He then raised his profile further via significant appearances, including a cameo in the video for Blondie’s 1981 hit This is seen as a seminal moment in the genesis between hip hop and fine art, opening the doors for more urban artists to get their artwork seen in places other than the street. First, he managed to secure his work and that of fellow graffiti artist Lee Quiñones in an Italian art exhibition in 1979. However, this started to change in the late 70s and early 80s almost entirely thanks to a New York graffiti artist and rapper called Fab 5 Freddy.įreddy was hell-bent on joining the city’s street art scene with the fine art world. While hip hop and street art have always been closely associated, the same can’t be said about hip hop and fine art. This relationship was so strong that graffiti is commonly deemed one of the four elements of hip hop culture alongside deejaying (turntabling), rhyming (MCing) and B-boying (breakdancing). Whether graffiti covered the DJ booth or featured on buildings nearby, it created a stylized aesthetic that solidified the link between the two in the eyes of many, especially as many rappers were street artists too. Indeed, in the early days of rap music during the 1970s, it was rare to see a hip hop party, rap battle or performance without a street art backdrop. It is, therefore, no surprise that these two forms have crossed over a lot through the years. Both were (and still are) mediums allowing individuals to communicate sociopolitical messages in a creative way. Hip hop has always had plenty in common with street art in this sense. In its infancy, hip hop was largely about marginalized groups using music to deliver messages regarding identity and empowerment, breaking the hegemony that corporations and governments had over public narratives. The Nile, 1983 – Jean-Michel Basquiat Street Art In Hip Hop’s Early Days
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