Graffiti Art and Hip Hop

As a cultural movement has different facets incorporating the talents of different artists, so to does hip hop apply broadly to several different artistic disciplines. In the readings we were exposed to the visual arts of hip hop, in graffiti and in photography.

Photography is the visual record of history. Hip hop from the early 70's to today, has seen an array of people recording its evolution. From Martha Cooper, a middle aged woman who captured the first images of hip hop, to Ricky Powell, a "weed head" ,known for his colorful pictures, documenting hip hop from Def Jam and beyond. The importance of this is that they were documenting history but with their own twist added for effect. Where one photographer would favor the candid photos of everyday people on the street, to others that staged shoots of hip hop celebrities in order to enhance their image. As stated in the former, many photographers were merely taking pictures of the realities of life in the Bronx. This was important in preserving the context from which hip hop evolved. How can we understand what in means to be from the streets, without seeing the street? How can we really appreciate where someone comes from with out seeing pictures of neighborhoods peppered with trash, drug dealers, youth engaged in various actives etc. A picture really does give us a sense of the context no words could adequately describe. Technically one wouldn't place hip hop photography in the same category as, say DJing, however the purpose it serves is just as important all the same.


Now graffiti is a New York saw the evolution of graffiti from a form of vandalism to a form of art in the early 70's. Although it evolved separately from the main hip hop culture, much like skateboarding was independent from punk rock, it still overlapped in style and in the people pushing its boundaries. The style hailed from the underground comix of the 60's and 70's. One has to only look at the artistic renditions in "Spraycan Art" and look at the art of Spain Rodriguez (Trashman), Robert Crumb (Zap) and Gilbert Shelton (Freak Brothers. The stylized lettering, the off color "ballooned" caricatures and the almost psychedelic use of color and line. It was even stated in "Spraycan Art" that Vaughn Bode was one of the "spiritual ancestors of graffiti..." Its interesting to see the public's perception change over the years. The initial war on graffiti that New York undertook was center piece of many an elected official. Many could argue that is was an effort to suppress an art form from the cities minorities. Now Banksy, one of the more prominent graffiti artists of today has an entry on the website "Stuff White People Like". Its odd how things of this nature can be absorbed so completely into society where, not 30 years ago, cities were waging a war on it, much like the war on drugs today.