All tagged Jay-Z

Hip-Hop’s Growth Isn’t Limited to Just Music

While many, including myself, have focused on Hip-Hop becoming the most consumed music genre in America, the Hip-Hop community has enjoyed growth in other areas as well. In the 2000s Hip-Hop artists first started becoming connected with big companies to be the faces of brands trying to appeal to the black community. It started out with rappers being in simple commercials like Wu-Tang Clan with St. Ides malt liquor and LL Cool J for GAP.

The Roots of Hip-Hop Protest

The early ’80s serves as the starting point for Hip-Hop’s increased relevance, as the content and delivery would become more and more refined. Most notably GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” would change the landscape of what could be a Hip-Hop hit. The vivid lyrics depicting what it was like in the ghettos of all major cities, specifically for black people, make the song one of the most influential songs to this day. Through this grew the roots of protest that have proved to be one of the foundations of Hip-Hop that still stand strong to this day.