I’ve been gathering links to hipster rap coverage as these colorful new players have made their appearance, for better or for worse, in the hip hop blogosphere.
If you’ve written something on the hipster phenomenon, please drop a link in the comments.
And if you care to share your definition of hipster, cause every one I’ve read to date kind of sucks, that will be especially appreciated.
All contributions will be considered for my upcoming post, Hipster Rap: Parade Music for Gangsta’s Funeral.
Update:
You can define hipster or hipster rap and we’ll see what kind of overlap happens.
bpm magazine had a great feature about the rise of the hipster a couple of months ago, and i think it was pretty spot on (they even differentiated b/t a ny soho hipster and an la silverlake hipster).
Have a look at this:
http://www.clubplanet.com/Articles/2109/Hipster-Hop-or-Renaissance-Rap
Thanks! That’s a great start, guys.
here is an editorial link on the phenomenon with a unique take: http://mybassrocks.com/2008/04/24/hipster-rap/
it’s essentially making the argument that hipster rap has its roots in the original boom-bap sound that eventually gave way to new jack swing and later gangster rap. so it’s technically back to the basics (even though a few of these kids bringing back ’88 were born after ’88).
also, don’t forget to include the heavy influence that the UK has had on hipster culture, especially in ny (IMHO ny is the epicenter of hipsterdom and it has slowly but surely been making its way west). MIA is a major, major influence, as are newcomers like Santogold, who is 110% hipster music but much more pop/rock than hip hop. pop/electronica artists like justice should also not be forgotten; also not hip hop, but definitely starting to influence the musical tastes of the teen american-apparel rocking demo.
hipster culture and hip hop are not mutually exclusive, but hipster culture does not depend on hip hop for identity (b/c so much of that identity also lies in punk, pop, skate, street, and couture, etc. cultures) as much as hip hop relies on hipster culture for freshness and creativity. yeah, i said it.
looking forward to your article. it’s a phenomenon that is making major cultural waves but passing under the mainstream hip hop radar’s eye. the culture alts. like bpm, mass appeal (RIP), fader, vapors, etc. are covering well. IMHO it is not a growth of a hip hop influenced or based sub-culture like hip hop dance culture or dj culture… it’s more of a generational tidal wave and shift in the cultural paradigm of how music and technology and the internet age have influenced the youth…
/end rant
I can tell already my post will disappoint you but that’s how it goes sometimes!
I anticipate quite a bit of incompleteness in my account.
“IMHO ny is the epicenter of hipsterdom and it has slowly but surely been making its way west”
I don’t have a way of judging the hipster epicenter but NY’s certainly not the center for much of hipster rap and related movements, from what I can tell.
So, although I’ll be talking some about the hipster phenomenon, I’ll also be relating hipster rap to other developments in hip hop that are more widely distributed than the current hipster thing is at present.
Clyde,
I don’t think it’s a NY Only thing. There is also a huge hipster-hop scene in Atlanta. Do a google search for “Sloopy Seconds” parties and check artists like Proton, Hollyweerd, etc. (It makes sense when you look at the fact that Outkast, Gnarls Barkley, and Janelle Monae are from the area)
As far as hipster-hop, I think the term in the media encompasses everything from Kanye West to Wale and the Cool Kids, to even Gnarks Barkley and Santogold (which I don’t consider hip-hop at all). To me, hipster-hop is more specific to groups that have 80′s influence: loud colors, big glasses, etc, as well as some influences from the white indie rock hipsters (skinny jeans) as well as other influences (keffiyeh). I think a lot of groups get unfairly lumped into that term. I spoke to Mickey Factz last week and he feels that he’s unfairly lumped as hipster-hop because he raps over dance/electronic beats. If the media wants to lump people together, I think the term “blipster” (which is a term I hate cause it was invented by the New York Times) is a lot more encompassing.
As far as the backlash, I do think some of it is warranted. Some of these groups haven’t developed their MC skills and may not be worthy of the hype, and some acts (like the Cool Kids) seem to play off the novelty and may not have much to offer if the fad dies down. Having that said, every day I see a bunch of high school kids on the Metro in DC wearing skinny jeans and rocking skateboards, so I have a feeling this trend may have some staying power.
Thanks, Stone. The concept of trends like this starting in New York and spreading West just doesn’t make sense to me giving what I’ve seen while living on the West Coast, in Chicago (briefly) and in Austin.
You can sometimes pick a geographical starting point for a trend but the hipster phenomenon seems like one of those things that bubbles up in hip urban (as in city) and urban conscious settings all over the place.
For example, I would be seriously surprised if Chapel Hill kids weren’t on to this as quickly as anybody since this is their kind of thing.
i’m still sticking to the new york origins. i don’t have time right now, but i’d be happy to expand on that argument if you’re interested.
okay, i guess i have to give chicago credit, since there are a lot of acts that fall within this categorization coming out of that town.
i’ve been in more than one meeting where a salesperson has used the term “blipster.” i hate that term.
Please do expand. I’m always interested and this is also a good opportunity to look at some of the ways that one can try to identify emerging demographic groups.
Blipster does sound so stupid.
Chicago?
Cool Kids!
They are the definitive hipster rap act.
Like Nirvana and grunge.
As far as I can tell hipster rap is the music blindly adored by skinny white kids in flannel shirts who have recently moved to Brooklyn, but aren’t actually from there. They define it as “the scene” when in actuality they have no idea what the real scene of Brooklyn was before the gentrification.
And yes, I’m bitter about it.