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People born in late 1960s/early 70s don't know what Hip Hop is? Huh?

posted 10 years ago by Manth_Sigdaw
13 replies | jump to latest

Doesn't this seem silly?

I mean hip hop flourished in the 80s and 90s during a time that was created by people mostly born in the 1960s. Especially people born in the mid-late 60s like Ben Stiller or Naomi Watts.

But suddenly in 2015, these same people are in a movie about middle aged people that are clueless about ANY type of hip hop. Their characters seem like clichés, like they had their youth in the 1960s, not say the 80s or 90s. Even more ridiculous if the characters they are playing are actually younger and perhaps born in the early 1970s. Old school hip hop legends like 2pac and Snoop Dogg were born in the early 70s.

[–] MitchumsGal 10 years ago

I'm not crazy about this movie but I think you're forgetting there's a difference between knowing what something is and actually trying it. And in Naomi's character's case trying it for the first time in public.

~Slide To Unlock~
Let us change the course of history, again.

[–] iluvnyc 10 years ago

No Mitchums, I disagree. This was way stupid. I don't know anyone, of any race, who grew up in mainstream America (yeah I don't mean anyone raised in a cult like Krishnas, cut-off commune Mormons, people living in ashrams, Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, KKK, etc) from the late 70s throughout the 80s (ppl born in the 60s & 70s) who don't know what hip hop is because everyone, I mean everyone, people with friends who did have cable TV if they didn't, everyone watched MTV and everyone, whether they continued to watch it or not, had seen at least one episode of Yo! MTV Raps! I don't know where Noah Baumbach gets off making a movie like this. He was born in '69 and attended Vassar for godsakes. How sheltered a life did he live? Stiller & Watts come off a couple of retirees. But of course, they couldn't be that because that generation was the 60s and were the hipsters of their day. Baumbach is just a subpar film maker.

[–] iluvnyc 10 years ago

Danica McKellar (born '75, now a 40 yo, starred as a child in the Wonder Years) on the Billboard Awards tonight, pretty much just confirmed what I'm saying in my previous response. Good to know I'm not off on the subject. Baumbach is just a subpar writer.

[–] bradford-1 10 years ago

I saw the movie and am at least 12-13 years older than the Watts-Stiller characters.I was quite familiar with hip-hop back when it was still mostly private cassette tapes sold out of car trunks. But like the Watts character, I was never an aficianado.
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?

[–] Kariann1 10 years ago

Knowing what Hip Hop is one thing. Knowing how to DANCE to it is another thing. Also, not everyone watched Yo! MTV Raps. It wouldn't last 2 minutes in my house. Just saying...

[–] A_l_a_c_h_u_a_1 10 years ago

I disagree. This was way stupid. I don't know anyone, of any race, who grew up in mainstream America (yeah I don't mean anyone raised in a cult like Krishnas, cut-off commune Mormons, people living in ashrams, Hasidic Jews in Brooklyn, KKK, etc) from the late 70s throughout the 80s (ppl born in the 60s & 70s) who don't know what hip hop is

What does knowing about it have to do with knowing how to dance to it? This is such a dumb comment above. I am the same age as Naomi Watts' character, and I grew up in that time you mentioned, and I know what hip-hip is - but I couldn't dance that way if my life depended on it. Had I been her in that dance studio, I would have looked even worse than her because I wouldn't have any hip-hop moves. Again - I know what it is but I don't know how to do it. By your logic, anyone growing up when heavy metal music was huge should be able to pick up an electric guitar and completely wail on it and play all sorts of licks. It's dumb logic.

[–] benman46 10 years ago

Just because they were of a certain age doesn't mean they know what Hip-Hop is, why should they. Saying every kid watched MTV is a sweeping generalisation, blatantly untrue, and complete bollocks. Well done you got the hat-trick.

[–] Goku89 10 years ago

She knew.
When Darby took her to this class, she was confused, as in, she didn't know what class they walked into. It could've been Pilates, yoga anything!
Which is why she asked.

[–] A_l_a_c_h_u_a_1 10 years ago

Exactly. I know what tai chi is, but several years ago at my YMCA I went into a class thinking it would be just like regular yoga class, and I was in the middle of everyone trying to copy the tai chi moves they were doing, and looked like a complete idiot. During the break, the instructor (or whatever they are called) came up to me and said, "this is your first time doing this, isn't it" and I was so embarrassed and didn't stay for the rest. You may know of something and have seen people do it, but that doesn't mean you know how to do it yourself.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mzphysfit 9 years ago

Yes this was silly. This was one of many things that bugged me about this movie. This movie is based in NYC--the birth of hip hop. You can't walk down a NYC street without hearing hip hop blaring. Just because someone doesn't like/actively listen to a type of music doesn't mean you have never heard of it. Especially music as popular and influential as hip hop. Just another way for Hollywood to attempt to make 40 something seem really really old and out of touch.

[–] hotbody805 9 years ago

They know what it is, they just never listen to it or dance to it. Very common for that generation.

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

I guess they never got the message from Grandmaster Flash.

It's that man again!!