Hip-Hop as a Commodity

Malik Coburn (“Franklin Barbosa”)

Ian Eland (“Dunny”)

Andrell Hardaway (“Vision to Reality”)

Jordan Marshak (“Getflite Fresh”)

Jared O’Neill (“O’Neill Fo4 Real”)

Hip-Hop has been a commodity that has spread like no other, however it didn’t really spread out of the Bronx until an unexpected hip hop group, Sugarhill Gang, released the hit single, "Rapper's Delight." the whole world outside of the Bronx hadn't tapped into hip hop, the mainstream music at the time was disco. When "Rappers Delight" came out, it trumped the "hokey" ‘sound of Barbara Streisand and Donna Summers number 1 hit "No More Tears (enough is enough)." (Chang, 131) people loved the contrast of Rappers Delight, "it sounded it fresh from its very first words-- "I said uh hip-hop...' to the Bronx heads, the whole thing was a sham." (Chang, 131)

"Rapper's Delight" was the first piece of mainstream hip-hop commodity as well. People loved to bump that song not only at parties, but also in their cars and boom boxes. The song was easy to relate too, which was very uncommon because hip-hop in the Bronx was only fully understood if you were local. "Rapper's Delight" crossed over from New York's insular hip hop scene to black radio, then charged up the American Top 40, and swept around the globe... It became the best selling twelve inch single ever pressed." (Chang, 131)

           The mobility of Hip-Hop is brought about by the commodification process, in which it is discovered in the Bronx by producers and promoters and brought from the parties to the studios. Before, Hip-Hop was a local phenomenon, only available to those in the immediate geographic vicinity of its origin—after it starts taking on recorded forms, it begins to permeate into the broader culture, outside of just New York. Hip-Hop has a lot of factors behind its coolness: much of it has to do initially with its radical new sound—it's innovative fusion of numerous previous traditions to make something that had never been heard before. More important than that though, is its attitude—coolness is coolness, you don't acquire it by having things, coolness is its own signifier.

People thought that hip-hop records would never actually make it out of the Bronx. Hip hop was looked at as a “whole gig,” meaning that it was too long of a thing to fit on a record, but when “Rapper’s Delight” by Sugarhill Gang came out, the record was only 15 minutes.  Originally people believed that it would last up to three hours.  Another barrier standing in the way of hip-hop leaving the Bronx is that most of hip-hop dealt primarily with the black race.  Also there wasn’t much money in it.  It would be hard for hip hop to leave because there wasn’t anybody really listening to it elsewhere and they didn’t really have the cash to bring it around to different events or parties.

The more popular something becomes, there more people want it. They may want it because of its features, its look, or because it is just what is “cool” at the time. Hip-Hop wasn’t supposed to be “cool;” it was said to be an “urban renewal” (Chang, 11) for those dealing with the stresses of their neighborhoods that they lived in. When something becomes popular, it runs its course; then after a while it becomes “played out,” or lame. After this, something was usually innovated from it.

Hip-Hop is extremely popular and has turned from a lifestyle to a hobby for some. How? Rappers Delight! It “turned hip-hop into popular music – [it] began to destroy what hip-hop was” (Chang, 132 – 133).  It was a [indirect] sell-out move from the Sugarhill Gang. With lyrics going from: "The time has come and work for soul, show you really got soul” (“Planet Rock”); to “I got a Lincoln Continental and a sunroof Cadillac; so after school, I take a dip in the pool which really is on the wall; I got a color TV so I can see the Knicks play basketball.” It went from a personal uplifting," to a plastic, materialistic, “game;” hence people calling the hip hop “industry, “The Rap Game.” Brand names sell easily which is why “Rapper’s Delight” was a success and “Planet Rock wasn’t as praised. This is why mainstream rappers rap about what they rap about – what they have and what they can do with their wealth. Nobody wants to hear about uplifting the soul – that is what church is for! Conscious rap will not sell. Instead, hearing about material things is what literally sells. There is more of a personal connection with perishable items rather than personal improvement.

In today’s society Hip Hop has helped unite many races in a way. When Eminem emerged as a prominent figure in the rap game, many rappers gained respect for him and the fact that he was one of the first white rappers to make it. This diversified the industry and opened doors for many other white rappers to make a name for themselves. Hip Hop has also introduced a new form of entertainment/fashion. Also known as ‘Swag’, which includes the clothes you wear, the way you dress and the way you talk.

The everyday lifestyle of most of these artists coming from the inner city is expressed in their music, which is very different from what the music industry is used to. The ‘fast life’, from the drugs and money, to the girls, cars and clothes.