The Entertainment and Media Culture
Cherie Belcher
HUM/186
12/18/2017
Allyson Wells
The Entertainment and Media Culture
There are many different forms of entertainment media that has made an impact on the American culture. However, the one I feel that has made the biggest impact on American culture is the music industry.
I say that because, if you look at the music from the 50’s and the 60’s, the music was smooth, it spoke to the teens and the adults in a certain way, the kids danced in a calm manner, they danced in a respectful manner. In the 70’s and 80’s, the music took on a distinctive style, therefore, the dances and the clothing took on a different style. The clothing began to show body parts, the stomach was the main part that showed. In the 50’s and 60’s you just did not do that. You kept your body covered. When the music changed, the kids changed.
In the 80’s and 90’s, it took on more of a drastic change. Rap came on the scene, as well as, the disco era. When this era came about, the kids changed even more. Their clothing, haircuts, and even their language changed. It got to be such a drastic change where men were wearing makeup and as much jewelry as the women were. Then came the Gangsta Rap, which brought about the gang scene. Everybody was wearing their clothes extra big and baggy. The wearing of a certain color meant you represented a certain gang and the wearing of your cap meant something else, however, it all represented gang signs.
The
The 1990’s consisted of other impacts like movies, commercials, news and a few New York rappers influenced by the long legacy of movies like The Godfather, GoodFellas, and Casino, revealed to the world hip-hop 's true form. These rappers mostly consisted of Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls, N.W.A, Snoop Dogg and many more. Rappers such as these where
pin-point to any certain subject. The subjects became a reflection of the rapper and their
Hip-Hop has changed over the decades some of these decades include the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Hip-Hop came from New York, few people knew about Hip-Hop when it was first being created in the late 1970s. Hip-hop did not really emerge until the 1980s when more Hip-Hop artist recorded and released more music. The 1990s came along Hip-Hop turned more vulgar which is also my favorite Hip-Hop era. The early 2000s is the most memorable. Hip-Hop has evolved into many forms some rock bands have even done a Hip-Hop album bands like the most memorable. Hip-Hop has evolved into different forms some rock bands have even done a Hip-Hop album bands like Limp Bizkit.
Music is a common thread and form of expression throughout all cultures. In every country the world over you will find a different style or genre of music with a unique sound. Each original style stems from the different kinds people and their cultures. The music industry has a major influence in our society. As of 2014, America had the world’s largest music market with a retail value of almost 5,000.5 million dollars, and it continues to grow.
Furthermore, rap music plays the role for urban youth in mainstream America. It has evolved throughout the past three decades, in which rap fashion has changed along with it as well. Dating back to the 1980 's
The 80s was considered “The Golden Age Of Hip Hop” because of its lyrical content and focus on the African American experience in Urban America. Hip Hop at the time matured and focused on social issues. Hip Hop has its own fashion with bold bright colors, big jewelry and baggy clothes. At the time, sales and interest boosted within the record companies. Eventually the Golden Age era ended due to new things being done involving music. Hip Hop is still widely listened to today throughout America and the rest of the world.
DJ’s would play popular music with jazz and soul beat taking the percussion break of the song and extending it out. This continued to evolve into a beat mix and match sound that could be rapped over. Disco instrumental sections of music were also used for the hip hop beat. In the 1980’s rap began to take on a more sophisticated and complex style. A new generation of drum machines emerged replacing the use of tape loops to get the layered effects with influence of rock music. Hip hop/ rap became part of mainstream music in 1986 when it became commercially successful. The art of the music has continued to evolve with a diversification of styles such as gangster, rap metal, jazz rap, and neo
Greg Tate of the Encyclopedia Brittanica (insider for hip-hop music) stated best that “...the romanticization of the outlaw at the centre of much of gangsta rap appealed to rebellious suburbanites as well as to those who had firsthand experience of the harsh realities of the ghetto.” Here, Tate explains the true meaning behind the genre ‘gangsta rap’. Though brutal and straightforward, this music selection was an expression of freedom for those stuck in low-income homes, poverty stricken neighborhoods, drug polluted streets, and gang filled high schools. Gangsta rap not only proved to be an outlet from the ‘ghettos’ but it also altered the hip-hop sound. Gangsta rap proved, in the early 80s and late 90s, to be the music that would alter the previous hip-hop movement through narrative lyrics, hardcore beats, and realistic messages from the east and west coasts.
We can understand America’s culture through the lens of music. We can identify how it became a major part of American culture and how it still affects us today. Many people ask them self’s today how music became a huge part of American culture and how did it all begin. Where did it originate and who came up with the type of genres that were popular and are still a big hit in today’s music. I know for a fact that a popular and loved genre of music that is still a tremendous impart in our lives today is the famous Jazz music.
Rap music has been around for around 40 years but became nationally popular in the 1990’s. As the music became more popular within the public, the lyrics of these songs became notorious for being vulgar, derogatory, and a bad influence on the listeners. The new sound consisted of heavier beats and a more intense sound than songs of earlier decades. These heavier beats and lyrics about alcohol, sex, drugs, violence and crime all were thought to be the cause of adolescent misconduct. Almost all of the music portrayed a lifestyle that was not wanted among most of the population, but definitely influenced
One of the reasons Hip Hop found it hard to break into the mainstream was that MTV did not want to show music videos of black artists. After public outcry the station played musicians like Michael Jackson and he paved the way for more black musicians as his music videos were among the most popular. Hip Hop sounded like nothing that had been heard in the mainstream before, and the 80s are commonly thought of as the golden age of Hip Hop where all music produced seemed to be original creative and innovative. At the end of the 80s MTV was airing the show 'YO! MTV Raps' making Hip Hop and Rap a global phenominon.
As the ‘golden age’ came to an end at the start of the 1980s, a new type of hip-hop was developed, it’s called “gangsta rap” and was created by artists such as N.W.A, Schoolly D and Ice T. This variation of rap was different because of the violent lyrics and inappropriate
There is no doubt that the media has a huge role in American culture. The media is prevalent on every medium, from newspapers, to television, the Internet, and mobile applications. However, the controversial argument of whether American culture is more influenced or more informed by the media still stands. “American culture” is what I consider to be the social norms, fashion, topics of discussion, current events, and mindsets that are popular within the general American population. The “media” to me refers to all forms of news and popular culture from sources such as television news sources, online news websites, online blogs, and social media networks - basically any public medium with a large audience (in this case, the American
Hip-hop wasn’t a new form of music in 1989, in fact it started in 1982 with Run DMC, but nobody was ready for this form. The police and politicians didn’t like what N.W.A was saying in their lyrics, but all of the things they were rapping about were things that were going on around them on a daily basis. They were seeing people being shot, drug deals going down, and women being called b*tch*s. "I remember when Straight Outta Compton came out, where I lived we could all relate to what they were rapping about because it was our lifestyle."(Wilson. Interview). So basically art was imitating life. But as the decade took a turn into the ‘90’s, so did things for N.W.A. (Tha Biography of Tha E) Ice Cube left to pursue a solo career (Ice Cube- Westside Times) and after him Dr. Dre left to start Death Row Records with Marion "Suge" Knight in 1992. (The Untouchable Death Row Records)
Music has played a vital role in human culture and evidence based on archaeological sites can date it back to prehistoric times. It can be traced through almost all civilizations in one form or another. As time has progressed so has the music and the influences it has on people. Music is an important part of popular culture throughout the world, but it is especially popular in the United States. The music industry here is, and has been, a multi-million dollar business that continues to play an important role in American popular culture. This is also a art form and business that is forever changing as the times and more importantly, technology changes. Technology has changed the way music is made as well as how it is produced,