An Exploration Of Hip Hop Influence

Hip hop represents more than just music, it is a form of popular culture and expression. While rap serves as an expression within hip hop, this article focuses on the way hip hop influences consumers through lyrics, music videos and other media platforms. The theoretical scopes used are parasocial interactions and third person effect. These theories will be used to measure the influence of hip hop on consumers. Hip hop music started out as an African American expression of oppression. The expression that lives on through hip hop today came from early music genres such as Jazz, Disco, Soul, Funk, Rhythm and Blues. The development of the black cultural expression will be covered to give the audience a deep rooted history of hip hop culture. Hip hop has now evolved into a popular multiracial genre that allows artists to express their views on society.