Author: SantiagoH

Introduction: I chose the topic of Hip-Hop as I’m highly invested in it. First, I would like to address the connection between me and the culture I’m in known as Hip-Hop. It goes further than just music. It’s a major influence in my life and I can say the same for others. Hip-Hop is very influential. It’s redefined time and time again social and cultural norms such as fashion, media, and politics one example is Hip-Hop helping uplift the black youth recognizing, tackling situations such as the young black man whose life has been taken at the hands of another, Trayvon Martin. It’s affected the world in a big way we got people talking like us, acting like us. It’s not something you can ignore. I don’t have many questions concerning Hip-Hop but, I know for a fact everywhere you go the phenomenon known as Hip-Hop will rear its head.
        I as a young black man myself deeply ingrained within the community known as Hip-Hop. I’ve come to find out many things I haven’t before such as the origins of Hip-Hop and the culture now presented to us. Hip-Hop wasn’t a movement planted in the music industry like many things are now. It came from a small community in 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the 1970s. It all started with a DJ known as DJ Kool Herc who throw back to school parties with his sister Cindy in their building’s rec room the same room Herc would go to record players in which is now known as the first DJ booth.

Discussion:
Hip-Hop as good and uplifting it can be for the community as a whole can be hell for the artist influencing society. I’ve come to find out that not all love is mutual in Hip-Hop especially for the artist. I say this because in order to become a successful and lasting artist in the eyes of the public you’ll eventually have to sign with a record label regardless of your success unless you’ve garnered success as big as Drake who also started off under a record label known as Cash Money. You may ask how this can be very destructive and unloving for the artist til you come to know the requirements sometimes needed in order to possibly reach that success known as 360 deals otherwise known as multiple right deals. In the music industry, 360 deals, are contracts that allow a record label to be able to obtain copyrights and a percentage of the earnings from all of the artists activities such as selling merchandise or even appearing on television instead of just from record sales or activities to raise money that the record label had to put their hand in themselves. Labels will promise artist promotion and opportunities to develop in exchange from taking revenue from them. Labels look after the artist like a pseudo-manager throughout their whole career.This also means they can keep you from putting out music which in turn leads you to being more in debt by them as they’ll give you money for the contract you sign and it’ll be even harder to get out as you’ll need overwhelming success most of the time to be able to meet due and regain the masters to your music. This has happened to various known artists in Hip-Hop such as Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Pump.