About rappers' hand movements

[Joolee1980]

Those splayed-fingered, pointy, elbows-out movements pretty much ALL rappers seem to do. Why do they? And where did it come from? Who started it?

Just watched bit of a Tinchy Stryder video on TV and he was doing it, and the question occurred to me in the minute I could bare to watch.

[saxy_jag]

I think it's a macho thing. If you notice, the fingers are always pointing towards the dangly bits. It's as if they're saying 'look at me bits, ain't they impressive!'.

[GrumbletheWomble]

Hand movements are used to express yourself, more seen in other countries than stiff upper lipped britain. Reckon it came from there.

[Joolee1980]

ha ha ha... yes there is that inward-downward slant usually isn't there. I never thought it might be a look-at-my-genitals thing. Rap in its various forms does seem to be a very ooh-we're-so-macho-no-really-we-are thing.

I don't know if I'm exaggerating but it seems to me, as someone who's not a fan of it, that they all seem to do that, black or white. It'd be the same as if all rock or pop singers did the exact same movements as Kate Bush or David Bowie. Or all did the Shadow Walk.

[GrumbletheWomble]

Italians and greeks use hand movements as well....as do french mimes.

[Joolee1980]

Yeah Grumblethewomble, because all British singers just stand there motionless and never move don't they, "stiff upper lipped" lot that they are.

[GrumbletheWomble]

Exactly joolie! They need to come to the Notting hill Carnival and gets some RIDDIM!

[Joolee1980]

Rappers can't be expressing themselves very creatively can they, if they all do the same movements.

Is there enough room for any sort of limb movement at the carnival?

[Booldawg]

Yes, we prefer the shoe-gazing type stage performance of The Verve, Swervedriver etc.

Try turning the sound off on the TV when these rap/dance acts are on - they look hilariously stupid.

[Michael52]

Booldawg, What about if you turn off the sound to jumping strutting rock music or even ballet, wouldn't they all look stupid without sound? I understand your point although it is not true. 93% of human communication is body language so if you watch this video or others with the sound off you should still be able to see the message they are trying to convey, Being macho, violent etc..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMZi25Pq3T8&ob=av3e

NWA

[jake-the-peg]

I think they have gang connotations

http://1.bp.blogspot....lololololo3hu_000.jpg

Or certainly origins

[Michael52]

Jake that's definitely a valid point as gangs and hip hop have always been intertwined from the beginning to to present age.

[B00]

He looks well cool, posin' all hard like- with flip flops on.

[Joolee1980]

Thanks jake-the-peg... interesting. So it could be a watered-down version of these gang hand signals.

[jake-the-peg]

Well I'm not down wid da kids

but I'd guess these started off as an American gang cultural thing and got blindly copied by all the wanna bes over here without really understanding, or maybe adapted within subgroup for their own uses

Crimanal groups have always tried to develop their own private languages from Cockney Rhyming slang to a group of inmates I heard started leaning Chaucerian English I think it was

[Joolee1980]

Hence 'nadsat' I suppose.