Becky loves Migos: An Analysis of the Appropriation of Hip-Hop Culture

The black community is no stranger to cultural appropriation.

In the early 2000s, white children would return from vacation in the Caribbean with a braided hairstyle, which was most likely done by the same individuals who were once condemned for wearing them. In the mid-2000s, every teenage girl at a sweet sixteen could be found twerking with a group of her closest friends, moving her body in the exact same motion that tribes in Africa did, but without the same condemnation. Even now, in contemporary society, women and men alike, can be crowned fashion kings and queens for wearing Timberlands and Air Force 1s--fashions that caused many black communities to be labeled as "ghetto" by society.

Yet, despite the countless times that the black community has experienced cultural appropriation, there is still one example that Trumps them all: Hip-Hop Culture. But then again, what do we have to lose? Right, Mr.President?

Developed in the streets of New York City in the 1970s, Hip-Hop culture and Rap music was a new wave. Hip-Hop culture introduced new styles of dance, such as the B-Boy, and a new way of dressing. While rap music founded a new sound and way of expressing the hardships that the black community faced. Groups like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five released songs like The Message, telling the tale of inner-city hardships, while Boogie Down Productions released their album Criminal Minded, which focused on the harsh realities of racial inequality and the effects of mass incarceration. But at what moment did this culture, which served as a creative platform for the black community, become Becky’s favorite jam?

The appropriation of Hip-Hop culture that we are familiar with today stems from Blackface Minstrelsy, a popular form of comedic entertainment of the 19th century where white actors painted their faces with black paint and mocked the song and dance of the black and slave communities. As a result of blackface minstrelsy, racial stereotypes of the black community were perpetuated, while a new form of popular and lucrative music, one that was taken from the black community, was born. White influencers of the music industry quickly realized that by appropriating this music, they could make a profit without having to produce any original content themselves. Thus, what we currently know as the music and entertainment industry, is a direct reflection of this appropriation.

In other words, white businessmen realized that black music and culture was becoming very popular amongst the white community, so naturally, they wanted to profit off of it. Except, the profit came from the appropriation of a marginalized community. But I suppose the bankrolls blocked the way of this small fact.

So, how do rappers feel about the appropriation of their culture?

When asked how the appropriation of Hip-Hop culture has affected rap music, Qaasim, 21, and Khalil, 16, Middleton of the rap group, Juggernaut War Party, said, “The appreciation for being a true lyricist in rap has diminished. Different art comes from different places, and all music is a frequency. So at the end of the day, we [rappers] are just trying to make music and trying to make change. But, we recognize that the way to do that is through the system. And the only way to change the system is to destroy it. And that's the way to create change.”

“The only way to change the system is to destroy it”--Not only does the black community have to fight for their lives in a country that has racial inequality written into its constitution, they also have to prevent it from stealing the only thing that, some might say, it has left. This begs the question: Is the appropriation of Hip-Hop culture another way that the white community has objectified and dehumanized the black community?

We have a much bigger problem here: the white community has attempted to strip Hip-Hop culture and rap music of it’s humanity and initial goal: to voice the opinions and emotions of the black community that has been silenced for centuries. Rappers have become figures that the white community impersonates and appropriates, adopting their styles and mannerisms as if it were a formula for “cool.”  

According to Qaasim Middleton, “It's not just that people are jacking the culture, it's also the big businesses who are appealing to the masses and that’s who is funding the appropriation. So when you get mad at jenny for rocking box braids, you have to get mad at the fact that her grandfather was a shareholder in the cotton trade industry that sparked America's appropriation of Hip-Hop culture now.”

Is the appropriation of black culture generational: beginning during slavery, and now in contemporary society, with Hip-Hop culture? Is appropriation just another way to oppress the black community, and for the white community to exercise their privilege? Absolutely.

In summation, Hip-Hop and black culture is reserved for the black community, and should not be objectified or appropriated. For all the things that you’re appropriating, it took the black community centuries to be able to have. According to a Spotify study, in 2015, Hip-Hop was the most streamed genre in the world. Is this because the world appreciates the culture and music or is it because they’re trying to appropriate it?