Cindy * – *

What is hip-hop? Is it a musical genre, a kind of art form, or a culture where people live in? DJ Quick (1997) believed that “Hip-hop is a way of life” when he said “hip-hop to me is how we express ourselves. It’s what’s deep down inside of us.” DJ Run expressed the same idea in an interview in 1997, saying Hip-hop “has to do with the way people dress, different language that they use… different movement, different hairstyles. It’s definitely a culture.” With its African cultural roots and its persistent efforts in elevating African-centered consciousness, hip-hop has become a compilation of the Afrocentric attitudes, values, beliefs, and experiences that shape the African Americans’ lives (Walker, 2001). However, given its sub-cultural nature, Hip-hop is not confined within the African American community. As hip-hop culture evolved, it incorporated a large global community, embracing all races, regions, classes, and religions.

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