Hip Hop Culture and Language

That depends. Is he a producer or an artist?

 

I hate to say it...can't believe I'm about to go there but...read about Eminem. He's from Detroit and went from nothing to rapping/producing now, I think. There are many examples of hip hop artists who've gone from rags to riches. Lots of movies made about them, too, and information on the internet. N.W.A. is a good story, too. Good luck.

 

I'm actually a huge fan of hip-hop, so I'm super stoked to see a thread like this. Honestly, I'd watch documentaries. Some that I would probably recommend are Something out of Nothing: The Art of Rap, The Art of 16 Bars, NWA: Hip-Hop's Most Dangerous Group, and Welcome to Death Row. Research Dr. Dre, because that's probably one of the best examples of an artist turned label-owner. Jay-Z is another good example, but Dre's story demonstrates more of the essence of the scene in my opinion. Also, look into the story of Tech N9ne, as well as Slug from Atmosphere. Both are underground artists who have made their way in the scene (although not as much as Dre or Jay-Z), and have ended up starting their own labels.

If you have more questions, feel free to PM me. I have lots of potential info and feedback on this subject

 

So I was thinking about this post yesterday, and thought of some ideas for the clothing. Gucci and Versace are both pretty popular in the scene. Givency, Tom Ford, and Fubu are worth looking into as well. Custom shoes are something to look into (for example, Jay-Z wears custom Jordan's). Also, when wearing more colorful clothing, matching is a pretty big deal (matching hat color with shoe color is a good example). You might also wanna look into the stylist Dapper Dan from Harlem. I'm not sure if he's still in business, but he used to make clothes for everyone back in the day. Either way it would be a good way to get acquainted with some of the history of hip hop fashion.

 

Seeing as I'm such a huge fan of rap and hip-hip, right up my alley. I likey. Though, in my opinion, a very big factor is where they came from, where they grew up, etc The biggest factor that influences how you write, make beats and produce is your background, your past. Fleshing these out, I think, will greatly impact how the reader relates to the MC, and I speak from experience being in the music industry.

 

This is a very good point. Style is going to be very dependent on where the character is from. If you have a particular city in mind, I would recommend looking up artists from that area to get a feel for the style of their music and their attire.

Hehe... MC