Critical Review #5: "A Style Nobody Can Deal With"

Tricia Rose outlines the process by which the stylistic elements of hip-hop culture mirror hip-hop's narrative of "social resistance and affirmation" (82). Rap music's flow expects a broken drumline while DJs layer and scratch sections on top of each other, creating an angular motion. Breakdancing moves follow a similar pattern of fluidity interspersed with sharp movements--popping and locking. Graffiti artists use soft and "sweeping" letters in contrast with more rigid fonts (81). Rose describes it in sequence: "create sustaining narratives, accumulate them, layer, embellish and transform them," then "plan on social rupture " (82). When viewed together, the style forces a juxtaposition of fluidity and rigidity, a metaphor for the world from which hip-hop culture emerged.

Questions: How does this tie into Rose's claim that hip-hop "plays on class distinctions and hierarchies by using commodities to claim the cultural terrain?" (80) Also, can the styles of other subcultures be viewed through this same lens? Can it be universally asserted that the stylistic elements of a subculture mirror a narrative of "social resistance and affirmation?"