The White hip hop

Like Jazz, hip hop is a black creation that has been a fad with white people. Kitwana describes in the introduction that hip hop is being musically devoured by white people and has become a part of the American culture. A similar phenomenon occurred with the Jazz era. The practice of jazz music began in the Harlem Renaissance and was adopted by the white citizens. Only when the white people got a hold of it did the music thrive in an economical and financial sense. Now hip hop has become the current generation's version of jazz. White teenagers have participated in the practice of hip hop on many levels. Some enjoy listening to it on occasion while others try to be hard core and break dance to the beat.

In regards to the black influence, hip hop has become a common association with the black race and culture. Kitwana describes an instance where a South Carolina student leader sponsored a Hip Hop Day. The purpose of this event was to cross racial boundaries. Here both groups could come together and appreciate an aspect of the black culture. On our campus, there was a hall who created a ghetto day activity. One girl on the hall commented that she felt the label was inappropriate and portrayed negative connotations about the black race. For Ghetto day, many students dressed in baggy clothes and tried to act black. I am sure many students found this offensive and not a a flattering portrayal of the black culture. The title Hip Hop Day would have been a more appropriate approach to this idea.

Back to how white teenagers love hip hop, I was intrigued by Kitwana's section describing the participation of whites and hip hop music. I believe her underlying theme was that one could not truly excel in hip hop if he or she was not black. In her article she said referred to a dialogue between a group of friends. "Wow you guys are really good. Too bad you're not Black." In high school a group of friends and myself organized a Christian hip hop group. The entire group was all white, but we thought we were the coolest thing hip hop had ever seen. Remember this was high school. The entire time we attempted to act ghetto and imitate dance moves that would be found in a black community. This was quite comical since the demographics of my home town was all white. We dressed like black kids practicing hip hop and tried to imitate their moves and incorporate them into our hip hop ministry. It was fun, but I am sure everyone could tell we were not black!