Hip-hop turned 50 this summer. Its influence has been felt in all corners of the globe. The World traveled the landscape and kicked off its Planet Hip Hop series with H. Samy Alim, professor of anthropology and director of the Hip Hop Initiative at UCLA. We also looked at how young Egyptians have used music to push back against the authorities trying to suppress it. And in
In India, artists are using hip-hop to stand up to one of the world's oldest forms of discrimination: caste. In recent years, a new wave of Dalit artists is wielding some of the same musical elements that Black artists began channeling decades ago to call out prejudice and injustice. As part of The World's Planet Hip Hop series, Sushmita Pathak reported from Delhi on this
For 23 years, the Quito-based hip-hop group Mugre Sur has created music to denounce harsh realities in Ecuador: corruption, racism and social injustice. They mix rap with popular Ecuadorian music, and perform wearing costumes. In this profile for The World's Planet Hip-Hop series, Gisele Regatao reports on how the group is responding to Ecuador’s current political turmoil.
In India, hip-hop artists are using the genre to stand up to one of the world's oldest forms of discrimination: caste. In recent years, a new wave of Dalit artists is wielding some of the same musical elements that Black artists began channeling decades ago to call out prejudice and injustice. As part of our Planet Hip Hop series, Sushmita Pathak reports from New Delhi on this
Many historians claim Aug. 11, 1973, as the birth of hip hop. Its influence has been felt around the globe. The World’s “Planet Hip Hop” series highlights some of the influences the genre made globally.