高田田 刘薇禛平 张禹

Hip-hop is a cultural movement sweeping up music， poetry， dance， art， fashion， and political philosophy， and it is more than a genre. Many people cant tell the difference between hip-hop and rap and use them as synonyms. But actually， there is a fundamental difference between the two words. Hip-hop is a cultural movement， including music; but rap is a specific musical technique often employed in hip-hop music （Music_lover， 2018）.

In 2017， a variety show brought hip-hop music to Chinese audiences. The name of the show is The Rap of China， and it is an annual competition program. Hundreds of former underground rappers became well known， and a hip hop trend has taken off in China. The show is now in its fourth year， and hip-hop has become more mainstream from a smaller audience. As the audience expands， more and more people are following and imitating rappers styles： clothes， makeup， even lifestyle， such as oversized clothes or the makeup style in Europe or the United States. Companies catch the opportunities and find ways to get people to spend， which has led to the emergence of popular brands， the popularity of music festivals and the commercialization of rappers in recent years. The emergence of hip-hop has boosted the Chinese music market， but it has also brought its inevitable problems： the expansion of hip-hop has commercialized the artists， and formed youths pursuit of subcultural fashion.

Through the distribution of electronic questionnaires， I collected information about the participants life background， their understanding of hip-hop music， the commercialization of performers， and the fashion and dressing styles of subcultures. After analyzing the data， we got some conclusions and can see the development of hip-hop music in recent years. More and more young people are becoming curious about hip-hop music， and even older people are liking it or trying it. However， the rapid rise of hip-hop music has brought its own problems. Hip-hop artists become commercialized， and their work is unconsciously created to cater to the market. They frequently appear on variety shows in pursuit of higher exposure rate. Also， the company packaged them up for music festivals， and provide them opportunities to attract more fans in order to make more earn more commercial interests for the company. Beyond the music market itself， the growth of hip-hop culture has also had an impact on the way people dress. This is directly related to the emergence of popular logos in recent years. Hip-hop culture is subtly changing peoples definition of fashion， thus creating a wave of personalized styles. Thus， it can be seen that hip-hop culture has injected fresh blood into the Chinese music market， but at the same time has brought significant influence on consumers.

I personally take a stand against the commercialization of hip-hop artists. I admit that the rappers who are famous today love this kind of music in the depth of their heart， because they are also people who have been underground for a long time. Although they have a high salary after they become popular， it can be interpreted as a reward for their past hardships. However， what I am opposed to is that they change themselves， give up

their original beliefs and surrender to capital， to get a high income in a short period of time. “Keep Real” is one of the most common slogans hip-hop artists use， and I hope them to make music for themselves as long as they have a choice， instead of for the market. There is no denying the fact that the commercialization of hip-hop artists has fueled the growth of the hip-hop music industry， but at the same time forced those artists to choose between making money and being themselves.

For the problems caused by hip-hop culture， there are also some solutions and suggestions. As for the commercialization of hip-hop singers， I think it is based on the positioning and pursuit of the singers themselves. If their purpose in making music is profit， then there is nothing wrong with it being commercialized. But if they make music for their own beliefs and dreams， they must find their own place and their own meaning in doing it. In a profit-oriented market， what musicians need to do is to find their own position to avoid being overly influenced by the market environment. For the pursuit of fashion brought to consumers， this is a personalized change. People can follow the current trend， but they need to build on it to develop their own special sides. Accepting a new trend is also a process of finding the standard of fashion people want. When people choose to embrace a new trend， it corresponds to what they are thinking. People can stand out from the crowd as long as they keep their own special side and have their own opinions.

姓名：高田田

年齡：18

城市：北京

就读学校：人大附中ICC

年级：12

未来申请目标专业：经济&商管

写这篇文章的初衷是因为我对嘻哈音乐的喜爱。我不仅仅是喜欢歌曲本身，更看重的是歌词的表达和演唱者想通过歌曲来展现的自我态度。随着《中国有嘻哈》的播出，节目将地下的说唱歌手们带入了大众的视野。但随着这四年来的嘻哈音乐的发展，我看到的问题大过于其对促进经济的积极作用。我在问卷调查中设置了许多很详细的问题，由于节选的字数有限，没能将各个问题的图表和分析展现出来。通过人们的回答，我看到了大众对于嘻哈音乐商业化的意识。在如今的市场中，嘻哈歌手们如果能够在做自己喜欢的音乐和提升自己的商业价值中保持平衡，那便能使这个圈子良性发展。