Is Hip hop folk music?

When people picture folk music in their head they usually envision back woods hill billy's strumming a banjo. The image of hip hop is certainly not a thought that comes across their thinking. But hip hop can be considered to be folk music. Folk music in itself is music of a people, and people musics can be influenced by others peoples music but the outcome is something that is theirs. Hip hop is an example of that. hip hop comes the back streets of the urban cities and it is the music of the people that live within these areas. But hip hop did not transform over night, not int the least rather it comes a long line of influences of other folk music.

When folk music is handed down to the next generation of folk there are changes made with the new hands that take it. This change can be influenced from adapting to a new era with new ideas and styles of music or new struggles , problems, or events that occurring during the generation. Like a set of dominoes, each generation of a folk music influences the next and it changes as it shifts to the next era, but yet they can all be linked together in a chain like fashion. If you look at hip hop and the way it is played and structured you can connect it to African American slaves on cotton farms in the south. The foundation of modern Hip Hop can be found to be linked from traditional African American Music.


This music first started out in the fields with simple work songs. This music carried on into the churches of the African Americans once they were liberated from slavery and it later transformed into the musical genre of the blues. From the blues the denomination of R&B was created and from there such musical styles as Motown, soul, and funk were forged. From there hip hop was sparked from all of these influences, each aspect helped to piece together what we know today as hip hop. Each generation is linked and is influenced by each other making he end product of hip hop.


Hip hop will eventually help to influence a new form of music as the next era of music comes just as the blues and soul have influenced hip hop. Hip hop can be considered to be a modern day version of African American work songs or Motown. Each genre has played a part in creating hip hop. Therefore hip hop can be considered to be folk music because it is a product of a long line of folk music from different generations. Each generation influences the other but a change occurs when it moves on to the next era, hip hop is a product of change and the handing down of music from another generation.


1.http://dreamhampton.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/hip-hop-image-1.jpg

2. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02849/slavery_2849118b.jpg

3. http://media3.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Slideshows/_production/ss-090903-motown/ss-090903-motown-smokeyrobinson.grid-5x2.jpg

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