2. Hip hop is a subculture that originated from an African and Latino American community during the 1970s in New
York City, specifically in Morris Heights, Bronx, then later spread its influence to Latin American communities.
While the term is often used to refer to hip-hop music, in its broader sense hip-hop culture is characterized by the
four elements of rapping, DJing, breaking and graffiti.
The origin of the subculture stems from the block parties of DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, where Herc
would mix samples of existing records with his own shouts to the crowd and dancers. Kool Herc is credited as the
"father" of the art form. DJ Afrika Bambaataa of the hip-hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop
culture, including: MCing, DJing, B-boxing and graffiti writing. Since its emergence in the South Bronx, hip-hop
culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world. Hip-hop music first emerged
with Kool Herc and contemporary disc jockeys and imitators creating rhythmic beats by looping on two
turntables, more commonly referred to as juggling. This was later accompanied by "rap", a rhythmic style of
chanting or poetry often presented in 16-bar measures or time frames, and beat boxing, a vocal technique mainly
used to provide percussive elements of music and various technical effects of hip hop DJ s. An original form of
dancing and particular styles of dress arose among fans of this new music. These elements experienced
considerable adaptation and development over the course of the history of the culture.
Hip hop is simultaneously a new and old phenomenon; the importance of sampling to the art form means that
much of the culture has revolved around the idea of updating classic recordings, attitudes, and experiences for
modern audiences - called "flipping" within the culture. It follows in the footsteps of earlier American musical
genres blues, jazz, and rock and roll in having become one of the most practiced genres of music in existence
worldwide, and also takes additional inspiration regularly from soul music, funk, and rhythm and blues. At its
best, hip hop has provided an escape from poverty while giving a voice to oppressed and "poverty-stricken" people
worldwide, particularly in inner cities and neighbourhood's suffering from urban blight, and showcased their
artistic ingenuity and talent on a global scale. At its worst, hip hop has mirrored the worst aspects of the American
culture that it emerged from: materialism, sexism, an internalized racism, violence, and antipathy towards
intellectualism.

3. Hip Hop music is generally focused around one or more rappers who are telling their story. Storytelling is the foundation
of hip hop music. To tell the story in an entertaining way, rappers use the same techniques as successful poets, utilizing
alliteration, assonance, and rhyme to carry the message to the audience. In addition, rappers also use accompanying
instrumentals, which is referred to as the “beat”. The beat is a key part of hip hop music – many failed hip hop artists are
usually remembered for not having the right “beat” to go with their story. The beat is generally consistent, and lasts the
entire song. Of course, many rappers have deviated from this formula, choosing to switch up beats to add even more
variety. The beat truly is important – many newcomers to the hip hop music scene will get attached to songs they hear
based on the “beat” the rapper has decided to use in a song. Even those that have been listening to rap music for a long
time will still weight the beat of a song very heavy in determining the worth of a song. That means that for some
people, the beat that a rapper chooses to use when making a new hip hop song determines whether or not it's a good
song. A beat can make or break a song in other ways – if a rapper uses too many “old school” beats, they are bound to
get criticized for it, and told to be more original. The key to making hip hop music work is to find a beat that truly makes
the story both entertaining and original.

4. Origins of Hip Hop Music Hip hop music originated in the mid 70's. It became a part of modern pop culture in
the late 80s. Its stylistic and cultural origins are rooted in Jamaica, where it was apart of dance hall toasting
alongside R&B, disco, and funk. Hip hop music then wasn't standalone, but blended into the dance scene with
everything else. Culturally speaking, hip hop music started in the late 60s and early 70s in Kingston, Jamaica. In
the early 70s, rap came to the United States, mainly in the South Bronx of New York City. At that time, rap
music was primarily part of African American and Latino culture only. Hip hop culture is divided into segments
– rapping, dancing, DJing, and art. Hip hop culture started as an inner-city youth cultural movement, and it still
has those roots today. The artists credited with bringing rap music to the masses are Kool Herc, DJ
Hollywood, and Afrika Bambaataa. These were artists who were either first or second generation Caribbean-
Americans. This reflects where rap music comes from – Jamaica. Kool Herc and DJ Hollywood are credited with
introducing the unique Jamaican feel of rap music into the musical culture of the South Bronx. Kool Herc
turned the turntable into a musical instrument, cutting and mixing songs with skill. Kool Herc threw parties so
people that couldn't make rap music themselves could come and listen to him. Many recorded the music from
these parties and spread them like wildfire through the community. This method of throwing parties, inviting
the community, and letting them distribute the new sound is the main reason why hip hop music spread so
quickly. Many people who didn't even know of the origin of hip hop music and therefore had never been
exposed to it previously liked the new sounds and creativity displayed

5. Hip Hop music is everywhere, many people from all walks of life listen to hip hop music. This may sound
surprising, as a common view is that hip hop music is only for African Americans and Hispanic people. In the
United States, it is thought that over 70% of rap music is bought by non-African Americans. Those that listen to
rap music aren't even confined to American inner cities – many live in well-to-do suburbs and towns. Everyone
from those living in Hawaii to those living in Iceland listen to rap music. Hip hop music is a popular form of music
worldwide, and as time goes by, has only grown in popularity. Each region has made hip hop unique to their
environment, but the fact remains that many people listen to hip hop music, not just a select few. Most rappers
from one area will try to tour in other areas, to get people exposed to their music. For example, many American
rappers often take tours in Europe and other regions, as their fans are all over the world. In other cases, it may
be to try to get those fans in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and beyond exposed to what message they have to
give.

6. Every year hip hop music gains more popularity. Television channels that used to never play too much hip hop, such
as VH1 and MTV, have now adopted a far more urban style than some would like. Many artists who aren't in the hip
hop genre still borrowing from it, including Justin Timber Lake and other pop artists. Gaining crossover success
seems to be the new goal, with even hip hop artists taking from other genres to create unique songs for their fans.
For example, Jay-Z and Linkin Park came together to make an album called Collision Course that was very popular. It
was a mixture of rock and rap music. While some of the claims that opponents of hip hop music cite could be
valid, those arguments have not slowed down the waves of people going to see hip hop artists perform, or those
that go to the music store near them to purchase their music, nor has it ceased the record number of hip hop music
sites on the Internet. No matter what side of the argument you take, the impact of hip hop music on our
society, even our world cannot be ignored. The very nature of hip hop music – the encouragement to artists to
create, mix, and sample – is appealing to many people, especially young people looking for an identity within a
group. From the United States to Japan, creative artists are sampling, mixing, and beat boxing their way into a genre
that accepts all who have a story to tell.