Street culture, which originated in urban marginalized groups in the mid-to-late 20th century, is a cultural phenomenon that is diverse, spontaneous and rebellious. With graffiti art, skateboarding, and hip-hop as three iconic forms of expression, it has become an important way for young people around the world to express their emotions, express their identity, and reflect their social status.
Graffiti art, which originated from the subway and streets of New York, USA, was originally an underground art behavior of non-mainstream groups. Over time, graffiti has gradually become widely recognized and has become an indispensable visual element in street culture. With its unique visual language and strong sense of presence, graffiti art expresses artists' attitudes and views on current affairs, politics, community environment, and personal emotions. Graffiti has become popular all over the world, and some graffiti works are even regarded as public art in the streets, and graffiti festivals, gallery exhibitions, etc., have introduced this original street behavior into the mainstream vision.
Skateboarding culture originated in California in the late 50s of the 20th century and evolved from the sport of surfing. Skateboarding is not just a sport, it's a specific lifestyle and cultural symbol. Skateboarders demonstrate their pursuit of freedom and exploration of their limits by demonstrating their ability to perform difficult tricks with the help of the city's streets, staircases, railings and other architectural structures. With the rise of street fashion brands, skateboarding clothing and equipment have gradually formed a complete industrial chain, which has promoted the development of skateboarding culture in the direction of commercialization, and also made it continue to gain new social energy and cultural identity.
Hip-hop** is the sound carrier and spiritual symbol of street culture. It originated in the Bronx, New York in the 1970s, and consisted of DJs with DJs and MCs improvised rap. Hip-hop, like much street culture, began as a form of self-expression for marginalized groups, with lyrics often involving social realism and political critique. Hip-hop has undergone a commercialization transformation to become an important part of the global industry, and has further evolved into a comprehensive culture that encompasses breakdance, streetwear, and graffiti.
Although these three spheres are expressed in different forms, they share the expressive characteristics of street culture: bottom-up, decentralization, and confrontation with authority. In this culture, young people use non-traditional art forms to confront mainstream values and build their own networks of identity and social relationships. These cultural forms are no longer just a single mode of expression, they merge and develop with each other, forming stable subcultural clusters and having a significant impact on mainstream culture.
Street culture has undergone a transition from fringe to mainstream over the past few decades, but its core ethos has not changed. Graffiti, skateboarding and hip-hop** remain symbols of the quest for freedom, creativity and rebellion. Their global popularity does not mean that they are rebelliously diluted, on the contrary, it shows that street culture can still maintain its original vitality and influence while adapting to different societies and environments.
At the same time, in the process of commercialization, street culture also faces multiple challenges. How to maintain the original cultural spirit and independence under the pressure of commercial sponsorship and mainstream acceptance is a question that needs to be considered in every field. Ensuring that these cultural forms are not completely homogenized by commercial logic, and that they maintain their originality and diversity, is key to the future development of street culture.
In general, graffiti, skateboarding and hip-hop**, as the three pillars of street culture, are not only channels for young people's personality expression, but also voices for criticizing mainstream culture. They reflect the dynamics of the times, expose social contradictions, and inspire cultural innovation. In the future, the key to the continuous evolution and development of street culture will lie in how to maintain its marginality, autonomy and innovation in the context of globalization, and how to maintain a strong sense of community and rebellion while accepting external influences.