Hip-Hop Culture: Examining the Shift from Activism to Hyper-Commercialism

Since its inception in the 1970s, hip-hop has undergone a transformation, from focusing on themes of social activism and liberation, to dominant themes of materialism, conspicuous consumption, and hyper-commercialization today. This study examines several factors that have influenced this transition, including the role of record executives, advertisers, and hip-hop artists. Through participant-observations of hip-hop consumerism, semiotic analyses of music videos and advertisements, and analyses of song lyrics, I conclude that hip-hop culture has used hyper-materialism as a form of cultural legitimization, with artists willingly committing themselves to uphold the hegemonic values of the mainstream commercially-driven music industry