Learning from the history of HipHop. Creating your own fun.

I believe that fun is something you create with your own hands.

From the origins of play

New York, USA, in the 1970s. They used the environment around them to create new ways to play.

"Nameless play"
"Handmade parties in the park"

Play created from nothing. Perhaps at first, they didn't even have specific names.

They enjoyed themselves purely.

And then, HipHop spread across the entire world.

Creating your own fun

In our daily lives, there are many activities to enjoy, such as watching sports, listening to music, and taking lessons. However, many of these are passive forms of enjoyment. Certainly, those are wonderful too. But I think the experience of actively finding fun and creating it yourself brings a deeper kind of joy.

This time, to deepen that thought, I would like to explore what it means to create your own fun by referring to the history of HipHop.

What is HipHop?

What kind of image do you have of "HipHop"? You might think it's a bit flashy, a little scary, or perhaps something for young people. But I want you to set those preconceptions aside for a moment.

Certainly, we hear the word "HipHop" often these days. But people might not know its actual meaning accurately. I think many people believe it is just rap and dance. Indeed, those are part of HipHop. However, it is not just that; it refers to a culture that Black Americans created themselves. It is not just rap and dance, but also DJing and murals (graffiti) are part of it.

Digging deeper, HipHop represents "the history and identity of Black people." That is the best answer. Black people who were brought to America as slaves in the past overcame various hardships to build their current status. It is a culture that has that as its background.

The topic has become a bit broad, but that just goes to show how deep the meaning of HipHop is.

Racial discrimination

When you think of "America" and "Black people," the first thing that comes to mind is probably "racial discrimination." Simply for the reason of being Black, they have continued to face restrictions in many aspects, including employment, economic activity, education, and daily life.

From the 1950s to the 1960s, Black people launched the "Civil Rights Movement" to break down this inequality, advocating for the abolition of racial discrimination and the guarantee of individual rights. As a result of this movement, the "Civil Rights Act" was enacted in 1964. However, this law was only in name, and no major changes came to the actual lives of Black people.

Although discrimination had gradually decreased, it still remained strong in certain regions and among certain people. As a result, many Black people could not find jobs and faced difficult economic situations. The South Bronx in New York, in particular, was in a very dire situation. This area was known as the 'town that America abandoned,' and the entire neighborhood was even described as looking like 'the aftermath of a postwar ruin.'

In the end, America did nothing. As a result, crime increased in the South Bronx, and the streets became even more desolate. They became increasingly impoverished.

The Birth of Hip Hop

Then, entering the 70s, Hip Hop was born from that incredible 'slum' of the South Bronx.

The residents of that district simply had no money. So, they created their own fun on the spot. For example, children used broken buildings to enjoy themselves as if they were jungle gyms or amusement parks.

And then there were the boomboxes that many people had at the time. They used them to enjoy dancing on street corners and in parks to the music on the radio. If you had a boombox, you could have fun anywhere, anytime. As a result, before they knew it, people started gathering, and street parties began to be held all over the city. And surprisingly, this attracted all kinds of people, regardless of age or gender.

One article called it 'nameless play.' That's a good term.

This kind of play tends to heat up all at once when people gather. For example, if a rumor spread that 'something interesting is happening on that corner,' people would naturally gather, making it even more exciting.

Parks Turned into Discos

It was as lively as a party all over the city.

In that flow, everyone started bringing their own record players and records to the park to hold handmade parties.

At the time, America was in the middle of a disco boom. However, they didn't have the money to go to discos or the funds to buy records. So, the idea of sharing the records everyone had was born. For example, I might have a James Brown record, but I don't have a Stevie Wonder record. In that case, if my neighbor Yamada-kun has a Stevie Wonder record, we can share each other's records and enjoy them.

There were even people who didn't own a single record, but if everyone brought what they had, a variety of records would gather, and they could enjoy diverse music. Then, they would connect the record player's power to the park's streetlights, and the park would take on a disco-like atmosphere. People dancing while enjoying the music could be seen everywhere.

The Birth of Breakbeats and Rap

As things went on, popular figures in the city, such as 'popular DJs' and 'charismatic DJs,' began to emerge.

A DJ is someone in charge of selecting and playing records. Their role is to determine what kind of songs will excite the gathered crowd, and popular DJs captured the hearts of many people with their sense of style.

Since they used the turntables (record players) that the participants brought, multiple pieces of equipment were prepared. For example, they would play a James Brown song on the left turntable, and then switch to a Stevie Wonder song on the right, and so on.

As they kept doing this, an interesting phenomenon gradually began to occur. The break parts of the songs (the parts without vocals) became particularly exciting.

Since everyone brought their own records, there were often multiple copies of the same record. This led to the birth of a technique where the same break section was played repeatedly. This is what's known as 'breakbeats.' By doing this, a break could be extended indefinitely, increasing the groove and making the dancing even more exciting.

This continuous break became like karaoke. It evolved into a format where 'rapping' was layered over it, and rappers began to express their emotions and messages through words.

They turned what they wanted to say into rap. They turned their frustrations with America into rap. They put their own emotions into words.

The Rise of Black Culture

In 1970s America, the mindset of 'how can we have more fun?' was deeply rooted among Black people. This hunger and unique ingenuity became the core of street culture.

This ingenuity for having fun was also seen in schools. Public school teachers planned handmade parties and events to entertain their students. It must have had an atmosphere similar to a school festival. This movement was seen in many schools.

I remember feeling incredibly excited when I read about this in a book. Everyone working together to create something. It's wonderful.

Amidst this, in 1979, a record company released the world's first official rap song, which became a huge hit. After that, rap songs appeared one after another, and rap spread across the world. Today, rap is loved by many people across borders. It's thriving in non-English speaking countries like Italy, Spain, and France. And of course, in Japan as well.

Looking at these trends, it's clear that the ingenuity for pure enjoyment in the Black community of the 70s is now having a major impact on global culture. I feel that the pure heart of 'I really want to enjoy this, so I'll create it' was the key to nurturing culture.

Hobbies: The Joy of Creating with Your Own Hands

A hobby is not just about consuming; sometimes it's about creating things with your own hands. The appeal lies in the new discoveries and realizations you gain while deepening such hobbies.

For example, if you are a professional baseball fan, it's fun to not just watch games, but to create the ultimate lineup using players from throughout history. If your family loves Disneyland, it's also great to create and perform an original Disney play together. The quality of the acting is secondary; what's important is enjoying it together.

Also, it's fun for the whole family to create new games. From handmade board games to original tabletop games, the ideas are endless.

This time, I explored the importance of 'creating your own fun' through the history of Hip Hop. Indeed, the power to create something valuable or fun from nothing lies within each and every one of us.

Now, I am also creating my own fun on the platform called note. Perhaps the process of starting from nothing is the starting point for creating something wonderful.