I was actually interested in both of these articles, mostly because of the incredible controversy that seems to surround graffiti and the style of hip-hop in general. The first line in the "Breakin'!" article is really true: in order to appreciate the styles you really need to remove any bias pertaining to the definition of Hip-Hop. Before reading these articles, I often got annoyed when I saw the weird writing plastered across the side of a random building or train, assuming that it was some crazy teens trying to find something interesting to do at 2 A.M. But truthfully, it's so much more than that. Graffiti is an art form. In fact, since we've been talking about language, it fulfills a key function of language: the ability to express oneself. It is a form of letting out emotion, evoking emotions for the viewers and for many protesting. MICO, a successful graffiti artist, discusses in the NY Times Article that graffiti artists got pumped up and were able to write about protesting the Vietnam War when the vets came back. The art of graffiti is looked at as heroic and a way to make a mark of culture and thoughts that others may not have seen. I have concluded that this is actually one of the most impressive art forms and can definitely be considered art. The amount of time and commitment that many of the artists put into their work cannot be dismissed as simply vandalism or defacing a building. In fact, many of the graffiti artists that were interviewed said that the attempt to block their writing just allowed it to grow more and reach more surfaces than the initial ones.

I found these articles incredibly interesting and the ideas really should be shared with more people because they can help to eliminate the stereotypes that may be associated with them.