Michelle Wang-"DJing as a Filipino Thing" Negotiating Questions of Race Blog Post

It was interesting to learn that hip pop evolved over time and represented popular culture. Hip pop was appreciated and expressed by many ethnic groups. In “DJing as a Filipino Thing” Negotiation Questions of Race, the author discusses “The DJs I interviewed carve out a niche within hip-pop by attempting to establish cultural legitimacy and belongingness in terms other than proximity to blackness” (49). This refers to Filipino DJs being interviewed and hip pop allows for many Filipinx youth and the Filipinx communities find sense of belonging, promotes expression, and relates to lived experiences. Hip pop culture evolved overtime and is regarded differently by Filipinx from African Americans. There are stereotypes toward how hip pop continues to dominate African American communities and not prevalent in other communities. The respondents surveyed in the article define hip pop culture is regarded as “Filipinos were doing it, and that’s what I grew up with. So I was not feeling like we’re doing a black thing. It is a Filipino thing, and even my uncles when I was four who just came from the Philippines, they were breakdancing in the garage” (51). It is significant for us to learn that hip pop seen as a lived experience by the Filipinx culture and is celebrated by many diverse cultural communities. As hip pop is important in Filipinx culture, this challenges the notion and stereotypes of Asian Americans. The model minority myth generalizes that Asian Americans are reserved, nerds, excel in STEM, lack creativity and expression. As hip pop and DJing are appreciated and prevalent in Filipinx youth culture and Filipinx community, this allows society to understand the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community is diverse, and allows us to understand the racialization and stereotypes that Asian Americans experience. I was not aware that hip pop was regarded and represented in Filipinx youth culture and Filipinx community. It is important to note that hip pop culture is diverse and evolves into globalization.

Question: How can individuals become aware towards different notions of culture and embrace globalization?