Where Culture Lives

As we begin to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on the the heels of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, we must take a moment to acknowledge the contribution of Latinos to all facets of the culture, DJing, MCing, Breakdancing and Graffiti writing. While Hip Hop’s origins are associated with the Black community, the Latino community did contribute to the development and evolution of hip hop and those contributions are often overlooked. This is a controversial subject for some as Fat Joe found out when he said “Lately, they’ve been talking about, ‘Latinos wasn’t in rap.’ These guys are fucking delusional. We’re from the Bronx, New York. Shit happens. This is where Hip Hop started. It’s Latino and Black, half and half.” Although we can debate the extent to which Latinos were involved, there is no doubt they were in the mix. In this exploration, we will delve into Hispanic influence on hip hop, from its early days to its current global prominence.   To truly appreciate the Latino ...

When a woman raps about her sexual conquests is she empowering herself by rewriting the narrative and reclaiming her power or is she encouraging those who wish to subjugate her? We ponder this question as we dig deeper into the culture of Hip Hop and discuss whether today’s crop of female Hip Hop artists are honoring the brave and strong female MCs of the past as they push the boundaries of lyrical content or are they just taking the place of men who refused to make room in the past.   While Hip Hop has provided a platform for marginalized voices to express their experiences and stories, it has also faced its fair share of criticism for its treatment of women. Though there is still much work to do, Hip Hop has evolved from a completely male-dominated space to one that is better at empowering women to speak from their perspective, tell their stories and challenge stereotypes. In this blog, we will delve into objectification of women in Hip Hop, misogyny in rap and explore modern em...