Best of
Hip-Hop

1998

Style: Writing From The Under Ground


Phase 2 - 1998
    They are without a doubt a significant contribution to modern art and humankind.Repetively writing ones name as we know it began in the early 70's and the objective of "the game" was "getting up". Its practitioners were New York's inner city youths, and eventually, for what ever reasons, their main forum became the underground transit system and its subway cars. From then on, well into the 80's, they created, built, and continued a cultural movement which evolved into an intensive and indigenous urban "art form", that has since spread extensively world wide.The broadness of its mass appeal bridges many racial, cultural, and class barriers within today's increasingly hostile and alienating world, just as it did in the past. Beyond its own ranks of youth of today and yesterday, there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who are interested in its existence, its history and its current trends. For and from art admirers, academics, cultural allies, hip hoppers, and the hippest urbanites, to anyone in or outside of the city, exposed or unexposed to writing and this culture's multi-faceted contents, this book which refelcts on its how and why and focuses on an extensive tradition that is known as "style", is genuinely, a must read.Though in the past decade there have been several books written on the subject matter, never has there been one that yields as solid an authority and possesses the stature of credibility as this one. It is the first book from start to finish to contain a history and analysis from those diehard devotees who have experienced it and assisted in making this movement what it is today. No myth or added drama, just truths sheer trauma.