Socio-Historical Context of the Birth of Hip Hop Culture in NYC by Koko

         

         

      

           Hip Hop culture began in the abandoned forgotten areas of postindustrial urban New York City. These abandoned areas were created from Robert Moses’ “Urban Renewal” Project with the purpose of clearing the slums. Moses' project had worsened the poverty problem in NYC for most African Americans and Hispanics living in densely populated slums.  

            In this blog I will be analyzing socio-historical context of the birth of Hip Hop culture in New York City. Governmental policy change, economic change, and social changes that took place in postindustrial city of NYC lead to birth, evolution, and transformation to a new culture called Hip Hop.

           

            It became obvious in 1959 that the government did not care about the poor in NYC when famous urban planner Robert Moses got an approval to begin the “Urban Renewal” Project. The purpose of Moses’ project was to clear slums of Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Soho, and Chinatown to make room for the office and high-rise apartment buildings for the privileged and white-collar working class. Large part of this project was the completion of Cross-Bronx Expressway that cut throughout the centers of densely populated working class areas in the Bronx. Cross-Bronx Expressway had lead to relocation of many working class Blacks and Puerto Rican residents.

 

Photo 1: Cross-Bronx Expressway cutting through densely populated working class residential area.

(Credit: Michael N Danielson)

            Economic situation in NY for the poor got worse in the 70’s when President Ford vetoed the request for federal bail out in 1975 to prevent NY from filing for bankruptcy. NY was forced to get a federal loan with harsh repayment terms that lead to service cuts and underemployment of mostly Blacks and Hispanics from Information Service Corporation replacing industrial factories. In NY between late 70’s and 80’s, the bottom 20 percent of income scale were forced into unemployment as well as extreme decline in income while the top 20 percent experienced economic growth. Most of the people in bottom income scale were the Blacks and the Hispanics. Service cuts also lead to budget cuts in school music programs and low-income housings.

            Economic struggle did not get better for the poor living in postindustrial NYC. Many job fields were being replaced by cheaper technologies causing them to lose their jobs. Young Blacks and Hispanics trained in these job fields started using raw materials for creativity and resistance. Puerto Rican graffiti artist Futura graduated from printing trade school but he ended up working at McDonalds after graduating since most printings were computerized by the time he graduated. African American DJ Red Alert had his job taken away by computer automation as well.  Jamaican father of Hip Hop DJ Kool Herc graduated mechanic trade school while Grandmaster Flash learned how to repair electronic equipments. Famous break-dancer Crazy Legs started break dancing when his single mother had no money to put him into Little League baseball.

Photo 2: Graffiti by Futura in year 1981.

Photo 3: Crazy legs break dancing with his crew Rock Steady Crew standing behind him.

            Youth living in the slums of NYC needed something new to wake up to other then the unfair distribution of wealth and to being part of a never-ending cycle of poverty. So they came up with a new culture consisting of their own fashion and language, new identities, and most importantly a crew to kick it with. Crew was made up of youths that saw each other as family growing up around similar struggles in poverty. They were an intercultural family and an extremely important support system in the struggles that they faced in NYC. These crews, intercultural youths that integrated as family striving together for brighter days in the everyday struggle, were the beginning of Hip Hop culture.

           

            The “Urban Renewal” Project by Moses to clear the slums of NYC, service cuts and decrease in the amount of low income housings from President Ford’s decision to force NY into getting a federal loan, as well as disappearance of job fields due to technologies replacing human labor in postindustrial era, threatened the livelihood for the poor living in NYC. I'm sure nobody would have ever guessed back then that the youths living in the slums would use these negative life events to come together as a crew to start a beautiful new culture called Hip Hop.