role of hiphop dance on american youth culture

THE ROLE OF HIP-HOP IN THE AMERICAN YOUTH CULTURE
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Early hip-hop was not all about music. It was composed of non-musical elements such as graffiti and B-Boying that used different approaches to address the central issues of agency and resistance against a culture they perceived belligerent. Also, this non-violent approach contrasted heavily with the White Americans perception of African-Americans movements as violent. Conversely, early Hip-Hop movements relied on the underground to thrive and increase their fan base, as well as showing the message of the struggles of the Black community. Hence, to understand the reach of Hip-Hop as a catalyst of the American urban youth’s wishes and desires, it is important to analyze it not only as a music genre, but as a cultural manifestation that managed to appeal the marginalized areas of the country as well as the wealthy suburban environments, creating a culture that has grown exponentially in the past thirty years.
However, in its beginning and as a result of this underground antics, the culture adopted a series of stylistic devices meant to separate them from the mainstream African-American musical manifestations of the time such as the Funk music. Instead of focusing on the individual, early Hip-Hop movement emphasized the collective nature of living. Afrika Bambaataa, one of the precursors of the Hip-Hop movement in the 70s said, referring to his nascent movement that it was about “knowledge, wi…