Hip Hop at 50: Reflections from Our Students

Authors

Dana Horton, St. Olaf CollegeFollow
Lavar Pope, Loyola University ChicagoFollow
Travis Harris, Norfolk State UniversityFollow

Abstract

Hip Hop transcends time and space, however, its confluence in the Bronx in 1973 is worth commemorating. During the celebration of fifty years of Hip Hop, the authors asked their students to reflect on fifty years of Hip Hop. In particular, the authors asked students to discuss why Hip Hop is still popular in 2023, as well as the direction the culture has taken. Students are at the forefront of keeping Hip Hop culture alive, and their contributions to our 50th Anniversary are valuable.

A similar question was asked in the authors' courses: “Hip hop started 50 years ago in the Bronx. Why do you think that Hip Hop is still popular, 50 years later? What are your thoughts on the direction the culture has taken?” It is worth noting that this inquiry into student thinking about the 50th was an initial starting point for the Journal of Hip Hop Studiesthinking about the anniversary. The student responses were rich, powerful, and insightful. The students represented three different locations and multiple different subject areas related to Hip Hop studies. The article preserves the full student responses, as the authors felt strongly that their statements were an important part of Hip Hop's reflection at 50 years.

Volume

10

Issue

1

Recommended Citation

Horton, Dana; Pope, Lavar; and Harris, Travis (2024) "Hip Hop at 50: Reflections from Our Students," Journal of Hip Hop Studies: Vol. 10: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/jhhs/vol10/iss1/3