Influence of Hip-Hop Resonates Worldwide

Hip-hop will rock and shock the nation.

rap group Wu-Tang Clan

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Bart Simpson shouts out “Yo!” Disney releases an album titled “Rappin’ Mickey.” McDonald’s commercials feature cute toddler twins, dressed in fashionably baggy clothes, rapping their way to a Happy Meal.

Two decades after it emerged on the streets of the South Bronx, hip-hop has become a dominant force in American and global pop culture. No longer a local art form of street stories and freestyle poetry, the hip-hop sound, style and slang now provide fodder for mainstream movies, television, radio, fashion, advertising and, of course, the news media.

“Kids in Beverly Hills know what gangs are like. Kids in Arkansas know something of what it’s like to be underprivileged in New York,” said Def Jam Music Group chief Russell Simmons, who has built an empire of rap music, comedy and street wear. “Hip-hop is absolutely a unifying force.”

Like blues, jazz, rock and soul, hip-hop evolved from the limited means of the African American underclass. From its origins in the disco, graffiti and break-dancing scenes of the ‘70s, hip-hop has grown to embody postmodern media--borrowing voraciously from the past and reworking it in a way that appeals to the mind as well as the hips.

For many Americans it is also a divisive presence, riveting kids to dance floors while keeping their parents on the defensive and politicians in the pulpit. Some adults feel alienated and mystified by this culture that favors electronic rhythms and encrypted rhymes and encompasses everything from trendy clothes to graffiti to its central force--rap.

No other music since ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll has caused such social distress. Hip-hop has endured attacks from presidential candidates, Congress and the courts. A judge in Broward County, Fla., attempted to censor a 2 Live Crew album--an American first--but was eventually rebuffed by a higher court. Former federal drug czar William J. Bennett has been an outspoken critic.

What those outside the culture appear to fear most is the violence that seems to run through the veins of hard-core rap like verbal steroids. The public slayings of the popular East Coast-based Notorious B.I.G. on Sunday in Los Angeles and the charismatic but volatile Tupac Shakur last September in Las Vegas are stark reminders of just how real the rap game can be.

This shocking violence and the aggressive stance that spawns it keep adults at bay, creating the biggest cultural divide in domestic life since the ‘50s--a divide that splits America, more than anything else, by age.

For the young, says Wired magazine media critic Jon Katz, “hip-hop is the rebellion of choice because it freaks out so many adults.”

Constantly Evolving

At its core, hip-hop is a club with a language, fashion and sound that are constantly evolving, as if to keep the cultural tourists from becoming the locals. It is this very sense of an underworld that holds appeal for suburban youth.

“Kids adopt cultures that differentiate themselves from their parents,” Katz said. “The more offensive the better. This is not new.”

Part of what keeps hip-hop abrasive toward adults and attractive to the young is its oft-heard ethic to “keep it real.” No one in hip-hop wants a modern-day Elvis to translate their music for the masses.

This attempt to maintain authenticity can breed extreme behavior, however.

“Some people feel that acting like gangsters is what ‘keeping it real’ means,” said Los Angeles radio personality Dominique DiPrima. “Part of what traps those rappers into living this lifestyle is this whole media concept that they’re not rappers, they’re gangsters who rap.”

To be sure, some hard-core rappers have led genuinely hard-core lives even through prosperous times of record contracts, legions of groupies and endless supplies of marijuana. Notorious B.I.G. and Shakur were two such artists. There is also a lethal strain in rap that reinforces a tougher-than-thou aesthetic: “Throw your set in the air” (flash your gang sign), youths are encouraged in a song by Cypress Hill.

But critics say the music industry and suburban audiences only work to keep the gangster game going, that it is young, white America’s voracious appetite for gangsta rap that encourages violence. Jeff Chang, co-founder of the lauded Solesides Records rap label in San Francisco, even calls some gangsta rap “blaxploitation.”

In a statement issued after the slaying of Notorious B.I.G., C. DeLores Tucker, chairwoman of the National Political Congress of Black Women, said: “We must lay blame squarely where it belongs, at the feet of the greedy record industry moguls who put profits before principle.”

Yet, as Chang and others point out, gangsta rap is but a media term to describe a street-level style of narrative that has been around since hip-hop’s inception. While some of it is no doubt hype, some is true.

Listen, rap’s defenders say, and don’t blame the messenger.

“It gives voice to people who wouldn’t otherwise have one,” says rap mogul Simmons. “Rock ‘n’ roll never got a chance to do what hip-hop does.”

Indeed, DiPrima, host of a public affairs program on KKBT-FM (92.3) “The Beat,” says hip-hop is as American as the violence it portrays, whether grown-up America wants to hear it or not.

“Hip-hop has a huge influence on mainstream American culture,” she said. “And mainstream American culture has a huge influence on hip-hop. It’s a two-way street.”

Hard-core rap is but a small slice of the hip-hop discography, which includes the mind-boggling sampling and witty flow of classic groups such as De La Soul and the abstract, jazzy stylings of newer artists such as DJ Shadow. Rap, its supporters say, represents the reemergence of spoken word, jazz and a dance aesthetic in pop.

“Gangsta rap is a small part of hip-hop culture, and I think actually it’s a smaller and smaller part of rap music on the charts,” said Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Assn. of America.

A Vibrant ‘90s Force

On the whole, hip-hop remains one of the most vibrant creative forces in ‘90s pop--a tough, rhythmic and poetic counterpart to the 40-year reign of rock ‘n’ roll culture. And the media industries can’t get enough.

Albums such as Hammer’s 1990 work, “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” (which is not, as it sounds, a hard-core rap record), and TLC’s “CrazySexyCool” in 1994 have each sold at least 10 million copies and rank among the top 30 sellers of all time.

Hip-hop records accounted for 10% of the U.S. music market in 1996, according to the recording industry association. Hard-core collections by Shakur and Snoop Doggy Dogg ranked among the most successful albums of the year, and hip-hop accounted for one-fifth of the top 200 albums.

Grammys went to the Fugees’ mostly positive “The Score” and to nonblack artists whose music is rooted in hip-hop, including Rage Against the Machine’s politically charged “Evil Empire” and Beck’s eclectic “Odelay,” the year’s most critically acclaimed album.

Meanwhile, artists in France (DJ Cam, the Mighty Bop), Japan (DJ Krush) and Britain (Coldcut, the Propellerheads) are injecting new life into the music genre. The pop music industry is abuzz with talk of British dance music boosting sagging record sales brought down by the demise of so-called alternative rock. It is basically a British remake of hip-hop in the tradition of the Beatles’ refried American rock.

In Hollywood, hip-hop movies such as “A Thin Line Between Love & Hate” and “Set It Off” each hit the $35-million box office mark in the U.S. last year, and there are more to come.

“The era of hip-hop is expanding to the age of ‘urban alternative’--a multicultural variation that cuts across race to tap the cultural fabric of the day,” said George Jackson, who co-produced 1985’s “Krush Groove,” one of the first hip-hop movies.

The genre got its start with B movies for B-boys, or hard-core fans, (1984’s “Breakin’ ”), but soon broke out into everything from gangsta fare (“Colors” 1988) to politics (“Do the Right Thing” 1989) to humor (“House Party” 1990). The latter spawned a slew of copycats and two sequels of its own.

The Gangsta Genre

“Boyz N The Hood,” a gripping cautionary tale about life and death in South-Central Los Angeles, firmly established the gangsta genre in 1991, followed by films such as “South-Central” (1992) and “Juice” (1992). Orion Pictures, distributor of last summer’s “Original Gangstas,” is sending out “Gang Related,” starring Jim Belushi and Shakur, this summer.

The hip-hop film is not an explosively successful cross-over genre, studio executives say, but it is not a loser either. Every major studio has dabbled in the subject with moderate success, while independent companies have seen modest profits.

“For independent companies to have a $5-million film that does $20 million domestically is a home run,” said Island Pictures President Mark Burg. Each film, of course, is accompanied by a booming soundtrack album.

“The same kid that buys a hip-hop record and a pair of Converse sneakers is going to the movies to see ‘Boyz N The Hood’ or ‘Booty Call,’ ” said Steve Rifkin, an urban marketing consultant to Hollywood. “The major studios didn’t pick up on that fact until a couple of years ago. Only recently have they regarded it as a market to be tapped.”

Thanks to hip-hop movies, many Americans know the terms “colors,” “dead presidents” and “booty call.” And television introduced the fist-holling hoot of “The Arsenio Hall Show,” which premiered in syndication in 1989 with plenty of rap acts on hand. The next year, Fox’s “In Living Color” became the urban counterpart to “Saturday Night Live” and found no end of comedic inspiration from gangsta rappers and the riots in Los Angeles.

NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” established the cross-over potential of hip-hop artists by launching rapper Will Smith as a multimedia star.

The fledgling UPN and WB networks are home to several African American sitcoms and have virtually become hip-hop networks. “Our intent is always to do stuff that crosses over,” said Garth Ancier, head of programming at WB. In February, WB’s “The Steve Harvey Show” brought rival rap figures Snoop Doggy Dogg and Sean “Puffy” Combs together in a heavily promoted appearance in which they urged an end to East Coast-West Coast rap rivalries.

(After Notorious B.I.G.’s death, Harvey said his show would do whatever was necessary to “help stop this senseless violence.”)

The world of fashion is also enamored with hip-hop--from the big jean revolution to the popularity of high-priced basketball shoes to the “prep urban” styles of Tommy Hilfiger (annual sales: $400 million), Polo Sport and Nautica. High fashion has tapped rap too, as seen in Louis Vuitton magazine ads that feature pioneer deejay Grandmaster Flash perched atop a precious L.V. record box.

“Hip-hop,” declares Alan Millstein, editor of the Fashion Network Report newsletter, “is the single biggest influence in fashion today.”

Hip-hop journalism has grown up since the ‘80s, when coverage of rap was relegated to fanzines such as Word Up! and Right On! That changed in 1989 with the Source, a magazine founded by a foursome of Harvard University classmates--the first publication to take a serious look at hip-hop as a musical form and an emerging lifestyle.

Although the Source is one of the biggest-selling newsstand music magazines with more than 300,000 circulation, according to Source staff, it retains an insider’s feel. Smaller rap ‘zines such as L.A.-based Urb, Rappages and Rap Sheet feed core followers’ hunger for information that will keep them abreast of a slippery culture.

Vibe is a rare hip-hop medium that takes an open-arms approach to new readers. This summer it will launch a syndicated TV version of the magazine and host its second annual mini-music festival, including hip-hop acts, at Disney World.

Some critics maintain that rap is miles from the suburban bliss favored by Disney. They say its roughneck style broadcasts gang culture into the interior and incites the young to kill each other.

In places like Davenport, Iowa, police have seen a rise in white gangs whose members dress, walk and talk in the style of West Coast African American sets.

“They listen to gangsta rap,” said Davenport Lt. Phil Yerington. “They sing it, they know the words, they play it on their car stereos. . . . These kids get caught up in the gangster mentality. The music encourages behavior that leads to violence, and some of these kids get killed.”

Leonard Eron, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, has done studies linking teen violence to the amount of violent television teenagers watch, and he says, “I don’t see why gangsta rap would be any different.”

But media critic Katz says it’s the same old generational debate--one that goes back decades, even centuries. (Plato once described youth music as containing “a general conceit of universal knowledge and contempt for law.”)

Rap’s defenders insist that the music is a tribune of America’s violent state--a mirror of society perhaps too bright for adults, but mesmerizing for the young.

“Keeping it real,” Simmons said. “What it should mean . . . is keeping it honest.”

Times staff writers Jerry Crowe, Cheo Hodari Coker, Elaine Dutka and Brian Lowry contributed to this story.

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The Hip-Hop Universe

THE KEY PLAYERS

These executives, entrepreneurs and artists have been instrumental in establishing hip-hop as a dominant force in American pop culture.

Quincy Jones, 64

Earlier worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Micheal Jackson. In the 90s, however, he has become a hip-hop pioneer, producing the sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and founding Vibe magazine in 1992.

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Russell Simmons, 39

A pioneer rap manager, founded Def Jam Records in 1985 (with Rick Rubin). Not only has the label launched the careers of LL Cool J, Public Enemy and others, it’s the current home of many chart movers.

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Andre Harell 36

Founding Uptown Records in 1986, Harell has been associated with prominent artists including Heavy D, Guy featuring Teddy Riley, Mary J. Blige, Al B. Sure, and Jodeci. Harrell was named head of Motown Records in 1995.

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Sean “Puffy” Combs, 26

An Uptown Records intern until he was able to convince Andre Harell to make him a vice-president of A&R.; He quickly became almost as influential an executive as Harell and left to form his own label, Bad Boy Entertainment.

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Marion “Suge” Knight, 31

Entrepenuer--whose Death Row Records made close to $100 million dollars last year--is associated with many successful, yet troubled artists. Recently sentenced to up to nine years in prison for a parole violation.

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Queen Latifah (Dana Owens), 26

Made her name as a rapper, then went on to co-star on TV’s “Living Single” and the film “Get It Off.” She records for Motown Records.

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Dr. Dre (Andre Young), 31

The superstar-producer has explored the edges of West Coast hip-hop for 10 years. He was among the co-founders of Death Row Records.

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Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson), 27

His riveting presence caught the attention of film directors and he has appeared in “Boyz ‘N’ the Hood,” “Higher Learning” and the upcoming “Anaconda.”

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MOVIES AND TELEVISION

A selected list of movies and TV series steeped in hip-hop culture:

1982 “Wild Style”

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1986 “She’s Gotta Have It”

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1990 “House Party”

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1991 “Boyz N the Hood”

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1995 “Bad Boys”

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1996 “Set It Off”

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1997 “Booty Call”

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Current TV Shows

“Living Single”

“Martin”

“New York Undercover”

“Homeboys in Outer Space”

“In the House”

“Moesha”

“The Jamie Foxx Show”