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Why is hip-hop music more popular than the other genres? Read for quick answers
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Hit with youngsters: Hip-hop stars, The Game (left) and Snoop Doggy Dogg pose together during a press conference announcing their U.S. tour " How the West was One" in Los Angeles. The tour starts on April 15 in Salt Lake City
FLAME LE Club reserves three days in a week for hip-hop music. Every day at Pasha, hip-hop songs preponderate over the others. Sparks plays at least two hours of hip-hop music during weekends. Other city clubs give an almost similar importance to hip-hop. Why is this genre more popular than the others?
Because "it is groovy," says Charlie, resident DJ, Pasha.
Because "hip-hop is not just music, but a lifestyle," says Kary, resident DJ, Flame Le Club.
Because "it enables you to speak your mind by rapping your own lines," says Kunal Bajaj, resident DJ, H20, Harrison's Hotel.
Because "even the older folks enjoy it," says Chubby, resident DJ, Sparks.
Because "MTV and Channel V are promoting it like it were nobody's business," says Kary.
Evolution
Now, what makes hip-hop groovy?
"The earliest form of hip-hop came to be in the early 70s when DJ Kool Herc tried out a `new technique'. He would take part of a song, which is technically called a `break', play it back and forth and create a repetitive groove. Herc did not have great ambitions for the songs he created via this method. He just played them in the parks in his South Bronx neighbourhood so that the children there could dance to them. But, other DJs adopted the technique and it evolved into what is today known as hip-hop," says Kunal.
"Hip-hop songs have loops that continue all through. These loops are conducive to break-dancing and rapping," says Kary.
"Hip-hop holds a special charm for the young, because it is a lifestyle. One that encompasses a special vocabulary, fashion (baggy clothes), graffiti and lots more. The hip-hop culture is here to stay as you find Snoop Doggy Dogg and Eminem T-shirts occupying the shelves of upmarket showrooms as well as the pavement shops in Pondy Bazaar," says Kunal.
Hip substitutes
If you thought your sartorial choice could convey your hip-hop mindset effectively, wait till you have read up on the hip-hop vocabulary. Here, almost all English expressions seem to have cool substitutes. If you are already familiar, "fo' sheezy" and not "for sure" is what you will say to convey that you really mean what you are saying. Just a "holla!" is all it requires to say "hey, here I am!" You can learn all the hip-hop terms you want by downloading the e-book "Hip Hoptionary: The Dictionary of Hip Hop Terminology" brought out by Alonzo Westbrook, a journalist from New York.
Glorifying crime
"Hip-hop is not just music and attitude. It has also been a vehicle for expressing angst, dissent and even anti-establishment stances. For instance, the Black Eyed Peas is an anguished cry over the effects of terrorism," says Kary. "Hip-hop is also seen as glorifying crime and violence. And, it is not a faulty perception. There are four types of hip-hop music — North, South, West and East Coast. The last one is associated with `gangsta' themes and many of its proponents have had run-ins with the law. Some of them have even fallen victims to the culture they glorified through their music. 2Pac, a very popular hip-hop artiste, who elevated what is called `gangsta rap' to the level of a genre, was killed in a drive-by shooting."
Another rap icon, Snoop Doggy Dogg, has been mired in a few controversies, which include charges of murder and possession of marijuana.
"Most of the youngsters who have taken to hip-hop are not aware of the dark contours of their favourite music genre," says Kary. For them, hip-hop is a godsend that enables them to project a cool attitude and speak their mind.
PRINCE FREDERICK
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