| ound Hip Hop is regarded by most hip hop fans as the | | | | hip hop is not true to the root elements of hip hop |
| real hip hop. Many critics of mainstream hip hop feel | | | | because it is not subversive. It is not true to the culture |
| that it is watered down, corporate and too strongly | | | | of anti-establishment in fact it is a puppet of the |
| influenced by the record companies. Underground hip | | | | establishment. However, some artists who would be |
| hop maintains the root elements of hip hop that | | | | considered mainstream, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, |
| mainstream hip hop does not. Let’s analyze | | | | are true to hip hop. |
| further. | | | | Graffiti: Almost totally underground now, graffiti art is |
| Breakdancing: In the mainstream this is seen on shows | | | | shunned by mainstream society as being vandalism. |
| like Americas Best Dance Crew and it’s hosted | | | | Beat Boxing: Much like graffiti beat boxing is a dieing |
| by Slater from Saved By The Bell... While in the | | | | tradition with only a few beat boxers making it big. |
| underground scene it is practiced by die hard b-boys | | | | DJ's: Since the conception of the disc jockey DJ's |
| and b-girls who eat, sleep and live hip hop. | | | | have transformed music. Sampling and scratching was |
| Rapping: With prominent artists like Soulja Boy and | | | | once prominent in hip hop. Now of days sampling is |
| T-Pain ruining the understanding of what rap and hip | | | | used for everything but you would be lucky to hear a |
| hop is, it is hard for many to admit that they even like | | | | dj scratch anything on the radio. |
| hip hop for fear that they will be mocked. Mainstream | | | | |