Hip hop is a music genre consisting of rhythmic music that accompanies rapping. It developed as part of hip hop culture, which includes elements like MCing, DJing, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Block parties in New York City in the 1970s incorporated DJs playing funk and soul music, which helped form hip hop music and culture. Hip hop provided an outlet for disenfranchised youth in low-income areas to express the social and economic realities of their lives.