嘻哈文化承载着抗议的精神

黄连英

The signs of hip-hops influence are everywhere. American rapper and music producer Pharrell Williams recently became a creative director for the French fashion company Louis Vuitton. Other hip hop stars， including Dr. Dre， Diddy and Jay-Z， started billion-dollar fashion， lifestyle and music companies.

But it did not start out that way. Hip-hop started 50 years ago as an escape from the poverty and violence in the Bronx area of New York City. The music and style appealed to Black and Latino teenagers. As hip-hop spread throughout New York， so did the culture.

People often mix up hip-hop with rap. Rap is a musical style that combines quick recitation of rhymes with musical beats. But hip-hop is more than just music. It is a culture， and rap music is one part of it. Hip-hop also includes other activities， like breakdancing， disc-jockeying and graffiti art. In his 1993 song Hip Hop vs. Rap， KRS-One said： “Rap is something you do. Hip hop is something you live.”

Today， hip-hops influence on music and other industries is so widespread that experts say it becomes difficult to measure. Writer Zack OMalley Greenburg estimates that hip-hops five wealthiest artists were collectively worth nearly $4 billion in 2022.

There is also hip-hops influence on protest， resistance and political dissent around the world. From the Arab Spring and the Palestinian freedom fight to feminism and class struggles， rap music is a popular expression for calls to action. Music videos produced by artists in Africa， Europe， Asia and South America often include breakdancers， graffiti and other elements of hip-hop.

In 2016， former U.S. President Barack Obama answered questions about human rights and free expression during a visit to Vietnam. One question came from Suboi， a female rapper known as Vietnams “Queen of Hip-Hop.” She said she struggled against the Vietnamese stereotype that rap and hip-hop music are not a good form of expression for Asian women.

“Lets be honest， sometimes art is dangerous and thats why governments sometimes get nervous about art，” Obama said. “But one of the things that I truly believe is that if you try to suppress the arts， then I think youre suppressing the deepest dreams and aspirations of a people.”

（材料來自51VOA网站，有删改）

1. How is Paragraph 3 mainly developed？

A. By making comparisons.

B. By the time order.

C. By asking and answering.

D. By giving examples.

2. Which of the following isnt true according to the passage？

A. Hip-hop started as an escape of violence and poverty.

B. Hip-hop is not only a form of music but also a culture.

C. Its hard to measure Hip-hops influence today .

D. Five hip-hops artists individually make $4 billion in 2022.

3. What is Obamas attitude toward the art？

A. Disapproving.  B. Supportive.

C. Doubtful.   D. Neutral.

4. Which column might the passage be in a magazine？

A. People and Life.B. Sports and Health.

C. Art and Culture.D. Science and Technology.

1. A。解析：推理判斷题。根据材料第三段第一句“People often mix up hip-hop with rap”，我们可知人们经常把嘻哈和说唱混为一谈。接着，作者分别介绍了嘻哈和说唱各自的特点，因此这一段材料主要采用了对比的写作手法来展开叙述。故选A。

2. D。解析：细节理解题。根据材料第二段第二句，我们可排除A选项；根据材料第三段的第三和第四个句子，我们可排除B选项；根据材料第四段第一句，我们可排除C选项；根据材料第四段第二句，我们可知一名作家估计2022年嘻哈界最富有的五位艺术家的总资产接近40亿美元。D选项与原文意思不符，故选D。

3. B。解析：观点态度题。材料最后一段最后一句中的“如果你试图压制艺术，那么我认为你是在压制一个民族最深层的梦想和愿望”反映了奥巴马的态度。由此可见，奥巴马对艺术持肯定态度。故选B。

4. C。解析：推理判断题。文章是围绕“嘻哈的起源、特点和广泛影响”展开的，所以它最有可能出现在杂志的艺术和文化栏目。故选C。