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Hip Hop Culture In The South Bronx

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In 1970s, the South Bronx was known as “the home of the poorest of the poor” or “the dark side of hell.” The South Bronx is recognized as the place where hip hop was born and where the expressive elements of hip hop were formed (DJing, breaking and graffiti) during 1970s. Neighborhoods near the Bronx also experimented in this “expressive phenomena” that later became as hip hop culture. Hip hop elements didn’t emerge or develop at the same time, but they share common antecedents. Puerto Ricans (the largest ethno-racial group) together with African Americans and Caribbean people formed the poorest population in the Bronx in 1970. As a result, hip hop is created by the poor-working class of youths and later it became “a ghetto phenomenon.” Hip hop was about the …show more content…
During these decades the south Bronx suffered from decrease in housing options, health areas lost housing units and population, 87% of the white population moved and by 1980 91% of the population was Black and Hispanic. The unfortunate situation of the Bronx was joined to economic changes and the economic decline in the 1960s and 1970s. This happened because New York was changing its position of manufacturing center to a economy of financial and service sectors. These changes affected a lot people of color because they occupied the bottom fifth of the income scale together with Latinos. Afro Caribbean, black Africa-American and Puerto Ricans hip hop artists transformed “vocational skills from marginal occupations” into creativity. Marshall Berman said: because of its misery and anguish hip hop became more culturally creative than it had ever been in its life. One characteristic of the environment where hip hop culture was developed is urban poverty. Also, it was about creating a group identity and what is beautiful and fun. During 1979, a funk group called Fatback released the first commercial rap

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