Hip hop is from the United States. So, in Vietnam they copy from gangsterrap videos, right?” “Hip hop is violent and misogynistic. So, why should it bea good thing for young Vietnamese people to engage with hip hop?” These aresome of the many concerned questions that I am often confronted with whentellingpeopleaboutmyresearchonyouthandhiphopinVietnam.Whatthesequestions imply, among many o…
In July 1992, Seattle rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot topped the Billboard “Hot 100” chart with his insatiably catchy hit “Baby Got Back.” His ode to ladies who “look like those rap guys’ girlfriends” wasn’t anywhere near the only rap song that year to do well on the “Hot 100,” which recorded the most popular songs in the United …
Hip hop is more than music; it’s a cultural movement that incorporates different elements of art. Four foundational elements characterize hip hop culture. The original four main pillars of hip hop include DJing/turntablism, MCing/rapping, Bboying/breaking, and visual/graffiti art. These forms of expression have also developed into further subcultures with lasting legacies. The intersection of…