Hip-hop culture, which started in the 1970s in a New York inner city called the Bronx, was built upon four elements, known as the pillars of hip-hop. Back then, these pillars did not include ''bling'' (that's jewellery), booty (fit bodies) or snatching microphones away from young country pop singers. These days though the most common misconception about the culture is that it is all about money and fame.

The pillars of hip-hop were actually four different forms of expression: DJ-ing, MC-ing, breaking and graffiti, and not merely the musical genre that it is widely known as today. It was a way for the mainly African-American community in the tough area of the Bronx to vent about social problems.

This culture of artistic expression would eventually take the world by storm. Today, hip-hop culture is being practised and performed everywhere, including in Malaysia.

''It's a way of life,'' said amateur hip-hop producer and occasional DJ, Faiz Pradana Farid, aka Skware-1. ''If you trace it back to its roots in the Bronx, you'll see that hip-hop was about how they lived and expressed themselves; not just the clothes they wore.''

MC Vandal

Skware-1 was drawn into the world of hip-hop when he got his hands on some recording software at 17, which allowed him to make some hip-hop beats.

''At the time I was still trying to find my musical identity. But then I got fascinated with the idea of hip-hop DJ-ing, especially with how they can just take a James Brown record, loop a beat and turn it into another track,'' he said.

Hip-hop also provided an outlet for Jin Hackman, who has been MC-ing (which is the hip-hop term for rapping) since he was 17. MCs usually rap over beats laid out by DJs.

Jin saw the free and spontaneous structures of rap and hip-hop as the ideal way for him to express his feelings as a teenager, and decided to start recording some of the verses he came up with.

According to Jin, most people have the wrong idea about what hip-hop really is.

''A lot of people think hip-hop is what you see on the TV or hear on the radio. Only about 10% of the hip-hop you hear on the radio or TV is real. Some of the artistes you hear now that are real are like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Outkast and The Roots.

''Most of the rest are all about putting out radio singles and making money, so much so that they tend to forget what hip-hop is all about. It's good that they are business-minded, but you can't just focus on that, because with hip-hop there should always be an element of social consciousness,'' said Jin.

Skware-1 added that the term ''DJ'' is also slowly losing its meaning.

''Everybody wants to be a DJ now, but most of the DJs you hear now in the clubs are just playing tracks. All they have is a good song list. Real hip-hop DJ-ing requires a lot of skill like mixing beats and scratching,'' he said.

Jin and Skware-1 are both part of a local hip-hop collective known as Rogue Squadron. Hip-hop cultures around the world all share this same idea of collectives, which are micro-communities of hip-hop artistes.

''That's why the rappers on TV always have 'posses','' said Jin. ''A collective has MCs, DJs, B-Boys and graffiti artists, so we can all perform and make music together. Like if I need a DJ to perform with, I would get someone from the Rogue Squadron.''

Naturally, with a group mentality comes competition, and competition is an essential part of hip-hop. MC, DJ and B-Boy ''battles'' are part of the culture, where performers take turns exchanging lines and moves trying to outdo each other.

''Some people say the idea of beef (slang for having issue with another person) is part of hip-hop. But it's all friendly competition, and you won't find something like that in any other genre,'' added Jin.

Despite that, hip-hop has always managed to stay remarkably focused on social issues, even when the culture is translated beyond the Bronx and into the rest of the world. As far as the Israeli and Palestinian hip-hop communities, the art is still about issues like the social-political situation.

In Malaysia, graffiti artists like Jeng also reflect local society and culture through their art. One of Jeng's favourite things to paint are murals of burger stalls.

''It's something local, something you can only find in Malaysia. I paint them so people will appreciate local culture, and it can also help people around the world to better understand it,'' he said.

These days, graffiti art gets circulated around the world thanks to the Internet. Jeng's burger stall graffiti have been seen by many others around the world on online photo sharing site Flickr.

But Jeng's most popular work, by far, is his portrait of the late director Yasmin Ahmad. He created the piece after hearing about the filmmaker's death recently, as a tribute to her and a reminder of what she stood for.

''I had been following her work since Sepet, and all of her films were about harmony and unity. Her works always evoked a sense of optimism and hope, and I believe that's embedded in her portrait,'' he added.

Local street dancer Boojae has also been using his breaking skills to help the local community. Boojae helps conduct Rakan Muda's street dance programme which gives youngsters a healthy pastime.

''Street dance has gained wider acceptance compared to then when it was always associated with delinquency. People are beginning to realise that street dance is like any other form of dance that not only keeps you fit but also boosts your confidence and self esteem too,'' he said.

Canadian-born MC Jason Schadt, aka Vandal, who's been on the local hip-hop scene for over a decade now, believes that young people need to start looking past what the mainstream media tells them about hip-hop in order to really understand the culture.

''People think what you hear in the clubs is hip-hop, but it's so much more. You have to take time to research what it's all about, because it's different from what the mainstream feeds you.

''If you're learning to play the piano, you have to learn how to read notes and scales. And it's the same with hip-hop. If you want to know what it's all about, you have to go to the roots,'' said Vandal.

* To find out more about hip-hop culture, log on to the Rogue Squadron's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/roguesquad or Vandal's blog at http://themovemint.blogspot.com, where you can find details on the latest hip-hop events. Related Stories:
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