The Research
"Spotlight On: Angles on Global Hip Hop Culture"
This is a synopsis of the research conducted by Danica Waiti (2003)
For those who think Hip Hop culture is nothing more than bling-bling, drive-bys and profanity, think again. Spotlight On uncovers and analyses some of the deeper histories and meanings behind the four elements of Hip Hop culture; aerosol art, b-boying, the DJ and the MC.
As a medium for expression of young Blacks and Latino's, Hip Hop culture started out in the late 1970s as a political and social voice for America's urban communities.
Here in Aotearoa in the 1980s we experienced out own wave of aerosol artists and b-boys, inspired by movies like 'Wild Style' and ' Beat Street '. MC's and DJ's provided the beats and the lyrics for the youth who felt an affinity to Hip Hop culture.
While Maori Hip Hop artists like Dam Native and Iwi are using Hip Hop to affirm their status as tangata whenua of Aotearoa (the people of the land), Pacific artists including Che Fu and King Kapisi reflect on their situation both in Aotearoa and their respective homelands. Combined however, Aotearoa Hip Hop goes from strength to strength.
Indigenous communities in Hawai'i and Australia use Hip Hop to support cultural and linguistic revitalisation. Groups like Sudden Rush and Local Knowledge are just some examples of how Hip Hop is used to express a local indigenous voice.
Minority groups around the world are also using Hip Hop culture in positive ways. In Germany , immigrant groups from Turkey and Morocco use Hip Hop to "distinguish themselves as a proud and distinct culture".
Thanks to globalisation, Hip Hop culture is now a global phenomenon. In order to 'keep it real', Hip Hop culture continues to reassess, reinvent and repackage itself. Spotlight On discusses the impact of the internet and advertising on Hip Hop culture from the big corporate brands of America to the smaller localised ones popping up in Aotearoa.
Spotlight On discusses some of the controversial issues associated with Hip Hop culture including gender, politics, criticism, commercialisation and authenticity. This discussion provides a bigger context in which to consider Hip Hop culture outside of the narrow and negative perception that many of us are presented with.
For adults, parents, youth-workers or teachers who wish to engage with young people and Hip Hop culture, Spotlight On documents the positive and empowering side of an otherwise misrepresented phenomenon.
The author, Danica Waiti , is an indigenous Māori woman from Aotearoa. Her interest lies in the political and social messages expressed in Hip Hop culture and reggae music. The research uses a lot of written material, recorded material and some interviews that aimed to fill in the gaps in information. It is presented in simple language that is easy to read and which encourages the reader to come to their own conclusions about the many angles of Hip Hop culture.
