"A Style Nobody can Deal With: Politics, Style and the Postindustrial City in Hip Hop" Talking Points #3

"A Style Nobody can Deal With: Politics, Style and the Postindustrial City in Hip Hop" by Tricia Rose

First of all, I have no experience whatsoever with the culture of hip-hop, so all of this is very new to me. It was hard to connect with some of Rose’s topics, but for the most part, I think I understand her general message. The beginning of the piece discussed the origins of hip hop and how it has transformed since the 1970’s through 1994, when the text was published. Rose discusses the development of hip hop, “Worked out on the rusting urban core as a playground, hip hop transforms stray technological parts intended for cultural and industrial trash heaps into sources of pleasure and power” (Rose, 401). She then goes on to explain how hip hop brought people together in urban communities, whether through break dancing on the sidewalks or rappers and DJs with microphones hooked up to the electricity of street lights. Rose says that rappers and DJs, “revised the use of central thoroughfares, made ‘open-air’ community centers in neighborhoods where there were none” (Rose, 402). New York City in the 1970’s, is where the hip hop culture has its roots. Even though hip hop has transformed over the years, today’s hip hop still uses the basics of “attitude, dance, style and sound effects” (Rose, 402) from that time period.

I also understand that hip hop culture, which includes dance, graffiti and rap, has significant undertones of political, social and economic issues. Not being a huge fan of rap music, I was unaware of this theme. After reading Tricia Rose’s piece, I have a better understanding of what rap music and the hip hop culture is derived from and also the issues that are being expressed in a very creative and unique manner. “It is, in fact, the dynamic and often contentious relationship between the two—larger social and political forces and black cultural properties—that centrally shape and define hip hop” (Rose, 402).

Even though I can somewhat understand the development of hip hop and the issues that it addresses, I am still overwhelmed by this piece. There were many words ( Afro-diasporic , phantasmagorical) that I had to look up and many of the themes were foreign to me. I hope that during class on Monday night some of my questions will be clarified and I will hopefully have a better understanding of the hip hop culture. I’m definitely open to learning new things!