The density of the historical context that surrounds the emergence of hip-hop music is buried under the modern popular culture of the art.  For many of the newcomers who take part in the modern form of hip-hop, the circumstances in which it is produced is unknown and insignificant. However even in today’s hip pop culture many rapper have found a way to educate masses through their poetry and music on many different topics.

This style of expression is prominent when it reaches the community of early hip-hop. Some artists choose to use a very radical form of language to communicate their point across. While others decide to take a more eloquent route.

With the lack of the arts in public schooling urban youth compromised and turned to other sources for artistic expression to make use of their time. This movement and expression arose in the form of four main elements, Disk Jockeying, break dancing, graffiti visual art, emceeing and Knowledge.

The economic factors that surrounded the birth of hip-hop are centered on poverty and the underclass in America, particularly the South Bronx. This intern gives th notion of illiteracy but however according to Perullo in his article Hooligans and Heroes Hip pop was used as a tool to educate the public on many issues affecting the target audience.

And tho to Trica rose Hip pop seems to degrade it also does reach people period. A glimpse at the South Bronx in the 1960s is a depiction of what Nelson George calls America’s dark side. The area was filled with gang violence, drugs, and no industrial foundation to recuperate for its population.  One of the major reasons for such socio-economic depravation was due to the building of the cross Bronx expressway, which was part of the urban renewal project in 1953.  Many homes were demolished and residents of low income, mainly African Americans and Hispanics were forced into the cities overpopulated housing projects. Most of the white populations left the city and headed to the suburban areas were economic and social stability was promised.

The factors that surround the emergence of hip-hop are equally important as the art form itself.  It is these circumstances that have the power to educate youth and adults in current hip-hop  culture and create a conscious community of creative expression for upward mobility for its participants. The fact is that hip pop educated the masses it’s the matter of whether this knowledge or message being conveyed is positive or negative in the eyes of the consumer based on the level of understanding of the topic matter they posses.

Perullo, A. (2005). Hooligans and Heroes: Youth Identity and Hip-Hop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Africa Today, 51(4), 75-101.

Rose, Tricia. Hip-Hop Wars : What We Talk about When We Talk about Hip-Hop - and Why It Matters. New York, NY, USA: Basic Civitas, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 23 March 2016.