Can't Stop, Won't Stop Chapter 7

The World is Ours: The Survival and Transformation of Bronx Style
by: Erica Bleiweiss, Leigh Fouts, Erin Watrous

By the late 1970s, many individuals in the Bronx started to see a dramatic change in hip hop music and culture. Newer technology such as records became a hit with emerging hip hop artists. Many individuals including Grandmaster Flash opposed the idea of mainstreaming hip-hop. Before this change occurred, hip-hop culture revolved around dancing and the DJ. Impromptu dance battles would often take place in high school gymnasiums, parks, and during other social gatherings. Dance battles began to fade when hip-hop focused more on written lyrics and the MC instead of dancing and the DJ. With the scripted lyrics, hip-hop evolved to sound more like pop music. “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugar Hill Gang, which was played on the radio, began this transformation and introduced the world to the culture that was formerly contained in the Bronx. Even though former hip-hop artists opposed the idea of recording their music, the success of the Sugar Hill Gang transformed the hip-hop scene overnight. Realizing the potential success of this technique, rappers began producing money-making records.

During this time, graffiti became an increasing problem in the Bronx. The New York City mayor declared a War on Graffiti. Graffiti was no longer seen as an art form, but rather became a political issue as well as a punishable crime. The city created an anti-graffiti program in which they profiled the typical graffiti artist. This profile was used to target potential suspects to put an end to graffiti. In the long run, this program proved to be ineffective.

In a different part of New York City, Crazy Legs was determined to bring together b-boys from the surrounding areas and revive dance as an integral part of hip-hop. The re-emergence of b-boys led to the creation of new dance moves such as freezing and windmills.