(W)rapped Space: The Architecture of Hip Hop

Hip hop and architecture are two different topics yet through this article have a connection. Music as a organization of sounds while architecture as a space both of which are derived from experience and memory. Wilkens highlights that origin and dissection of rap music and space. He defines space as a special defined public area. In simple terms a place where every day interactions of society take place. In those spaces is where music is produced and memory is attached to the area. Music is in our everyday lives, sounds are everywhere. From bustling noises of cars to interactions between individuals. Music is a tool for a creation of a community. Linked to the sounds surrounding public structures, music holds social importance. To discuss music further, especially rap music which uses digital technology as instruments; it can be traced to a specific origin, relating to the African diasporic community. Wilkens describes rap music as becoming an identity for the community and is a recognition and celebration of an Afrocentric life force.

Wilkens also delves into the 1994 proposal for a Hip Hop Park in Chicago. The proposed area takes place in a vacant lot in one to three story warehouse with a faux classical coliseum located in in the premise. The original plan was to create a space for poorer African American Communities as a place for activities. Public structures that are often unclaimed and deserted have better uses and is a offers communities the ability to reorganize and give life to an abandoned area. Wilkens mentions four types of Hip Hop Architecture: Palimpsestic, Anthropomorphic, Performative, and. Adaptive.

Palimpsestic describes the appropriation of space as a place of recreation due to the lack of available open space in their community. The public structure is rewritten as a place of validation and desire compared to the former vandalism and degradation. Anthropomorphic is a space with the ability to provide interactions of various forms for its users with various objects. In this space individuals are able to voice their opinions and showcase their arts in forms of graffiti walls, speakers, booths. The space is designed for interaction. Performative is a space that provides as stage that invites performance. Whether it be music performance or theatre acts, the space is designed to encourage fellow artists to use. Adaptive is a space where individuals are able to utilize materials creatively. The materials are reusable and multipurpose. It also provides a space for young entrepreneurs and street vendors a space to reach a larger audience without the need to rent commercial stores.

Hip hop architecture is engaged in taking existing architecture and transforming it into something that expresses the practices of the residents of underprivileged communities. The main purpose is to build an environment that holds value and desire within a community. It is a model for transforming and preventing the destruction of African American communities and restoring sustainable communities. The proposed Hip Hop Park is a space where individuals can do whatever they want freely and without judgement. Likewise rap music, hip hop architecture reuses and renames space.

Hip Hop Park



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