Intro

When I say "Hip Hop" I'm not just talking about music or music
Graffiti and dance, which are considered its central elements. I'm
Referring to the blend of instincts, confidence and ingenuity that
Develops in oppressed communities as has been demonstrated through
The evolution of Hip Hop culture. I'm talking about a Jamaican
Teenager in the South Bronx taking two records of the same song
And fading back and forth between them to create a new musical
Composition by playing the most danceable segment over and over
I'm talking about aspiring visual artists realizing they didn't
Need galleries to represent them for their work to be seen and
Instead painting on train cars and instantly having an audience of
Hundreds of thousands. I'm talking about a high school dropout from
The projects of Marcy using his entrepreneurial hustle and rap
Skills to go from selling drugs to selling CDs out of the trunk of
His car to selling products at Macy's. Hip Hop genius: creative
Resourcefulness in the face of limited resources or as it is often
Said in the Hip Hop community, "Flipping something out of nothing."
We don't have to do the same thing that's been done before or follow
One model. We also need to adopt the value Hip Hop places on staying
Fresh. A hot beat yesterday was a hot beat yesterday. Whoever sets
Out to make a hot beat today has to do something new and different
To remain relevant. And we need to be resourceful. In the 1970s
Thousands of families chose to replace their linoleum floors. In
Poor neighborhoods, the old linoleum was left in piles on the street
Young people, without access to playgrounds or dance classes
Turned their parents' trash into dance floors and invented new moves
Like the windmill and the headspin to maximize its potential. Behind
The mic, spray cans, turntables and when it comes to their
Educations, students have brilliant
Ideas and instincts. They are Hip Hop