Is It Culture ?

Damn... Def Jam has been around for twenty-five years?
Who would have thought?
It's amazing that decades after some claimed the demise of Hip-Hop as a culture and Rap as a form of music - the culture and genre keeps evolving to ensure their survival.
But is Hip-Hop a "Culture"?

Let's see...
Hip Hop has it's own form of art.
As anyone who was lucky enough to catch one of the shows on the old Swatch Fresh Fest would know - Hip Hop is more than just the music (Rap).
Dondi White, Zephyr and movies like Wild Style brought the criminal act of vandalism to the mainstream in the form of Graffiti.
Today, love it or hate it, the graphic art form from the streets of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx has spread throughout the world as an identifiable form of street art.

Groups like the Rock Steady Crew were Moonwalking long before Michael Jackson "invented" it while preforming Billie Jean.
(Really, Michael was "Backsliding", the "Moonwalk" moves foreword, the "Sideslide" goes sideways.)
Hmm... Hip Hop even has it's own form of dance?

One traditional aspect of Hip Hop is the B-Boy Stance.
What's funny is that the stance was usually only noticed when one was trying to size your shoes right before they would attempt to steal them. (A person would place his shoes next to yours to see if they were the same size. The person would then lean back and size you up to see if it was worth taking the chance.)
In the above photo, it seems that the traditional stance even translates to other shores beyond the States.
Back in the day, the star was the D.J. - not the rapper.
The D.J. was responsible for providing the music for the new and growing culture.

The fashion of this culture (as with most others) was usually determined by it's celebrities.

Does anyone remember anyone carrying around one of these boom-boxes that were the size of today's surround sound home theater systems on one's shoulder?

Twenty-five years after Def Jam battled Tommy Boy and Profile Records (The label that signed Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons' brother (Rev. Run) and his group Run-DMC) for the title of Most Legit Rap Label - Def Jam's evolution ensured the label's survival while the others are but faint memories.
Evey time I see Flava Flav - I must remind myself that he was part of one of the greatest groups (of any genre) of all time.

When I see Hova with Bey in and on mainstream magazines, movies, radio and television shows - I must remember that Def Jam artists like L.L., The Beasties and P.E. paved the way.

Whenever I hear the broken Ebonics that is often ridiculed by most others - I must remember that Rap brought this lexicon of the street into the homes of suburbia.

Whenever I hear rap played on MTV (Remember; It was almost impossible to get Michael Jackson played on MTV until his videos far surpassed anything played on the network at that time.) - I must remember that Def Jam played a huge part in creating a new and unique culture that would continue to break down social and cultural barriers even today.

Is Hip Hop a culture?

Music, dance, traditions, language, fashion, art, economy...

Sans a religion, Hip Hop qualifies. (Although to some, Hip Hop is their religion.