Hip Hop Culture Chapter 3 Study Questions

In this chapter, how are hip hop elements connected to a cultural continuum of Africa and the African diaspora?

All of hip hop can be related back to African roots and culture. So it is only natural that b-boying and breaking would be apart of it. African dancing is where the dancing all began and it lives on through the continuation of all dancing involved with the culture.

What is the difference between a b-boy and a breakdancer? Where does this dance tradition fit in hip hop dance style today?

B-boy---abbreviation for bronx boy. assoc. with anyone participating in underground music dance culture. where break dancing originated Break dancing--an energetic and acrobatic style of street dancing, developed by American blacks. The more mainstream version of hip hop dancing that was strongly influenced by pop culture Fits into today because hip hop dance started from African american culture dancing and then b-boying and break dancing and now it has continue to be the roots of new hip hop dances that emerge.

How did breaking cross over into the mainstream?

Crews began to perform their breakdancing publicly for big audiences. The competitiveness of gang life began transferred into the breaking culture and the large amount of gang activity meant that there would be a large amount of knowledge about breaking. It started in the streets then went to the clubs and then was seen on tv.

How do you reconcile moral integrity with the social response of graffiti writing (whether it is tagging and making the city notice the invisible and/or the socially conscious messages of some of the art pieces and/or the morality of painting such incredible works on public and private property)?

I personally do not really believe in writing graffiti on buildings and cars and trains and other pieces of peoples personal property. The problem I find with it is that although it looks like beautiful artwork, its not appropriate to ruin other other peoples things for your own purposes. Often in big cities you see graffiti all over run down buildings and often around the graffiti circulates bad neighborhoods and gang related activites.

Who and what were the models for the development of the breaking?

Tap dancing and Jitterbug. The Nicholas Brothers, Lindy Hoppers and James Brown.