Hip-hop was born out of the Bronx during the 1970s. Artists such as Grandmaster Flash， DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaata mixed funk， soul and Jamaican “toasting” （chanting over music） to create the genre. Since its early formation， hip-hop has become one of the worlds biggest-selling musical genres. Its influence on Western society is far reaching and hip-hop is often referred to as a “culture”. It has had a notable influence on fashion， art， language and the politics of mainstream Western society.

嘻哈樂誕生于20世紀70年代紐約市的布朗克斯區(qū)，是閃耀大師、DJ酷赫克和阿弗里卡·巴姆巴塔等藝術家混合了放克音樂、靈魂樂和牙買加“吟唱”（隨著音樂唱誦）而創(chuàng)造出來的音樂類型。自形成早期，嘻哈就成了世界上銷量最大的音樂類型之一，對西方社會產(chǎn)生了深遠的影響。嘻哈也常被認為是一種“文化”，對西方主流社會的時尚、藝術、語言和政治都有著顯著的影響。

Fashion

時 尚

Style and fashion have always been at the heart of hip-hop culture. Breakdancers （or B-boys） inspired by hip-hop wore clothes that were functional for dancing such as loose fitting jeans or tracksuits. Baggy jeans， tracksuits， oversized jewelry and sneakers are all iconic items of clothing that have been absorbed by mainstream fashion. Brands including Adidas， Nike and Tommy Hilfiger have been instrumental in bringing hip-hop fashion to the masses. Designers including Chanel， Gucci and Louis Vuitton have all brought elements of hip-hop fashion on the catwalk.

格調(diào)和時尚一直是嘻哈文化的核心。受嘻哈的影響，霹靂舞者（或稱街舞男孩）穿著寬松牛仔褲或運動服等便于跳舞的服裝。寬松牛仔褲、運動服、大號珠寶和運動鞋等標志性的服飾均已被主流時尚所吸收。阿迪達斯、耐克、湯米·希爾費格等品牌在向大眾推廣嘻哈時尚方面起了重要作用。香奈兒、古馳、路易威登等品牌設計師都曾將嘻哈時尚元素搬上T臺。

Language

語 言

The lexicon of hip-hop has infiltrated mainstream culture. Words such as “phat” （cool）， “hood” （neighborhood） and “chill” （relax） have all entered everyday vernacular. The language of hip-hop—or more specially its sub-genre rap—has also proved to be controversial. In particular， the word “nigga” used frequently by rappers is widely considered to be an offensive term but is commonly used in the rap genre.

與嘻哈相關的詞匯已滲透主流文化。像phat（酷）、hood（地盤）和chill（放松）這樣的詞語都已成為日常用語。然而，嘻哈（更確切地說是其下屬音樂類型說唱）的語言也有些爭議性。比如，說唱歌手常用的詞語nigga（黑鬼）被廣泛認為是一個有冒犯性的詞語，但這個詞在說唱樂中很常用。

Politics

政 治

Since its formation in the early 1970s， hip-hop has been a vehicle for socially-aware messages. The Last Poets， Afrika Bambaata and DJ Kool Herc were outspoken black activists. Records such as Grandmaster Flashs The Message and Keith LeBlancs No Sell Out are drenched in messages outlining the struggle of the poor black Americans. KRS-One and A Tribe Called Quest have maintained the social message purveyed by earlier hip-hop artists. Such artists have acted as positive role models promoting the importance of education， cultural awareness and a peaceful philosophy.

自20世紀70 年代早期形成以來，嘻哈樂就成了傳播社會意識信息的媒介。最后的詩人、阿弗里卡·巴姆巴塔和DJ酷赫克都是直言不諱的黑人活動家。閃耀大師的《啟示》和基思·勒布朗的《沒有背叛》等唱片都對美國貧苦黑人的艱難掙扎做了濃墨重彩的描繪。KRS-One和探索部落等藝術家都保留了早期嘻哈音樂家所傳播的社會信息。這些藝術家作為積極的榜樣倡導教育的重要性、文化意識及和平理念。

Art

藝 術

Graffiti is strongly associated with hip-hop culture. The practice of graffiti gathered momentum in the Bronx during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was often used by political activists to send messages or make statements or by gangs marking territory. Since the 1990s， graffiti has become more widely accepted as a recognized art form worldwide with the success of Britishborn artist Banksy and French duo 123Klan. Commercially， large corporations such as Sony have used graffiti in marketing campaigns. Graffiti has also infiltrated the gaming community with games like SEGAs Jet Set Radio.

涂鴉與嘻哈文化密切相關。在20世紀60年代末期和70年代早期，涂鴉行為在布朗克斯區(qū)發(fā)展勢頭強勁，常被政治活動家用來傳遞信息或發(fā)表言論，或被匪幫用于標注勢力范圍。90年代以來，隨著英國藝術家班克西和法國夫婦涂鴉團體123Klan的成功，涂鴉作為一種藝術形式已在世界范圍內(nèi)獲得更廣泛的認可。在商業(yè)方面，索尼等大公司已經(jīng)把涂鴉用在市場推廣活動中。涂鴉也已滲透進游戲社區(qū)，出現(xiàn)了世嘉游戲機上的“街頭涂鴉”這樣的游戲。

Word Study

notable /'n??t?bl/ adj. 值得注意的;顯著的;重要的

mainstream /'me?nstri?m/ n. 主流，主要傾向，主要趨勢

iconic /a?'k?n?k/ adj. 符號的;圖標的;偶像的

instrumental /'?nstr?'mentl/ adj. 起重要作用的

purvey /p?'ve?/ v. 提供，供應（食物、服務或信息）