The Elements

Two friends bombarded me with the $64,000 question last week: do you know the four elements of Hip Hop? I freeze. Time stops. Mind racing. Initially, I think: Hennessey? I get slipped a note upon their departure, that read:

4 Elements of Hip Hop:
THe MC
The DJ
The B-Boy
The Graffitti artist.

In the post-hip hop world, this once emerging art/lifestyle has now entered the mainstream, the classroom, and now, politics. With Barack Obama being dubbed the first Hip Hop President, he has managed to bridge the political elites with the urban streets.

Hip Hop previewed its potential as a venue for political dialogue during the Obama campaign - as seen with politically focused music videos and political participation by some artists. If anyone has any questions about such a topic, you can enroll in the Hip Hop class taught at San Francisco State University, where this year, on the first day, the teacher asks the class: Is Barack Obama the first Hip-Hop President?

SFSU: Hip Hop Workshop