Style writing culture is NOT an element of Hip hop. These two separate subcultures do have connections in their history. Many of the founding fathers of Hip hop like DJ Kool Herc or Coke-La-Rock were writers before they even did Hip hop. Many people from the Hip hop culture were friends with writers from the streets, growing up together or school. Flyers were very important part of Hip hop history in the early years. If you have certain people doing your flyers everyone knew that your jam would be fly. There were many people doing flyers for jams in the 70's and 80's but a few people stand out from the crowd. PHASE 2 (RIP) and Buddy Esquire (RIP) were two people who you wanted to do your flyer. It was an honour to have them do it and party goers knew what the deal was. RIFF 170 who is a style writing pioneer from the early 70's also did a number of flyers for DJ Kool Herc. The following pictures are examples of flyers from the late 70's to 80's. Here is a start but for anyone who wants to learn more here is a start for you to start your own reserch on this part of Hip hop culture. The knowledge is out there just be careful of misinformation and fairy tales.
Wasn't it KRS One who pushed graffiti and breaking/MCing together under a unifying concept of Hip Hop Elements when it was all just sort of the youth culture of that time and not neccessarily connected. West Coast graffiti art pioneers were definitely into Hip Hop music though and probably at least initially did some imitating the same way as NY niggas started imitating West Coast gang culture. Just look at OG King157 the West Coast Hip Hop B-Boy graffiti character king.
"NY niggas started imitating West Coast gang culture" sounds rude and racist. I am wondering how people are still thinking so primitively.
It's not like hip-hop hasn't had gang and criminal elements attached, graff crews really started off with gangs for protection on your block or where you lived etc. Hell there were stick up kids and their crews n shit in the mid 80's, it's just that in the 90s graffiti and hiphop more generally had a growing criminal gang element, which can in part can be attributed with an influx of west coast gang culture and music like eazy-e and shit. Has nothing to do with race, and ain't rude, just the truth.
I'm sure this post has no discriminatory intent. And Katt0 is telling the truth, it's about culture and geography, not anything related to race or racism. Schools are promoting too many topics and speeches about educational discrimination against people of color...