by Mike Haynes-Pitts
The arts have always amazed me due to the talent that goes behind it. I for one am not an artist in any way and neither is family on my mom or dad’s side. Nobody sings, plays an instrument or paints. Instead we are logical thinkers and analyzers trying to figure out solutions to our problems. As such, I’ve appreciated many forms of art. However, the one I want to focus on today is the art of hip-hop music.
My timeline with hip-hop has transitioned as much as the music itself has. I first found hip-hop to be solely for the bling and commercialism as evidenced by many of my early CDs in the late 90s/early 2000s. Much of my interest in hip-hop was for the hype rather than truthfully analyzing the music. This is unsurprising as hip-hop was in a bling era emphasized by big cars and big chains. After this, I would mature and become really in tune with west coast gangsta rap when I was in high school and early college, which I would frequently hear on speakers driving around Los Angeles. Though at that time gangsta rap was ten years old, it was still a dominant force in my arts education. Finally, in my senior year I would take a class about the history of hip-hop, which would highlight every aspect of hip-hop from the late 70s until then (2010). This would shape my entire view on hip-hop as a medium of music and an art form due to the level of intricacy I understood rhyme schemes, storytelling, presentation and all the graffiti, dancing, styles and culture that came with hip-hop.
Now, I frequently share concepts and ideas on the level of depth to hip-hop. I have written and argued top 5 MCs, DJs and movements with a variety of people. It is truly a source of inspiration for me as it is an art I fully comprehend that is underappreciated. As such, I’m going to teaching it as an elective to high school students so that they too can appreciate the art of producing hip-hop.
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Mike Haynes-Pitts is an educator in New York City. He often writes about race, American politics, travel and media reviews. He also has a strong knowledge base on stocks, cryptocurrency and overall finance. He is available for copywriting, educational advice, financial support and stock information.
Find him here:
http://www.multiethnicmastery.com/
https://multiethnic-mastery.teachable.com/
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mr-Pitts-Middle-School-Materials
