The commercialisation of Hip Hop through time and space seen through the lens of a street dance teacher in Malta

Abstract

Hip Hop is now in its fourth decade and growing increasingly popular. Hip Hop has grown, adapted and has blended through different regions of the world keeping the same voice of peace, unity and love. Throughout this journey I take the reader back to Hip Hop’s origins, explaining the different “Hip Hop Elements’ that compose Hip Hop. Starting back in the early 1960’s with a few New York teenagers playing and experimenting amongst themselves, amidst civil rights activity, black oppression and gang wars, Hip Hop has become a world-wide phenomenon that is known to be one of the biggest cultures amongst us today. This dissertation addresses how this organisation grew through time and started to expand out of the US and travelling to Asia and Europe. Hip Hop eventually arrived in Malta, starting a new community and culture on this little island in the Mediterranean. Drawing upon my personal experience teaching street jazz (a form of dance style which streamed out of Hip Hop, I question whether Hip Hop has commercialised itself through time and space. The dissertation includes ethnographic research with Maltese Hip Hop dancers as it addresses how Hip Hop is still developing amongst us not only in Malta but also world-wide.