The Expansion of Hip-hop: What Problems Does It Bring？

高田田 劉薇禛平 張禹

Hip-hop is a cultural movement sweeping up music， poetry， dance， art， fashion， and political philosophy， and it is more than a genre. Many people cant tell the difference between hip-hop and rap and use them as synonyms. But actually， there is a fundamental difference between the two words. Hip-hop is a cultural movement， including music; but rap is a specific musical technique often employed in hip-hop music （Music_lover， 2018）.

In 2017， a variety show brought hip-hop music to Chinese audiences. The name of the show is The Rap of China， and it is an annual competition program. Hundreds of former underground rappers became well known， and a hip hop trend has taken off in China. The show is now in its fourth year， and hip-hop has become more mainstream from a smaller audience. As the audience expands， more and more people are following and imitating rappers styles： clothes， makeup， even lifestyle， such as oversized clothes or the makeup style in Europe or the United States. Companies catch the opportunities and find ways to get people to spend， which has led to the emergence of popular brands， the popularity of music festivals and the commercialization of rappers in recent years. The emergence of hip-hop has boosted the Chinese music market， but it has also brought its inevitable problems： the expansion of hip-hop has commercialized the artists， and formed youths pursuit of subcultural fashion.

Through the distribution of electronic questionnaires， I collected information about the participants life background， their understanding of hip-hop music， the commercialization of performers， and the fashion and dressing styles of subcultures. After analyzing the data， we got some conclusions and can see the development of hip-hop music in recent years. More and more young people are becoming curious about hip-hop music， and even older people are liking it or trying it. However， the rapid rise of hip-hop music has brought its own problems. Hip-hop artists become commercialized， and their work is unconsciously created to cater to the market. They frequently appear on variety shows in pursuit of higher exposure rate. Also， the company packaged them up for music festivals， and provide them opportunities to attract more fans in order to make more earn more commercial interests for the company. Beyond the music market itself， the growth of hip-hop culture has also had an impact on the way people dress. This is directly related to the emergence of popular logos in recent years. Hip-hop culture is subtly changing peoples definition of fashion， thus creating a wave of personalized styles. Thus， it can be seen that hip-hop culture has injected fresh blood into the Chinese music market， but at the same time has brought significant influence on consumers.

I personally take a stand against the commercialization of hip-hop artists. I admit that the rappers who are famous today love this kind of music in the depth of their heart， because they are also people who have been underground for a long time. Although they have a high salary after they become popular， it can be interpreted as a reward for their past hardships. However， what I am opposed to is that they change themselves， give up

their original beliefs and surrender to capital， to get a high income in a short period of time. “Keep Real” is one of the most common slogans hip-hop artists use， and I hope them to make music for themselves as long as they have a choice， instead of for the market. There is no denying the fact that the commercialization of hip-hop artists has fueled the growth of the hip-hop music industry， but at the same time forced those artists to choose between making money and being themselves.

For the problems caused by hip-hop culture， there are also some solutions and suggestions. As for the commercialization of hip-hop singers， I think it is based on the positioning and pursuit of the singers themselves. If their purpose in making music is profit， then there is nothing wrong with it being commercialized. But if they make music for their own beliefs and dreams， they must find their own place and their own meaning in doing it. In a profit-oriented market， what musicians need to do is to find their own position to avoid being overly influenced by the market environment. For the pursuit of fashion brought to consumers， this is a personalized change. People can follow the current trend， but they need to build on it to develop their own special sides. Accepting a new trend is also a process of finding the standard of fashion people want. When people choose to embrace a new trend， it corresponds to what they are thinking. People can stand out from the crowd as long as they keep their own special side and have their own opinions.

姓名：高田田

年齡：18

城市：北京

就讀學校：人大附中ICC

年級：12

未來申請目標專業：經濟&商管

寫這篇文章的初衷是因為我對嘻哈音樂的喜愛。我不僅僅是喜歡歌曲本身，更看重的是歌詞的表達和演唱者想通過歌曲來展現的自我態度。隨著《中國有嘻哈》的播出，節目將地下的說唱歌手們帶入了大眾的視野。但隨著這四年來的嘻哈音樂的發展，我看到的問題大過于其對促進經濟的積極作用。我在問卷調查中設置了許多很詳細的問題，由于節選的字數有限，沒能將各個問題的圖表和分析展現出來。通過人們的回答，我看到了大眾對于嘻哈音樂商業化的意識。在如今的市場中，嘻哈歌手們如果能夠在做自己喜歡的音樂和提升自己的商業價值中保持平衡，那便能使這個圈子良性發展。