115 pages • 3 hours read
Jeff ChangCan't Stop Won't Stop (Young Adult Edition): A Hip-Hop History
Nonfiction | Book | YA | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Index of Terms
B-Boy/B-Girl
B-boying and b-girling is a form of dance that sprouted up in the early era of hip-hop. During the house and block parties that artists like DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa would hold, dozens of youths would show up to dance to their music. Because the music was of a new variety, including infinite breaks, mixing, and eventually sampling, a new style of dance evolved along with it. It is also referred to as breakdancing, as it was inspired by the dancing during the repeated breaks of hip-hop. B-boys and b-girls would compete with one another to see who could perform the wildest moves and build a reputation among the youth in their community. Both Black and Latinx communities of the Bronx contributed to the development of this high-energy, fast-footed dance style.
DJ
A DJ, or “Disc Jockey,” is a term for a musical artist who mixes and samples music on records, tapes, CDs, or digitally to create new songs or remixes of old songs. DJs were pivotal in pioneering the genre of hip-hop. Early masters, such as DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa led the way in gathering and uniting people and interweaving various genres to create their own unique musical style. DJing is one of the four elements of hip-hop and pairs with b-boying/b-girling and MCing to create the unique and energized atmosphere that was known to accompany block parties. DJing has continued to evolve and be the source of new genres of music throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
Hip-Hop
In its original form in the 1970s, hip-hop consisted of four basic elements: DJing, MCing, b-boying/b-girling, and graffiti. Each of these elements combined to create a unique youth culture that originated in the Bronx in New York City in response to oppression, unemployment, and gang violence. Hip-hop is a genre of music, an art form, a lifestyle, a way of thinking, and a lifestyle. It originally served as a way for youth to feel empowered, have a voice, and have fun in dark times. It grew into a worldwide cultural phenomenon that now spans all corners of the globe, comes in countless subgenres and styles, and acts as a voice for those who feel unheard. The Ghetto Brothers, DJ Kool Herc, and Afrika Bambaataa were pioneers of hip-hop, who helped not only create the culture but also spread it to those who needed it most. Hip-hop music also unites people of all backgrounds, ethnicities, races, classes, and creeds while maintaining its roots as a source of empowerment, activism, and enjoyment.
Graffiti
Graffiti is an art form and one of the four elements of the original hip-hop scene. Graffiti originally began as a way to build a reputation as a hip-hop artist by spraying one’s tag, or graffiti nickname, on public property. It became a way to assert dominance in the culture, as people found ways to reach all kinds of shocking locations to put their tags on, all while trying to avoid the police. Over time, graffiti spread into an even more developed art form in which people would create works across entire walls and buildings. These artistic depictions may be for fun, beauty, or to send a political message. Today, many cities celebrate graffiti artists rather than taking down their work.
MC
An MC, or “Master of Ceremonies,” is the performance artist responsible for rapping and rousing the crowd. It is one of the four elements of the original form of hip-hop as it existed in the Bronx in the 1970s and 1980s. MCing originally began as an in-person art form. MCs were high-energy people, who were skilled at exciting and involving the crowd in the music and show. They directed the crowd, called out to them, and rapped improvised or practiced lyrics. MCs also presented other performers. MCing faded out as hip-hop moved into the world of recorded music, but it still has a place in the underground scene and at live shows.
Rap
Jeff Chang credits James Brown with being the first person to rap in his songs, which inspired the youth of the Bronx to do the same. Rapping involves spitting fast rhymes, often multisyllabic rhymes, to energize the audience, send a message, or tell a story. In the 1970s and early 1980s, rappers were the MCs of the show. Over time, as hip-hop moved to clubs and records, rapping became a distinct art form all its own and bled into all genres of music. It can be done acapella or accompanied by a DJ (in its original form). The passionate honing, spreading, and development of rap can be credited back to the youth of New York City, who used rap to express the challenges they were experiencing as young Black people in America.
