User:Bcolton21/sandbox

'''Hip Hop in Hollywood '''       Historical Background: Hip hop in Hollywood in the past was presented in a different light than how hip hop in Hollywood is presented in today's society.Hip hop initially was founded in New York City during the 1970s, hip hop back then was centered around artists using their platform to address and bring about awareness to social and political injustices that were affecting the lives of many individuals in their community. Back then a lot of hip hop artists only stuck to rapping and were not venturing into other elements outside of their comfort zones. Men were dominating hip hop in Hollywood back through the usage of guns, drugs, and the sexual objectification of women in their music videos they were able to depict what hip hop and hip hop culture was about.

Current Background: Our project centers around hip hop in Hollywood and how hip hop in Hollywood in today's society differs from the past. Our project dives in deep and gives in-depth insight into the many ways that hip hop in Hollywood is impactful and emulates hip hop culture through movies, tv shows, advertising, and the Hollywood stars on the walk of fame. "Today Hip Hop music reflects its origin in the hip-hop culture of young, urban, working-class African-Americans, its roots in the African oral tradition, its function as the voice of an otherwise underrepresented group, and, as its popularity has grown, its commercialization and appropriation by the music industry" (Blanchard, 1999). Currently, in society, many hip hop artists have ventured into many aspects of the entertainment industry including acting. Hip hop musical legends such as Ludacris, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Queen Latifah, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Cardi B, etc. who have already conquered the rap scene are now notable and being recognized for their onscreen roles. Hip Hop in Hollywood gives these artists creative outlets to be recognized worldwide by the masses not only through their musical talents but also for their acting talents, this in return gives hip hop artists the opportunity to gain more exposure globally and become more profitable. "The amount of hip hop/hip hop culture portrayals in Hollywood has seemingly increased from a total of five throughout the entire back half of the 1980s to 36 in 2002 alone" (Complex,2018). Hip hop in Hollywood through tv shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Love & Hip Hop, Growing Up Hip Hop, etc. gives viewers the opportunity to connect and relate with these artists not only through the lyrics but also on an "on-screen" basis,as they are able to give us insight into their lives through the struggles they face and it also gives us better insight into how the music industry really is. The more we recognize hip hop and hip hop artists for their hardworking talents, the longer we can ensure that hip hop culture will live on and continue to be expressed in Hollywood and reach the masses globally. Hip hop in Hollywood has made a major impact through the success and popularity of rap and the spin-offs of hip-hop, culture, and fashion lines such as Adidas, Baby Phat, FUBU, etc, Hip hop centered movies such as Boyz N Da Hood and Friday, and television shows such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and rhythm & flow have had a major impact on American marketing trends. "The fascination of hip-hop and its culture has made its way from urban areas and into all areas worldwide" (Farley, 1999). Hip-hop has had a substantial amount of influence on mainstream fashion, television, movies, advertising, resulting in hip hop artists receiving stars on the Hollywood walk of fame.

References/ Sources:

Blanchard, Becky. THE SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF RAP & HIP-HOP CULTURE, 26 July 1999.

Daredevil. "Straight Sound--The future of hip-hop". The Bomb Hip-Hop Magazine. Issue 42, 1999.

Donalson, Melvin B. Hip Hop in American Cinema. New York: Peter Lang, 2007. Print.

Farley, Christopher John. "Hip-hop nation". Time Magazine. February 8, 1999.

Watkins, S. Craig. Representing: hip-hop culture and the production of black cinema. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998.