Conventions of Hip-Hop

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop rap music, is a music genre developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans in the 1970s which consists of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, which is a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted.

Conventions

There are so many different styles of hip-hop and rap, but pretty much all of them carry the same, or very similar conventions. Throughout a lot of hip-hop videos, the artists is generally dressed very lavishly, in expensive designer clothing, and wearing loads of 'ice' (Diamonds and chains). A lot of rappers brag about having such wealth, and being able to afford such a lifestyle, but not all of them, even though it is subtly implied. A lot of people, because of this, associate rappers with being so self-centred and having such big ego's. Although the main reason they do this is because they have come from such poor backgrounds, usually in heavily deprived areas riddled with heavy gang and drug culture, so when they break through with such revenues it comes to no surprise they would want to brag, almost as a 'Started From the Bottom Now We Here' notion.

Another convention of hip-hop music, which I lightly touched on before, is that of gang and drug culture. In a lot of hip-hop/rap songs, you will find that a lot of the artists brag about doing drugs, being associated with gang crimes and even doing time in prison. The general consensus of this is that most people think that they are saying these things to 'sound hard' and act like top dog. People don't believe what they are saying in this instance as they think with them being celebrities and icons to most people, they wouldn't dare do anything illegal. In fact, a lot of todays rappers have indeed done prison time, or have been heavily involved in such cultures. For example, most recently the up and coming rapper 'XXXTentacion' was recently released from prison on charges for home invasion and battery with a firearm. Also, in a recent interview, Kendrick Lamar was asked about such culture, and even though he is a very humble person and never served prison time, he admits to witnessing several murders as a young child. A lot of these incidents can heavily influence some rapper's songs, if not albums and their entire careers.

*Photos from top to bottom - Birdman and Lil Wayne, XXXTentacion, Kendrick Lamar*