Conclusion

In my assertion as an art scholar and practitioner, hip hop culture broadly and hip hop music specifically, is in many ways, the quintessential art form of the twentieth century, as it encompasses all the tenets of post-modernist forms of expression. Hip Hop at times is the purest form ‘ars poetica,’ “allow me to lace these lyrical douches in your bushes^[1]”(C. Wallace 1995). Hip Hop music, fashion, and visual art creations are symbolic of pastiche and bricolage because the very nature of the music comprised of the work of found artifacts, i.e., records or previously recorded music to underscore the creation of a “new” work of art. This process of artistic borrowing is called “sampling.” Hip Hop artists use this method to deconstruct traditional ideas and sound of how music made through blurring the lines of authorship. I believe that the art we make is not ours and that it belongs to the people. We, as artists, are merely the mediums through which creative expression articulated. Therefore, by using fragmentation, allusion, pastiche, and bricolage Hip Hop artists flow from the role of emcee or master of ceremony(MC) and supplant the artist or producer into the role of co-creator engendering a communal experience of creation and art appreciation. Fundamentally, I believe the purpose of hip hop arts through an ethnographic lens is to aid humanity in better understanding itself. Withstanding, said truism, I hope that the future of the genre will provide greater depth into the essence of humanity through exploring my central issues of the black and brown experience to pass on the knowledge of how to mitigate forms of systemic oppression and societal barriers to the next generation.

I think Hip Hop as an art form, much like Shakespeare has the power to be a useful learning tool. I think the best modern-day example of this would be the musical Hamilton created by Lin Manuel Miranda. Among other things, both Shakespeare and hip hop theater share the effective use of elevated verse and circumstance to showcase the human experience, or as Shakespeare calls it in Hamlet, ‘to hold a mirror up to nature.’ I believe that art lives inside of all of us, and given the right materials, we can articulate the voice of our inner artist. The 2015 biopic Straight Outta Compton^[2] chronicled the rise of the rap group Niggaz with Attitude, more commonly known as NWA and the environmental factors of Los Angeles in the late 80s and early 90s that necessitated the birth of the group as a social commentary on the neglect and abuse faced by minorities.

I believe in the philosophy that artists/educators can be the change we want to see in the world. As, a person who has studied the evolution of the role of educators that the most significant accomplishment isn’t to change the world necessarily but to impact it. I think the poetic genius Tupac Shakur said it best, “I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.” I posit that the ultimate goal for both a great artist or educator should be identical, that is to say, they should both be aiming to spark the brain. Although this is the conclusion, I must concede that it never stops because the work is iterative, and the vibe of my people reverberates for eternity.

^[1] Wallace, C. (1995, February 20). The notorious b.i.g. – big poppa. Retrieved January 15, 2020, from https://genius.com/The-notorious-big-big-poppa-lyrics

^[2] Alvarez, A., Bernstein, B., Cube, I., Dre, D., Gray, F., & Woods-Wright, T. (Producers), & Gray, G.(Director). (2015). Straight Outta Compton [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.netflix.com