Swarthy & 'Fro

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Author: Nigh-Jee Cooper

Course: AAAS-2111

Type: Video Reflection Essay

Professor: Trae Manzili

Date: 2/8/26

Educational Institution: Temple University

According to Business As Usual: The Exploitation of Hip Hop, filmed by Jeff Dillard and published around 2011, hip hop in itself is a music genre that originated in the United States during the 1970s—with an aesthetic of beats that can be traced back to Africa. The Bronx, New York was where hip hop was contrived; however, it was originally identified as rap music before it became mainstream. The phrase “hip” relates to something being cool and the phrase “hop” relates to dancing—hence the expression of a “cool dance” (tt. 4:30-6:15). Hip hop’s “golden age” included socially conscious rap about addressing crime, poverty, and criminal justice in the United States of America–specifically in black communities (tt. 12:20-12:30). Hip hop was able to create its own advertising, public policy, rap stars, television shows, employment, management, production teams, etc. However, once hip hop became a commodity that intertwined with supporting a form of systemic oppression, one-sided storytelling—making people believe this is all their community is in regard to substance abuse, sexual assault, and nonsensical violence—this was where hip hop began to be questioned on how it was influencing people’s perception of themselves and others (tt. 13:25-20:12). 

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