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#1 935 NE B St
#2 Freedom
#3 Prosecuted
#4 Graffiti
#5 Background
#6 Pride
#7 Influence of Graffiti
#8 Perspective
#9 Another Brick in the Wall
#10 Royalty
#11 Beauty in the Struggle
#12 Black Students Union Bulletin Board
#13 Blue Skies Ahead

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Graffiti is one of the four main elements of Hip-Hop. In the 20th century, "Graffiti was the product of urban revolutionaries who formed subcultures to rebel against parents, police, and other social authorities" (Price, 2006). Graffiti is still prominent today, as a form of personal expression, marking gang territory, or just simply rebelling. (Taken in Yakima, WA)

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This piece of graffiti was also found in Yakima. Native Americans make up a large part of Yakima's demographics. Just as Kendrick Lamar shows gratitude for his ancestral roots in the song DNA "I got loyalty, got royalty, inside my DNA" (Lamar, 2017). The Graffiti artist portrays pride in their heritage as well by paying homage with this grandiose mural of a noble chief.

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In this photo, a Yakima graffiti artist has portrayed the Rugrats cartoon characters running from a police car. Hip-Hop is all about expressing emotion and ideas. A person's background has a profound influence on the way they express themselves. This artist most likely enjoyed cartoons a lot as a child. Through artwork the painter is able to draw connections between their past and present selfs. Hip-Hop artists are similarly influenced by past events, neighborhoods, and memories.

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This sculpture is on the WSU campus outside of the CUE parking garage. It is a large blue heart, covered in junk items. At first glance, the piece has no clear meaning. By covering an inherently attractive/romantic object in junk, the artist forces the observer to see beauty among the unkempt arrangement. Although Hip-Hop may at first glance appear to be covered in junk (vulgar lyrics, drugs, sex), there is an underlying beauty in the art. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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African-American culture is rooted in group mentality. The Talmadge Anderson House is used as a meeting/gathering place for black students. The home represents a space for black expression. In a similar manner, Hip-Hop provides a way in which other minorities can express themselves. Through Hip-Hop, and the various activist groups in America, minorities strive towards a brighter, more free future.

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Upon beginning my search for evidence of minority culture in the largely white, agricultural town of Pullman, I found out that WSU has several "culture houses" on campus. The Talmadge Anderson Heritage House is a hub for African/African-American student culture.  Unbeknown to most students, the house is on B Street across from SAE. This lack of knowledge about the home is emblematic of a larger social tendency to glance over issues that don't directly affect us. Prior to researching Hip-Hop, I had no idea this home even existed.

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The first amendment states "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech" (U.S. Const. amend. I). The right to expression is guaranteed through the Bill of Rights, and as African-American's have gained civil rights their activism efforts have risen as well. Hip-Hop is a platform for black activism in america. Many artists have chosen to use their success to draw attention to issues that affected them through their lyrics. Chance the Rapper made a 1 million dollar donation to Chicago Public Schools (Perez and Garcia, 2017) after experiencing firsthand the problems with underfunded schools in minority communities.

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Rap music has hound a profound impact on popular culture. Dance, music, and fashion have all been influenced by Hip-Hop. This picture was taken in Seattle by Emma Whybrew, of an advertisement outside of a local coffee shop. The Advertisement draws on artistic techniques from graffiti to create an appealing, eye catching promotion. Popular culture has borrowed countless ideas and styles from Hip-Hop .

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This portrait depicts an affluent black woman, sitting on a throne. A couple of aspects draw the observers attention. First, the throne is a rather archaic display of wealth/ power. Also, and maybe more subconsciously, Black people usually aren't portrayed as the rich and powerful in history. A researcher that I came across described Hip-Hop as "poverty porn" where issues are overexaggerated to gain attention (Jaffe, 2014). Although it's true that the lyrics may be an exaggeration, they still hold truth. Ghetto communities are plagued with drug use, gang violence, and other criminal activities. Kendrick Lamar's "The Blacker the Berry" crudely describes the beauty of poverty (Lamar, 2015). The same album, "To Pimp A Butterfly" was later nominated for 11 Grammy awards (Coscarelli, 2015). Hip-Hop paints issues that no one wants to talk about in a light that makes everyone look.

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Black activism is strongly encouraged by Hip-Hop. The entire culture revolves around the free expression of emotion and ideas. During my walk around campus, I visited the African American Student Center at the CUB. Outside of the office was a bulletin board with all of the organizations activities. When you think about politics, old white men usually come to mind. However, black activists are some of the most hardworking in politics. However, rappers as well as the african-american community are working to change that perspective. The Black Lives Matter movement has been talked about in national news for several years now, and was a central issue in the 2016 presidential election. African American influence on organizations, institutions, and politics are all achieved through black activism.

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Rappers are often portrayed as cold, heartless, emotionless thugs. Everyone has emotions, and this hyper-masculine portrayal of the rapper is unfair. As I searched for the Zen staircase in the Art Museum, I came across a group of students' self portraits. This piece in particular stood out to me, a larger, burly, bearded black man wearing a flower crown. Hip-Hop also allows the artist to express suppressed emotions.

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At the WSU Fine Arts Museum, there was once a graffiti-ridden spot known as  "The Zen Staircase". The Zen Staircase was popular in the 80's and 90's and symbolized student rebellion against WSU. Eventually, the Zen Staircase was locked off and remained that way for a long time until the entire stairway had been repainted. The sign in the image is now on every floor of the stairway. Graffiti is one of the four components of the culture of Hip-Hop, the artists that drew on the walls of the Zen Staircase were drawing on techniques and styles that started in Hip-Hop.

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Rap music is another aspect of Hip-Hop culture. Through lyricism, rappers are able to make social criticisms. The prison industrial complex is discussed frequently in rap music. Private-prisons exploit criminal justice to earn higher profit. According to the NAACP, 1 million of the 2.3 incarcerated people in the U.S are African-American . Kanye West calls out this unjust institution in his song "New Slaves" on the 2013 album Yeezus (West. 2013).