Think About Hip Hop Theater
How do we define it?
A definition of a thing has a hard core, with edges getting more fuzzy until you can say that it is not one of those things.
Think about a chair. It has a back, four legs, room for one person to sit, and arms. Something with all those items is definitely a chair. That is its hard core.
But you can lose one leg and it’s still a chair.
Think about a chair with rockers, instead of legs. Lose all the core and it’s not a chair.
What is Hip Hop Theater’s Core?
A work of hip hop theater has at least one of the pillars of hip hop.
- In most cases, as the work is probably a musical, it will be that of the MC.
- At least one of the creator’s of the work are black (but hopefully most of them will be)
- And it concerns a subject of social importance. Hip hop arose as a reaction to a culture of oppression – a work of hip hop theater should reflect this.
I hope to get a dialog going on this issue, so please write us and let us know your thoughts.
The book suggestion for this week is Jeff Walker’s “Rhymecology – The Art of Hip Hop Lyrics”