Graffiti: The Visual Language Of Hip Hop

Hip Hop is a 50-year-old testament to resilience, creativity, and art. As with every music genre, it comes from a backdrop of rich history and tradition. For those unaware, the most basic part of hip-hop history is the understanding of the five pillars that make up the genre. Hip-Hop has five pillars, and these are rap (emceeing), DJing, breakdancing, Graffiti, and knowledge. Of these artistic mediums, rap is the most familiar to a majority of people, so much so that the word has become interchangeable with Hip Hop itself, which is a larger umbrella of multiple art forms and traditions. On the opposite side of the popularity contest is Graffiti, an old, yet essential pillar with a convoluted and remarkable history. In honor of Black History Month, journey through the history of spray cans, tagging, expression, misunderstandings, and every other facet of Graffiti in Hip Hop. Read More: Graffiti Artists Secure The Bag In Destroyed 5Pointz Mural Lawsuit 1960s: Graffiti Is Born   Graffiti as an artform predates rap, and perhaps the other two elements of Hip Hop, by at least a decade. It is also decidedly the legacy of two artists: Cornbread and TAKI 183. Cornbread was the tag name...