are often viewed as spectacles of entertainment, also serving as platforms of social commentary, which express racial, political, and economic disparities (Lecture). Fashion empowers individuals and can be used as a form of braggadocio, which has became and important part of self-identification (Lecture). In fashion they are always trying to “outwear” each other in order to try and be the best, as with any other element of Hip-hop. “Using white upper-class status symbols such as luxury car insignias and European fashion designers are the equivalent of the musical practice of sampling” (Chang 75). It’s all about having bigger and better, and when you are getting clothes from Europe, most people can’t afford, or get the same things. Fashion, like music, mixes the elements. Higher end brands such as Louis Vuitton, and lower end sports clothing such as Adidas, are both seen as hip-hop clothing (Fleetwood 326). Both theater and fashion are important parts of Hip-hop. Both forms of expression have also helped form Hip-hop into what it is today.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater is similar to the other elements oh hip-hop because there is a message that is being passed on. Hip-hop theater is just another way to express concerns, problems, identity and express anger and frustration. As we have discussed previously, MCs, DJs, Breaking, and graffiti are all ways that inner city youth could deal with their everyday problems. In hip-hop theater, a spectacle is when the audience centers their perspective on a performance that pays attention to storytelling, styles, history and period (4/16). This kind of story telling is traced back to traditional African storytelling. It can be linked back to the relationships to Africa, the African Diaspora and/or black subjectivity (4/16). Hip-hop theater represents identity because both theater and fashion are used to help designers and playwrights create their own stories whether it be by fashion or plays. (4/16) The only difference with theater and other elements of hip-hop is that hip-hop theater may target a different kind of audience. The ways that rappers, DJs, B-boys and B-girls and other forms of hip-hop artists represent themselves sets a trend for the population that is engaged with hip-hop culture, which is much of the global youth today. Each individual artist has their own unique style and their own ways of self-adornment. For example, the way that Nicki Minaj dresses is her means of setting herself apart. Fashion in hip-hop is no different than any other element of hip-hop in the sense that fashion is a way to express identity, individually and self-adornment, much like rapping or DJing.
ReplyDeleteBy using Hip-Hops elements, Hip-Hop Theater, just like the rest of Hip-Hop, is used to address social, political, and cultural issues. Hip-Hop theater is a spectacle, which centers our perspective on a performance that pays attention to storytelling, styles and history (Lecture 4/16). Hip-Hop theater samples from Jazz culture, the spoken word poetry from the 1960’s and it also uses African American/Black theatrical traditions. It works to create new theater audiences that may not have access to the mainstream theater both culturally and financially. With the incorporation of many ethnicities and many different cultures, Hip-Hop Theater can be easily identified with by many more people than typical “white” theater can. With Hip-Hop easily relating to many more people what Danny Hoch said, “Hip-Hop Theater is by, about and for the Hip-Hop generation”, is becoming more and more relevant. Making it increasingly important for Hip-Hop Theater continue to address the social, political, economic and cultural issues.
ReplyDeleteThe impact that theater and fashion have on hip-hop (and vice versa) is tremendous. These performances can be seen in individuals such as Kanye West, B.O.B and Andre 3000. Because these are such big names, the way that they present themselves gains a lot of attention through the media and can create entire fashion trends. Although very tacky, think of the Kanye shades for an example. He debuted this in a music video and then these glasses (or lack-there-of) started popping up in stores all over the country. The way that “rappers, MCs, DJs and b-boys/b-girls represented themselves physically set the trends for other youth who wanted to imitate their styles” (NHP Lecture April 16). Hip-hop is still making the transition to becoming what is considered fine arts although there are many socio-economic barriers that it still has to overcome. As explained in the reading, “How do the aesthetics of hip-hop change when the cardboard and linoleum become a $20,000 Marley floor? How about when your audience is paying seventy-five dollars to see you on Broadway instead of for free in their own neighborhood?” (Hoch 359). As this quote explains, the high price tag that comes along with theater, fashion and performance turns many hip-hop fans away.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater artists use theater space similarly to how an MC would use a stage. Just like an MC, what a Hip-hop theater artist wears, how they walk, what they say, all describe and represent them as an artist. Therefore, clothing, word choice, and character presence are essential to successfully portraying a role. Little additions to clothing, or walking styles, all can help provide a certain authenticity to a character, making the words they say and the actions they make more emotional and powerful. I think Hip-hop fashion samples from Hip-hop’s elements a lot, for example, Supreme, a “street-wear” clothing company, recently released they’re “Supreme Team Tee” and it features a logo with “Supreme Team” written in a graffiti font with a kung-fu in the actual writing…view it here -> (http://www.justforkicks.com.au/sites/default/files/supreme-ss12-supreme-team-t-white_2.jpg). The Wu-Tang Clan, who were majorly influenced by Kung Fu, and also very influential to Hip-hop, could be scene as influencing this t-shirt and the graffiti font definitely relates and samples from Hip-hop’s elements too. I think the basic sample from Supreme, who has had many clothing items sample Hip-hop’s main elements, shows how Hip-hop and its elements have had such a heavy impact on fashion. In the latest issue of GQ (April 2012), I also read a little bubble mentioning how Hip-hop is now considered the new “rock’n’roll”, in the sense that it has influenced current fashions so much, just as “rock’n’roll” did in the past.
ReplyDeleteDylan Woodard
ReplyDeleteHip hop culture is a large part in theater and the fashion scene today. When focusing on fashion, hip hop is constantly changing shape just like the fashion that goes along with it. Artists frequently talk about their clothes in their music. They refer to the expensive brands like Gucci and Prada while also expressing how their style is unique and fresher than others. This is also another form of braggadocio in the MC game (NHP 4/16). Rappers always feature the hottest jewelry, hairstyles and apparel when performing which gives everyone the idea that this is what hip hop style is. Many companies take advantage of artists like B.o.B who is in Adidas commercials all over the world to draw in the hip hop culture for profit. Hip Hop Theater is very similar to hip hop used in film. When hip hop culture is portrayed through theater, the customs and stories are being told that involve all aspects of hip hop, using fashion, blackness and all hip hop elements.
Hip-hop influences everything all around us. One that most people don’t recognize is Theater. In Elisa Davis’ article she says, “A new movement was being born, a syncretic art form that, in combining two genres, was actually revitalizing the aesthetics of each” (Davis 70). Fashion is a huge component with theater and fashion never stops changing. This new movement, hip-hop theater, brings out many different ideas. In theater you can say pretty much anything you want to. You can address politics, social classes, race, etc. without necessarily coming at it in a bad way. What is said in the theater reflects the culture and how people live and perceive it today. From our lecture on Monday, Danny Hoch stated, “Hip-hop is an art. Whether it is revolutionary art or bling-ass-make-money-biaatch art, hip-hop art does not depend on how many records it sells...” This quote says a lot me. When I see music videos by Nicki Minaj for example, I used to think, “okay she’s out of her mind,” but now I see she is performing and in character. Hip-hop is her art and she expresses it by the videos she makes and the clothing she wears. This is where self-adornment and hip-hop’s culture and society come into place. Some of the examples that most readers can understand and relate to are Run D.M.C. wearing Adidas. Now we see all artists wearing brand name, high end clothing like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. The fashion in hip-hop continues to change over the years as to where now snapbacks and a more skater type of style is coming into play. Each artist gets into character, which is where the theater part comes from, and has to have their own style to relate to their culture.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater is a form of theater that presents contemporary stories through the use of one or more of the four elements of hip-hop culture; b-boying, graffiti writing, MCing, and DJing. Other cultural markers of hip-hop such as spoken word, beatboxing, and hip-hop dance can be included as well although they are not always present. What is most important is the language of the theatrical piece and the plot's relevance to the world.
ReplyDeleteTommy Hilfiger was one of the most prominent brand in 1990s sportswear, though Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Nautica, and DKNY were also popular. Hilfiger's popularity was due to its perceived waspiness, which made it seem exclusive and aspirational. Moreover, Hilfiger courted the new hip hop market: black models featured prominently in the company's advertising campaigns, and rappers like Puffy and Coolio walked during its runways shows. Karl Kani was the first to set the trend of merging hip hop with fashion. By combining his two passions Karl started a whole new fashion movement and many designers followed in his footsteps. Other brands, such as Nike FUBU, Reebok Pro-Keds, Adidas, Ecko Unlimited, Mecca USA, Lugz, Rocawear, harputs by Gus Harput, Boss Jeans by IG Design, and Enyce, arose to capitalize on the market for urban streetwear.
Hip-hop fashion (and fashion in general) can be used by those who wear it to identify themselves as belonging to a specific culture. However, anyone who’s ever watched an episode of “Project Runway” knows that when clothes become “costumes” they are no longer “fashion.” The use of fashion as a codified language to present the self-concept walks as fine line between person and persona, artist and art, as do many figures in hip-hop performance. Like fashion, hip-hop involves craft (“Toward a Hip-hop Aesthetic,” Danny Hoch) that is not always easily apparent. Theatrical performers and fashionistas alike use such craft in constructing their public identities, in telling their stories. A few examples: Sarah Jones in “Your Revolution” boldly calls out the men who have tried to use her as a vehicle not only for their sexual desires, but for their dreams of self-fulfillment as well. Finally, in “In the Heights,” the protagonist, Usnavi, desires to return to the Dominican Republic, but eventually he realizes that his home is in America, in his diverse neighborhood in Washington Heights filled with fellow immigrants and their descendents. The story is ultimately a quest for identity for many of the other characters as well. To sum up, as Danny Hoch describes in “Towards a Hip-hop Aesthetic,” (Chang) Harry Belafonte told a panel of hip-hop artists and activitsts: “Ya’ll gotta define yourselves. Until you do, they will.” Hip-hop theater and fashion are ultimately about defining the self: the self of hip-hop, and the selves of those who partake in it.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop Theatre is a syncretic art form that, in combining two genres, was actually revitalizing the aesthetic of each. (Chang 71) Within this new movement was traditional theatre and fashion. Now theatre and fashion share various similarities such as spectacle, self-adornment, and identity. (Lecture 4/16) They both center perspectives on a subject that pays attention to storytelling, styles, history, and period. The clothing is always situated in a particular time and space, that essentially helps tells a story. Theatre and fashion help designers, playwrights, models, etc show something real and/or imagined. (Lecture 4/16) In many ways, Hip-hop shares these similarities as well. In traditional American Theatre, there are usually a certain set of rules in which to think about the subject and/or what classifies what is what; this pertains to fashion on most cases too. Hip-hop, on many levels, disrupts the linear narratives, the language of theatre, and fashion, diverse racial and ethnic boundaries, and abstracts. (Lecture 4/16) Including Hip-hop in theatre allows the Hip-hop generation to reach a bigger audience; an audience that isn’t necessarily easy to reach. Hip-hop theatre uses theatre to address social, cultural, economic, and political states of oppressed people in the US. (Lecture 4/16) It addresses acts of sexism, racism, and classism, and it suggests theories and practices of social justices and freedom. (Lecture 4/16) For Hip-hop, Theatre is propaganda. (Lecture 4/16) Along with voicing to the public/audience of the media, it also shows the black community what they are capable of doing; it gives outlooks. This created a whole new community. (Chang 71) You change the venue; you change the expectations for listening. (Chang 75) Hip-hop’s aesthetic of language, self-adornment of African American music genres impacted the theatre greatly by bringing in call and response traditions, and amped, young audience of many colors. (Chang 73)
ReplyDeleteA common theme throughout this class is hip-hop’s artistic influence on some many different areas of expression and ideas, especially the arts, culture, and society. One could say that hip-hop is art (Hoch, 349). Further, Hoch argues that hip-hop art when good is “highly articulate, coded, transcendent, revolutionary, communicative, empowering” (349). Another example of hip-hop art is hip-hop theater and self-adornment.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater is a constant dialogue between theater and hip-hop. Both share different expectations, codes, and aesthetics, yet the clash of the two together bring about a new child (Davis, 71). This dialogue, while holding onto old clues, keeps things fresh and creates new perspectives (73). Theater brings the physical embodiment of dance, dress, music, and lyric together, while hip-hop historically combined those same elements. In a literal and metaphorical sesne, hip-hop theater is merely bringing the hip-hop embodiment to the stage.
Self-adornment plays a similar role to the theater, but instead of bringing codes into a physical space, it sends it out to the people. People make judgments, positive or negative, based upon what one wears (lecture, 4/16). When clothes begin to have hip-hop codes embedded in them, then the people who wear them seem hip-hop. As one can become hip-hop by wearing hip-hop, hip-hop creates hip-hop clothes by wearing them. Hip-hop artists like Run DMC and Kanye West make hip-hop fashions by what they wear and endorse.
Hip-hop theater and fashion is more than a visual representation of what hip-hop is. It incorporates elements of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop theater “is the child of hip-hop and theater”(Chang p71). Elements of call and response, ritual, and styles of self-adornment are reflected through this form of art. Self-adornment includes the clothing, jewelry, hair styling that all help tell a story (Persley lecture 4/16). As hip-hop has been an outlet for struggles and hardships, the theater is where these people create their identities. It is addressing social, cultural, economic and political states of consciousness of oppressed people in the US by using theater as a site to suggest theories and practices for social justice and social, economic and cultural freedom (Persley lecture 4/16). Both theater and fashion are used to help designers, playwrights, models and actors to share something real or imagined along racial lines (Persley lecture 4/16). “It has been an artistic home, the people part of it are family to me,” says Eisa Davis regarding hip-hop theater. The space or venue changes the meaning, suddenly “the word is sacred” as the lyrics are narrated and the audience is physically engaged (Chang p76). As far as self-adornment is concerned, hip-hop definitely advertises certain styles. In the music video, “My Adidas” by Run DMC, this is advocating for all the uses of Adidas and how stylish they are. Then in the music video “Massive Attack,” Nicki Minaj is illustrating her own style by dressing provocatively and in bright colors often associated with hip-hop fashion.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s topic of theater and it’s role in hip-hop was quite interesting to me. I found it to be perhaps more interesting than previous weeks simply because it involved so many aspects of the hip-hop culture. Looking at hip-hop, beyond the music we hear on the radio, and more into the culture it truly is a performance piece. The thought process behind some artists’ every move is shocking, specifically in their dress as well. The idea of putting on a show not only creates entertainment, but helps to tell the story of the artist as well. Danny Hoch writes, to put it simply “Hip-hop is art,” and in every sense of the definition this is true. From the fashion of artists, to the way in which an artist portrays and shares his story, hip-hop has so many facets that make it art. I felt that this week’s topic tied together all the different topics from weeks past and further demonstrated just how large the hip-hop culture and generation really is.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop theater is an extremely important aspect to hip-hop culture. “ If your after-school program is dancing to a boom box made out of two speakers, a suitcase, and a skateboard spray-painted gold, if you remember when The Source magazine was just a double-sided Xerox copy, if you’ve got Queen Latifah’s autograph from back when she used to be a dope MC, you are a hip-hop head, without a doubt.” (Chang, 70) As you can tell by reading this quote theater plays a huge role in hip-hop. Theater can range from after-school programs to spray painting your skateboard gold. In addition hip-hop theatre artist use many different ways to show personal narratives of struggle and identity. A perfect example of this would be how Tupac uses the theatre space to show his struggle. During a Tupac concert, you will see Tupac with his shirt off with a tattoo saying thug life. This is a perfect example of how Tupac uses his body and body movements as theater during his concerts. In other words if you use your body movement and energy up on stage it will help put on a much better show. “And if you bring a theater show into a hip-hop concert/venue, you allow people to get out of there seats and move.” (Chang, 76) A perfect example of how hip-hop fashion is sampled through other hip-hop elements is through graffiti. As you can see through many hip-hop logos and tee-shirts graffiti is used. For example Method Man’s 421 album cover and tee-shirts. On this album cover and tee-shirt 421 is written in graffiti. This is a perfect example of how another element of hip-hop is influencing hip-hop style.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop culture has been correlated with fashion for as long as I can remember. As we talked about in lecture, Run DMC’s single “My Adidas” was the first of many hip-hop artists to start incorporating fashion in to their music. Also, we have to give props to Run DMC because they ended up getting paid to wear Adidas clothing (which they were already doing!) Even if you look at Adidas now, you have B.O.B in their commercials rapping about wearing Adidas. The fashion takeover in hip-hop is just like the music aspect, as it allows MC’s to express themselves freely. It’s similar to the concept of breaking, freestyling and especially graffiti. The ability to wear different branding in hip-hop let’s these artists differentiates themselves. Some of the artists like Kanye West rap about luxurious clothing, “What’s Gucci, my n****, what’s Louis, my killa?” And my personal favorite is Wiz Khalifa, who is always representing Ralph Lauren Polo. As we learned in lecture, hip-hop theater helps create identity, as people can create their own stories, be it fashion or plays (4/16). Clearly, fashion sense is a big thing in hip-hop culture, as not only clothing is talked about, but jewelry and flashy accessories are relevant as well. I think adding a sense of fashion to hip-hop culture has been great for the game, but if you listen to rappers like Kanye talk about clothing, it might make you sick to think about the money he’s been spending.
ReplyDeleteHip hop’s influence on theater and fashion has been evident throughout the years. Prior to this class I haven’t thought much about the connection between hip hop and theater, but there are many theatrical performances with strong hip hop influences. We watched a scene from “In the Heights” in Monday’s class. I think that this is great example of tying together those hip hop aspects into the theater. Lin Manuel Miranda does a great job integrating the MC aspect of hip hop and tying that in to the theatrical performance with singing and dancing as well. Another amazing video we watched at the beginning of lecture on Monday was the Tupac hologram performance at Coachella. This was an amazing performance tying in art and technology while also bringing a legend of hip hop back to life to perform on stage. Eisa Davis along with many other hip hop admirers believed that hip hop theatrical performances brought people together and showed people that the theatre is for everyone not just a certain demographic. Fashion in hip hop has evolved dramatically over the last 30 years. It started with Run DMC and wearing adidas gear. Then it transitioned to more of the gangster attire in the 90’s with baggie clothing. Now it has evolved into high end lines such as Louis Vuitton and others. All of these styles express the what hip hop was and is at the time.
ReplyDeleteDiscussing Hip Hop Theater is something that we have been discussing in class. Theater is very similar to other aspects of Hip Hop that we have talked about thus far in class. It all comes down to how the message is being displayed. The MC is always trying to get his/her message out there whether it is through theater, music, and voice. There are different ways to show your message through theater, such as actors and different types of scripts. As we learned in class, Hip hop theater is connected to pretty much everything dealing with Hip hop. It shows roots of call and response also addressing different issues such as social, economic, and cultural.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop can be found in many various forms from music to fashion to even theater and movies. The style of hip-hop is ever changing and can be very influential. Whether they wear haute couture attire or baggy, bright, old school hip-hop fashion, what artists wear defines themselves and what they’re trying to tell society about themselves (Lecture 4/16). In the article “Hip-hop Fashion, Masculine Anxiety, & the Discourse of Americana” we see in detail how hip-hop fashion has affected America and the predominantly white suburban markets even (Fleetwood). With hip-hops rise in American pop culture has come a rise of many hip-hop fashion designers (ie. FUBU, Phat Farm, etc.). Plus one cannot neglect the ever present promotion of material items and clothing found in almost every hip-hop song. For example Nelly’s popular song from the early 2000’s “Air Force Ones” is song purely discussing the Nike brand shoes Air Force Ones, in turn making them an item of the hip-hop aesthetic. With factors like this its easy to see how hip-hop has become a moajor part of todays fashion and media in general.
ReplyDeleteHip hop theater and fashion go hand and hand with each other. Both are forms of self expression. Hip hop theater addresses the social, cultural, and economic consciousness of oppressed people in the US (Lecture). Some believe that hip hop theater began in the 60’s and 70’s with Amiri Baraka’s “Dutchmen”, the Last Poets, and Ntozake Shange (Chang 71). Hip hop theater is tied to Black American Theater practices like call and response and referencing relationships to Africa, African Diaspora, or Black Subjectivity (Lecture). Hip Hop theater features a lot of self adornment by the actors, which the actors use the clothing and jewelry they wear to situate us in a particular space to help tell a story. Hip hop fashion has been apart of the hip hop culture since the beginning. In the Fleetwood article, she states that “hip hop fashion, like the music, flourishes through the “mixing” of elements as diverse as high-end coutre, found artifacts, tagging (or brand-naming), and sports apparel (327). From the 70’s disco era influences, the Kangol and afrocentric fabric era of the 80’s, the Gangsta style with sagging pants and bandanas of the 90’s, and to platinum jewelry and suits of the 2000’s, hip hop fashion along with hip hop theater continue to represent an identity that helps the playwrights and designers.
ReplyDeleteCam Coggburn
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with Hip Hop theater and fashion, self adornment plays a huge role for some people. Self adornment is usually seen (as in hip hop videos etc) by the clothing, jewelry, or hair styles. It can also help situate us in a particular time that will help tell their story (lecture 4-16). It helps represent the artists identity. Just like when graffiti artists put up a mural, they are trying to pass on a message or show a struggle he or she is going through. Hip hop is tied together more than most people can realize, you just have to know how to look for it. In theatre many times artist will incorporate tap dancing or a story line that will grab a wider variety of people and teach them about something they had no idea existed. They still bring in the same adornment such as, baggy clothes, hats, loud/ bright colors, bandanas, and jewelry (lecture 4-16) and tell a story more people can relate to. And at the same time still incorporating the aesthetic elements of hip hop such as African American culture, dancing, and even artwork (lecture 4-16). Theater and fashion have came along way in the last couple of decades. We now have more styles, genres, and more fans than ever before. I’m glad the hip hop scene has blown up over the years. I never used to like theater that much but the hip hop genre plays are actually very interesting and informing.
We see both fashion and theater as a spectacle (NHP Lecture 4/16). While theater is seen as an entertainment spectacle, fashion is very in tune with braggadocio in hip-hop culture, especially more recently. Wealth used to be determined by how thick your chain, or rope, was. Now, it is measured by what labels you value and wear. The hip-hop elements that we have discussed before that we also see in hip-hop theater are call and response, disruption of linear narratives, and referencing African culture and history. Another way to compare hip-hop fashion and hop-hop theater is that they both provoke interesting thoughts because they can sometimes be overtly radical. In addition, it is up to the viewers of hip-hop theater and hip-hop fashion to determine whether the spectacle is real or imagined (NHP Lecture 4/16).
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to think about how hip-hop fashion has evolved into what it is now. For example, the reason for the sagging jeans that we see a lot of the artists wear is because dancers coming out of the disco era who turned to B-boying and B-girling could not wear the tight pants from the disco era when they did the new style of dance (NHP Lecture 4/16). Other baggier clothes followed like big jerseys, which brought in more sporty styles into the 1980s, too. Kanye West admires this style and still wears it a lot. Gangster style defined the 1990s, and high fashion is the current trend. Just like in fine art, where artists are taking off and expect followers to have the money if they want what they have, the same is true in hip-hop fashion and theater. Hoch says, “How do the aesthetics of hip-hop change when the cardboard and linoleum become a $20,000 marley floor? How about when your audience is paying seventy-five dollars to see you on Broadway instead of for free in their own neighborhood?” (Hoch 359).
Fashion plays a big role in hip-hop theater performances just like it does all throughout hip-hop culture. The fashions the performers wear during a performance set the place and time (NHP Lecture 4/16). It is also a way to remind us of what different hip-hop fashions were like before the most up-to-date style.
According to the reading, Hip-hop Theater is a natural symbiosis of two seemingly disparate types of performance. Theater with hip-hop culture can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s from Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman, the last Poets and Ntozake Shange (Chang 71). Hip-hop theater incorporates things such as the call and response effect, distribution of linear narratives. Reference to Africa and the Africa Diaspora, and the address of social, cultural, economic, and political issues in the United States (Lecture 4/16) Hip-hop theater is an idea that expressing a story through acting and give someone the spot light to express what they are feeling just as DJing, MCing, breaking did. That means hip-hop theater pushes their point a little further. The hip-hop fashion is changed a lot compared with the hip-h-hop fashion back to the 1980s and 1990s. Many hip-hop artists influence the ways that hip-hop fans are wearing by their own tastes of fashion like Kanye West and Lil Wayne. This is also the way to tell people hip-hop culture is not only a street fashion culture but also can be a hi fashion culture. Hip-hop theater makes the artists to connect with the hip-hop generation and make their work accessible to these youth.
ReplyDeleteFashion and the art of performance is a huge part of Hip-hop culture. It has evolved and changed from style to style and, much like the music itself, is a mesh and blend of different cultures, elements and ethnic backgrounds. During a show or a set, and MC has the opportunity to express his or herself verbally, physically and through fashion as well. It is crucial that his or her attire and movements properly reflect the message about themselves that they are trying portray. It is interesting to see how the styles have changed from the earlier days in Hip-hop or even in the 90s to what they are today. The best example of this is in the picture my group brought up in our presentation of 2pac and Biggie in comparison to Lil Wayne in his zebra pants. That is not to come down on, Wayne at all, merely to emphasize the point that Hip-hop fashion, much like the music itself, is a constantly evolving and ever changing force.
ReplyDeleteI’ll never forget the first time I came to school to see everyone wearing shutter-shades. Of course, it was the day after Kanye West’s “Glow In The Dark” tour stopped in Chicago. Kanye didn’t just hand out a giveaway, but a vital part of his on-stage wardrobe. The different styles of self-adornment have been seen through various types of jewelry, clothing and hairstyles that situate us in a specific time and place, helping to tell a story (4/16 Lecture) Kanye made his mark with sunglasses, and turned them into a fad. Hip-hop theater is tied to black theater practices such as: Call and response traditions, disruption of linear narratives, referencing relationships to Africa African Diaspora and black subjectivity (Lecture 4/16) West’s concerts can be considered Hip-hop theater, and with Kanye as the main attraction he is able to impact his audience with style choices, which in turn gain popularity because of the platform that Kanye has. As his fashion choices become more popular, Kanye’s actions become duplicated. This is also true with music videos.
ReplyDelete“Hip-hop is art” (Hoch). Therefore it does not exist in a bubble but is a product and a producer of its surrounding culture. Theater and fashion are vehicles of hip-hop that allow humans to deliver their own customized versions of hip-hop culture to an audience. In hip-hop theater, a performer can appeal to “diverse racial and ethnic groups” using coded language (Lecture 4/16). This way, they make their audience feel comfortable by using cultural slang but also weave in their personal opinion and controversial political messages (Hernandez-Kolski, “COOL”). In regards to fashion, self-adornment “allows us to perform a certain type of identity that we ascribe to ourselves” (Lecture, 4/16). Hip-hop fashion draws from core hip-hop practices like sampling, braggadocio and paying tribute. For example, sampling is shown by the eclectic mix of eras and styles in hip-hop fashion, braggadocio by the way that the size of MC’s chains convey their wealth, and paying tribute by the way that MCs endorse designer labels like Adidas and Gucci (Lecture 4/16). Theater and fashion enable “a self described hip-hop generation” where people are free to interpret the culture around them as it changes and grows, make it their own, make it relevant, and allow society to be continually “found in translation” (Chang, 73).
ReplyDeleteAs Danny Hoch said, “Hip Hop is art”, and this art style has had a big influence on theater and fashion. Theater and fashion are used to help designers, playwrights, models and actors use performance to share something real or imagined about identity across racial lines (lecture notes 4/16). Theater has been used as a way for people to express themselves and address social, cultural, economic and political states of consciousness of oppressed people in the United States (lecture notes 4/16). Theater is a great way for people identify themselves and say how they really feel, which is why it is important in addressing important topics such as civil rights and systematic denial through racism, sexism and classism (lecture notes 4/16). Besides what is actually being acted out in theater, fashion is crucial to expressing yourself on stage as well. I enjoyed looking at fashion over the years in class. In the 70s, disco was still in style, so both men and women wore tight clothes and bellbottoms (lecture notes 4/16). As Hip Hop started becoming mainstream, in the 80s people started stressing up to go out, wearing sporty clothes, backwards hats and timberlands (lecture notes 4/16). This is when Hip Hop really started to create its own style, because the baggy clothes and backwards hats never went out of style, however new trends were added. For example, sagging the oversized clothes and wearing Kangol hats, which had a more sophisticated look than baseball caps. Now, the core Hip hop styles include baggy clothes, loud colors, tight fitting and provocative clothes, and a lot of bling (lecture 4/16). These styles are all ways that people want to represent themselves and be seen by the public. I enjoyed the fashion and theater unit.
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