Week 6- Physical Graffiti

The term "Physical Graffiti" was used by Sally Banes to describe how breakers and Hip-hop dancers embody many of same style elements of battling such as braggadocio, "getting fame," etc. that are part of Graffiti and MCing. She argues "breaking is a way of claiming the streets with physical presence, using your body to publicly inscribe your identity on the surface of the city..." (Banes 14). This week you will read articles and view films that speak to the history and progression of breaking and its evolution into a global Hip-hop dance practice. As you define key terms this week, EMBODIED HISTORIES and BBOY/BBIRL, think about how gestures of breaking and Hip-hop dance practices can be understood as a physical repertoire of Hip-hop history. As we prepare for midterm, think about how the terms connect to one another as well as other elements in Hip-hop such as graffiti and MCings.

Week 5- Graffiti

This week, freestyle blog about GRAFFITI. Think about its profound influence on Hip-Hop culture.

Week 4- Hip-Hop's Multiculturalism and Polyculturalism

This week in our readings, Robin D.G. Kelley argues polyculturalism, unlike multiculturalism, recognizes that there are problems with simplistically conflating race and culture. Polyculturalism acknowledges the inter-related connections and fluidity between cultures and their intersections. Multiculturalism keeps cultures separated and static--allowing them to relate alongside one another. In the case of Hip-hop in the United States, discussions of "race" often conflate African American identity and culture. However,the history of culture of Hip-hop is often separated from the people that produce it. In defining the keywords of polyculturalism and multiculturalism in relationship to Hip-hop this week,think about the ways that Hip-Hop and Blackness engage these terms.

Week 3- Turntabalism and DJ Culture

This week we are exploring DJ culture and the art of turntabalism. In what ways do DJs remix culture? As you blog on the key words SAMPLING and TURNTABALISM, think about the role of the DJ as a cultural historian. How are diverse cultures sampled and remixed through sound bites in music? How does Hip-Hop enable cross-racial and ethnic exchanges through music sampling? If we think about early Hip-hop and the role of the DJ as central to Hip-Hop, how has this position changed over time? These are prompts to help you think through the idea of sampling as not simply the borrowing of sound bites and remixing them in different musical contexts, but also as and act of historical manipulation and contextualization.