How To Choose The Right Hip Hop Gear

By Mike Johnston

If you need Hip Hop gear, you have plenty of accessories from which to choose. The style is as unique as the lingo. However, you will have to present it when you go out clubbing. Choices for Hip Hop gear in the Hip Hop culture will definitely make you look cool when you Hip Hop dance, or just chill with your friends. So let us look at some of the different types of gear that you can buy. However, make sure that you keep updated on your Hip Hop gear, as it will change as fast as the music.



If you are a newbie to the Hip Hop scene then you will need some great gear to go along with your passion. Hip Hop culture is represented by common items such as belt buckles, watches, rings, earrings and the famous pendant. Of course, there are other items that you can buy like dog tags and faux rhinestone cross necklaces. In the Hip Hop world these items are not your common military dog tag styled id tags, and the rhinestone cross necklaces are not common either. They can be both fancy and dramatic. Dog tags are made with designs on front and back with specially engraved info such as group name, or special cut designs on the outer edge. Optional stones look dramatic too. Cross necklaces are usually overly large with variations of different colors, from white to yellow, and can be bought in silver or gold. Some stones have special engravings on them. There is a lot of bling bling yet to discover with Hip Hop gear.



A relatively new fad in Hip Hop gear is the spinners. In Hip Hop, dancing there is a lot of movement so you can be in style with a watch and shoe spinners. Shoe spinners can be attached to any shoe with laces. Most are worn predominantly on tennis type shoes. Optional jewelry metal color is gold or silver, but some can be purchased as two toned. Inside the metal circle, a wheel spins with movement. A word of caution, if you decide to wear two on one shoe it might not work – all of the dancing will make the metal disks bang together, and could damage the spinner. It is not recommended.



The watch spinners are very cool. You do not want to forget to buy one, or have someone get it for you for a Hip Hop birthday celebration, or any other holiday. Almost all Hip Hop watches have faux rhinestones encircling the spinners. You will need to buy the watch because there are no spinners with clips that you can attach to the watch you have now. All you have got to do for this Hip Hop watch to tell the time is just to flip the spinner back and reposition to a snap closed position – and start dancing again!



There are a lot of other bling bling Hip Hop gear accessories that you might want to get, like rhinestone cups to drink from at your party, or even gold studded earrings. The choice is yours – so go and check out all of the neat Hip Hop gear. You will find something you want with bling.



About the Author: At EliasHipHop we specialize in hip hop clothing, hip hop music, and hip hop gear. Visit our awesome hip hop site today.



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Cracking Down On Hip Hop

By Kristien Wilkinson

The hip hop genre has not exactly been known for having a squeaky clean, morally upright, unassailably wholesome image. We hear of rappers getting arrested for weapons charges or assault every now and then. A good number of hip hop lyrics tell of (and even glorify) guns, drugs, violence, misogynist behavior, and a hodge podge of anti-authority sentiments. And of course, the killings of high profile rap artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur have become landmark incidents that established the notoriety of hip hop.



Along with the progression of hip hop personalities getting embroiled in gangster-esque incidents came rumors that a task force has been formed by the New York Police Department focused specifically on the rap industry. Major newspapers reported that a team of NYPD detectives were assigned to monitor hip hop events, feuds, and even rap lyrics. Artists have complained that they were being subjected to police surveillance.



The NYPD has repeatedly denied the existence of such unit but talks of the hip hop cops are still far from dying down. The revelations of retired NYPD detective Derrick Parker that he was the one who started comprehensive investigations on the hip hop industry further fueled the controversy. Parker said that it was his duty to compile all information relating to hip hop and interview artists who were involved in criminal cases. He clarified though that it wasn't as large as the purported full-blown task force that was reported in the media but was merely another scope of the Intelligence Division's Gang Unit.



In 2004, it was reported that the a three-day hip hop training session was held and attended by police officers from New York, Miami, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. In the said seminar, six-inch binders containing information on rappers with criminal records were distributed to the attendees. A Miami police sergeant said the seminar involved training on what look for in rap lyrics, monitoring radio and TV stations, and surveying hip hop concerts.



To further compound the existence of a hip hop squad, another voluminous document on rapper profiles was made public. This time, it was a 500-page dossier containing rap artists' mug shots, home addresses, license plate and social security numbers, criminal histories, arrest details, frequented locations, and known associates. The dossier, which bore the logo of the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program, was published online and was also featured on the documentary Rap Sheet: Hip Hop and the Cops.



Not a few rappers and civil rights activists bemoaned these acts as racial profiling and unnecessary intrusion to privacy. Police refused to comment on the dossier but reasoned that familiarizing themselves with the hip hop industry was just a part of doing their job. They said that the unsolved murders of famous hip hop artists was reason enough to monitor this particular genre of the music industry. As Derrick Parker put it, they simply don't want another rapper killed.



Some rap personalities place the blame on the rappers themselves for the supposed surveillance. DMC, considered as one of the pioneers of hip hop, pointed out the rappers' self-aggrandized gangster image was one of the reasons police are tailing them. Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man also commented that rap songs which glorify violence and guns aren't any help either.



On October 2007, rapper T.I. was arrested for illegal gun possession while the month before that, The Game was taken into custody for allegedly pretending to be an undercover cop. Last July, Remy Ma turned herself in to police after being involved in a shooting incident. While these episodes are not representative of the whole hip hop industry, police believe that these are more than enough to keep them watching.



About the Author: Kristien Wilkinson is an online writer and contributor to http://www.hiphop.net



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Dressing Up In Hip Hop

By Kristien Wilkinson

From baggy jeans and bling blings to classic gangster-inspired suits and bowler hats, a distinct and evolving fashion style has always been an indispensable element of the hip hop industry. Hip hop fashion traces its roots to the clothing style of African-American youths. Since then it has drawn its influences from hip hop scenes in different parts of the United States, from California to New York, as well as from various elements of underground and popular culture.



One of the earlier clothing styles in hip hop was the sportswear coupled with conspicuous jewelry which became the signature look for old school rap. Tracksuits, bomber jackets, berets, Doc Martens, and sneakers were some of the common apparel then. Men sported gold chains while women wore large gold earrings. The sports apparel of Adidas, Nike, and Le Coq Sportif were some of the commonly patronized brands in the 1980s. The 1990s saw the growing popularity of more sportswear from Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Polo, Calvin Klein, and Nautica. This particular fashion style became known as the urban streetwear and was further supplied by such brands as FUBU, Ecko Unlimited, Walker Wear, and Boss Jeans.



The emergence of gangsta rap as a sub-genre of hip hop fueled another fashion statement, this time inspired by the clothing styles of street thugs and prison inmates. Gangsta rappers started wearing baggy pants, bandannas, and tattoos. Not a few conservatives reacted negatively to the sagging pants and low-hanging waistlines. A religious group tried to combat the fashion style by giving out belts while others sought to make it illegal.



Other hip hop personalities opted for the classy gangster look and wore double-breasted suits, bowler hats, silk shirts, and alligator-skin shoes. This Mafioso-inspired image was popularized by the Notorious B.I.G. and Sean Combs a.k.a. Diddy, with the latter becoming known as the Shiny Suit Man.



Recent trends in hip hop apparel show the influence of hipster and preppy styles. Oversized shirts were replaced with tighter-fitting short-sleeved shirts, tracksuits were traded for sports coats, and tighter denims were favored over sagging jeans. Some of the popular accessories are large belt buckles and skull and skeleton ornaments. Decorated hoodies, fitted caps, and trucker hats are also commonly worn.



Heavy jewelry has also become an enduring mark of hip hop fashion, symbolizing an ostentatious display of fame and wealth. Known in hip hop slang as bling bling, these flashy accessories became ubiquitous fashion icons and common semiotic elements in a lot of music videos. Gold jewelry was the craze in the 80s but it was eventually edged out by silver and platinum. Grills or removable metal teeth coverings also became popular among celebrities.



With the development of hip hop fashion, rap artists eventually ventured into the clothing business and started producing their own labels. The rap group Wu-Tang Clan has its Wu-Wear, Damon Dash and Jay-Z have Rocawear, and Diddy has Sean John. Diddy also bagged the 2003 Menswear Designer of the Year Award given by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Other hip hop personalities with their own clothing lines are Eminem, 50 Cent, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons, and OutKast.



About the Author: Kristien Wilkinson is an online writer and contributor to http://www.hiphop.net



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The begining of the culture

From Motown To Hip Hop

By Michael Bell

Growing up in the City of Detroit during the early sixties was a memorable era for music. It was a period of time whereby the unique sounding records of Motown were being played and heard throughout the streets, nightclubs, house parties and radio stations everywhere. It was common to have the soulful R and B records playing on the jukeboxes while folks were dancing in the streets or singing in the barber shops and beauty parlors to the love songs that eventually captivated the hearts of millions of people throughout the world. Music cds and rap music were not heard of during that period, it was all about the vinyl records and rhythm and blues soul.



The songs that were written by Motown songwriters during the 60’s & 70’s had so much meaning. They were songs that spoke about true love, current events and the heartache and pains of life experiences. Oh yes, Motown had it going on! Their music became universal music. Many of the soulful tunes crossed over into other markets such as pop, jazz, blues, etc… But just like George Benson said in one of his recordings “Everything Must Change”, and sure enough, he was right about the music.



After giving so many years service and great music to the City of Detroit, Motown moved out and Rap/Hip Hop moved in. Instead of hearing someone singing My Baby Loves Me or My Girl, you began to hear new sounding lyrics of street experience expressed in rhythms with the mouth, chest, hands and feet as such had never been heard before.



This new sound called Rap evolved in the early 80’s and took off as a sky rocket in the late 90’s and New Millennium as Hip Hop/Rap. Even today Rap/Hip Hop music is still a multi billion dollar genre. Millions of cds, videos and dvd’s are sold each year in the Hip Hop genre of music. And there is no sign that Hip Hop will be slowing down or taking a back seat to anyone anytime soon.



So what happened to the Motown sound…. did it die out? No! The Motown sound will never die out. It will always play a significant part in the hearts of millions who embraced it’s sound back in the early 60’s, and continued to pass that sound on to their children throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.



Sometimes you just have to move over and let the new kids on the block have a turn in expressing their musical talents, songs and ideas. That’s what Motown did…moved over-not out. And now the Hip Hop artists are not the new kids on the block anymore, for they have taken their position to express themselves musically, just like the rhythm and blues artists took their position to express themselves in the Motown era.



That’s how we’ve gone from Motown to Hip Hop!



Sincerely,

Michael Bell



About the Author: Michael Bell is a proficient record producer / music composer / songwriter / studio engineer / recording artist / freelance writer. http://www.buymusicfromus.com ©2006 Michael Bell



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