Paper

In Ethnicity, Inc., John L. and Jean Comaroff explore a range of intriguing, disturbing, even absurd phenomena to analyze a new moment in the history of human identity: its rampant commodification.

White kids from the 'burbs are throwing up gang signs. The 2001 Grammy winner for best rap artist was as white as rice. And blond-haired sorority sisters are sporting FUBU gear.

Hip hop rhetoric is a cultural language used by a majority of African Americans, and some European Americans. This type of rhetoric has the ability to change meaning, to eliminate negative messages, and to code language that can only be used by the group who understands its meaning. This style should be of concern to scholars in the field of communication since they study the process of information exchange. The 1990s has made it most intriguing to culturalize music, media, clothing, cuisine, hair styles and literature, but strangely, education has missed the boat. Multiculturalism and issues concerning diversity are not given the attention they should have in educational systems. The differences in language styles need to be recognized along with standard English especially since the color of America's college classrooms is changing. When educators teach their students the fundamentals of public speaking, should they view "competence" from a traditional Eurocentric perspective or should they encourage their students to use those strategies that best articulate their own experience? If hip hop is a form of language used by youth to identify themselves, then the next logical step for communication scholars is to identify the reasons why coded language exists in the first place. Hip hop can and will bridge standard English and the Black vernacular together as a logical step towards multicultural understanding. Contains 29 references. (TB)