Hip-hop is Everywhere Part 2: The Invocation of Hip-hop Culture in Everyday Life
In the previous post, “We All Grew Up on Black Social Dance,” I argued that the United States is mischaracterized as having a “white” culture built on European influences, while it is actually a multicultural society, built on the influences of cultures throughout the world. One good example of this mischaracterization of American culture and society is a billboard used in the 2016 congressional campaign of the Tennessee candidate Rick Tyler, which read “Make America White Again.” 'Make America White Again': Tenn. congressional candidate's billboard ignites uproar | WTVC (newschannel9.com)
This slogan was in direct reference to the presidential campaign slogan of Donald Trump–“Make America Great Again”–who was the presumptive Republican nominee at the time.
Though the United States has been built on the influences of various cultures throughout the world, the focus of this blog is, specifically, the unacknowledged black/African roots of American culture. While, in the last post, I used examples from American popular culture to demonstrate the black/African roots of American culture, in this post, I want to discuss how the black/African roots of American culture are evident in the everyday discourse and behavior of Americans. African-Americans have influenced every facet of American culture, including music, dance, fashion, common vernacular, and pop-culture references.
Using the example of Hip-hop culture, specifically, it’s familiarity in the public discourse of the United States is evident in a statement made by Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D New York) during the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump in early 2020. In responding to one of Trump’s lawyers, who questioned the point of having the impeachment trial at all, Representative Jeffries invoked the late rapper “Biggie Smalls,” also known as “The Notorious B.I.G.,” quoting from Biggie’s song “Juicy” (1994).
The Notorious B.I.G. “If you don’t know, now you know” from “Juicy” (1994).
Representative Hakeem Jeffries quotes Biggie on the Senate floor during the first Impeachment trial of Donald Trump (2020).
I offer this as an example of the relevance of Hip-hop culture in the most prominent of American public discourse.
Additionally, Hip-hop culture is just one example of how much African-Americans have shaped the common vernacular of the United States. Just one example of this is the slang word “basic,” which is used to mean that a person is unexceptional and unimpressive. This article from Dictionary.com basic Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com traces the origin of “basic” as a slang term back to the 1970s, and demonstrates the popularization of the term through various sources, including the R&B song “Meeting in the Ladies Room” (1985), as well as multiple Hip-hop songs of the 2000s, including Lil Duval’s “Basic Bitch” (2009). While the terms “basic/basic bitch,” unfortunately have misogynistic connotations, and have been used to denigrate “whiteness,” women have begun to reclaim these terms proudly basic bitch Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com.
Early use of the slang term “basic” in the Klymaxx song “Meeting in the Ladies Room” (1985).
Currently, “basic” can be used in common American vernacular to mean any person/thing that is unexceptional and unimpressive. One example of this can be found in the following clip from the movie “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2020).
Modern use of the slang term “basic” in the movie “Sonic the Hedgehog” (2020).
Another good example of the influence of African-American culture on American culture as a whole is that rapping has become such a common practice for average, everyday Americans of every color. This is demonstrated in the following video clips from the American sitcom “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015).
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein (Ben Schwarts) rapping in the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015).
If American culture is “white,” then it’s also undeniably “black.” The people looking to “Make America White Again” don’t realize that our nation’s black/African influences, along with various other cultural influences from throughout the world, are fundamentally built into American society. In reality, if our society had exclusively been the creation of white Europeans through the influences of their various cultures, the United States would be unrecognizable from what it is today.