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VIA HELLOBEAUTIFUL

Created and cultivated by man, hip-hop’s foundation has been thoroughly drenched in machismo. Any deviance from that manly energy (that solidifies hip-hop’s hard-hitting beats and even harder-hitting lyrics) causes a stir – well, at least, it used to. Times and hip-hop have changed and the music’s macho image has been challenged by Lil’ Wayne’s super tight skinnies, Drake’s emotional lyrics and Kanye’s unpredictable women’s fashion choices.

When DJ Kool Herc came to New York City from his native Jamaica, he had no idea that he would be the creator of an entire genre of music, much less a culture. He just knew he liked to experiment with his records and lay down catchy lyrics that weren’t sung, but spoken–almost like poetry, but in rhythm. After inspiring all of the Bronx in the late 70′s with his movement, hip-hop was born and spread like wildfire. It started off as more of a positive expression of the frustration minority cultures faced when they simply left their front doors and looked around. There was violence, poverty and despair in the community and hip-hop was an escape from it all.

By the late 80′s and early 90′s, hip-hop had spread across the U.S. and artists like N.W.A., SchoollyD and Beastie Boys had changed its face and sound–glorifying violence, racism, sex, misogyny, gang activity, drugs, materialism among other negative subject matters. I mean, the N.W.A. carried firearms like they were some type of swat team. It was clear that violence saturated Gangsta rap, but that didn’t stop it from being a successful subgenre of hip-hop, thus changing the entire fun-filled escapism vibe to hard core. It seemed hip-hop now had something to prove–that there was power in their hyper-masculinity. READ MORE

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