İnformation about hiphop genre.

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Writing
Research to learn about someone from the
book who was involved in early hip-hop
culture. Write a biography describing the
person’s life, influences, and what they are
doing today. Be sure to cite your references.
Social Studies
Create a timeline showing the evolution
of hip-hop music. Include key dates
and people. Research to find additional
information, if needed. Include at least
five events on your timeline.
Connections
A Hip-Hop History
A Reading A–Z Level Z2 Leveled Book
Word Count: 1,983
www.readinga-z.com
LEVELED BOOK • Z2
2
X•Z
1 •Z
2
A
A H
HIP-
IP-H
HOP
OP
H
HISTORY
ISTORY
Written by Renee Mitchell

2. www.readinga-z.com
What is hip-hop, and why is it significant?
Focus Question
Written by Renee Mitchell
A
A H
HIP-
IP-H
HOP
OP
H
HISTORY
ISTORY
Title page: A work of art by Jean-Michel Basquiat, who began his career as
a graffiti artist, hangs in a London art gallery.
Page 3: Rap artists Cheryl James (center) and Sandra Denton (right), known
as Salt-N-Pepa, pose with their DJ, Dierda Roper (left), known as DJ
Spinderella.
Photo Credits:
Front cover: © Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images; title page:
© DANIEL LEALOLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images; pages 3, 16 (bottom): © Michael
Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; page 4: © Everett
Collection/Everett Collection Inc./age fotostock; page 5: © PYMCA/Universal
Images Group/Getty Images; page 6: © Jack Vartoogian/Archive Photos/
Getty Images; page 7: © M. Von Holden/FilmMagic/Getty Images; page 8:
© Bettmann/Bettmann/Getty Images; page 10: © Star Tribune/Star Tribune/
Getty Images; page 12: © Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images;
page 13: © Frank Micelotta/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; page 14: © Al Pereira/
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; page 15: © Jack Mitchell/Archive Photos/
Getty Images; page 16 (top): © Larry Morris/The Washington Post/Getty
Images; page 18: courtesy of Upper Hutt Posse; page 19 (top): © Bjanka Kadic/
agefotostock/age fotostock; page 19 (bottom left): © Kyodo News/Kyodo News/
Getty Images; page 19 (bottom right): Mark Waugh/Alamy Stock Photo
Words to Know
ceremonies
culture
distinctive
encircled
genre
glorify
innovation
phenomenon
pioneering
portable
profoundly
transition
A Hip-Hop History
Level Z2 Leveled Book
© Learning A–Z
Written by Renee Mitchell
All rights reserved.
www.readinga-z.com
Correlation
LEVEL Z2
Fountas & Pinnell Y–Z
Reading Recovery N/A
DRA 70+

3. 3
Table of Contents
1970s New York City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Birth of Hip-Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Four Pillars of Hip-Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
The DJ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Breaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Graffiti Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The MC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Women in Hip-Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Rapped in Controversy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Golden Age of Hip-Hop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Hip-Hop Doesn’t Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 4
1970s New York City
In the 1970s, New York
City’s economy was falling
apart . The decline of the
manufacturing industry in
the city led to high rates of
unemployment, which in turn
led to poverty, homelessness,
a rise in crime, and crumbling
infrastructure . Yet city officials cut funding for
schools, community services, and job programs that
people needed in order to address these problems .
Decades of racism had created economic barriers
for people of color—particularly Black people—
and most couldn’t afford to move out of the city,
as many white people did . Economic conditions
worsened in underserved neighborhoods where
many people of color lived . Even more businesses
started to close down . Job opportunities and
sources of entertainment, such as clubs and movie
theaters, began to disappear .
As a result, young people in these communities
had to find new ways to entertain and express
themselves . Their creativity and innovation would
give rise not only to a new style of music but an
entire cultural movement .
Boys pose in front of graffiti
in New York City in the 1970s.

4. 5
The Birth of Hip-Hop
One hot summer afternoon in 1973, teenager
Cindy Campbell asked her older brother Clive
to DJ (disc jockey) a back-to-school party in their
South Bronx neighborhood in New York City .
Their community was mostly made up of
Black and Puerto Rican people . The Campbells
had immigrated to the United States from Jamaica
five years earlier . In Jamaica, Clive had grown up
going to local parties that featured DJs talking
over music played on portable sound systems .
Clive, whose nickname was “Hercules,”
performed under the name DJ Kool Herc .
He didn’t have access to
fancy equipment .
Instead, he picked out
some records from his
collection and hooked
up two turntables to
a guitar amplifier . He
played the same record
on both turntables,
moving back and forth
between them to extend
the percussion breaks—
the best part to dance
to—in the song .
DJ Kool Herc performs in England
in 2000.
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 6
From Griot to Rapper
During DJ Kool Herc’s performances, he drew inspiration
from the Jamaican tradition of toasting—talking or chanting
over a rhythm—which became popular in the 1950s. Jamaican
toasting was influenced by the
even older oral traditions of West
African griots (GREE-ohz). Griots
are storytellers, poets, singers, and
historians.
Many hip-hop enthusiasts
consider rappers to be modern-
day griots. Like griots, rappers
tell the story of their community,
documenting their struggles and
triumphs in a way that is both
entertaining and informative. In
doing so, they help shape and
preserve the history and culture
of their community.
The party was an incredible success . The next
day, Clive was famous throughout the Bronx .
Little did he know that in the decades to come,
people around the country—and the world—
would be inspired by the music born in the South
Bronx that day .
Looking back, DJ Kool Herc recalled that no
one knew they were making history or creating a
cultural revolution . He had no idea that he would
one day be known as the “Father of Hip-Hop .”
A griot from Mauritania
performs in New York City.

5. 7
The Four Pillars of Hip-Hop
Hip-hop is more than just music—it’s an entire
culture . At first, the hip-hop community didn’t
have clubs to perform in, stages to dance on, or
galleries for exhibiting art . Instead, hip-hop artists
took their creativity to the streets . The streets
became their stage, and the city became their
audience . Hip-hop culture has four pillars, or key
elements: the DJ, breaking, graffiti art, and the MC .
The DJ
The job of a DJ is to
keep the music flowing .
As a song is ending on one
turntable, the DJ uses the
second turntable to fade
in a new song, creating
a smooth transition from
one song to the next .
One of the most
distinctive sounds to
come out of hip-hop,
called scratching, was
developed by pioneering hip-hop DJs from
New York City such as Grand Wizzard Theodore .
DJs create a scratchy sound by moving the vinyl
record back and forth with their hand while it’s
playing on the turntable .
Grandmaster Flash DJs at an
event in 2002.
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 8
Early DJs noticed that audiences loved a part
of the music called the break beat—the part of a
song where all sound except the drums drops out .
DJ Kool Herc and other early hip-hop DJs, such
as Grandmaster Flash, played the same record on
both turntables in order to repeat the break beat
over and over .
With these techniques, hip-hop DJs were
creating new music from old music . This idea
proved to be profoundly influential outside the
world of hip-hop and inspired music makers for
years to come .
Breaking
Although sometimes known as break dancing,
the original street dancers preferred to call their
style of dance breaking . They called themselves
b-boys, b-girls, or breakers .
B-boys perform during a competition in 1984.

6. 9
Breakers would demonstrate their
improvisational skills while a song's break beat
played, typically using six types of movement .
• Top-rock is quick, skilled footwork performed
while standing .
• Down-rock is footwork performed while the
breaker’s hands and feet are on the floor .
• Power moves are acrobatic moves that require
speed, agility, and strength .
• Freezes are sudden stops in all movement while
the breaker holds a pose, typically an unusual
or difficult one such as balancing on one hand
or on their head .
• Popping is the fluid movement of the breaker’s
arms and legs .
• Locking is when the breaker snaps their limbs
into a held position, typically at sharp angles .
Dance battles, where two breakers or dance
crews took turns showcasing their best moves,
were common . The breakers were judged on their
creativity and skill by audiences that encircled them .
Breaking became famous for its distinctive style .
It was adopted and adored by hip-hop fans all over
the world .
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 10
Graffiti Art
Graffiti is writing or drawings painted on
public property . It has been around since long
before the rise of hip-hop, but in the early 1970s
graffiti became an important component of hip-
hop culture . Instead of canvas, graffiti artists
painted their works of art on buildings, subway
cars, trains, and bridges . The idea that thousands
of people would see their creations every day was
part of the thrill .
It’s against the law to
deface public property,
and many graffiti artists
embraced the identity of
“outlaw artists .” People
outside of hip-hop culture
saw it as vandalism, but
within hip-hop culture,
graffiti was a form of art .
Eventually, graffiti artists were invited to display
their work in major art galleries around the world .
Classic hip-hop graffiti has also been preserved in
museums and art books .
Some of the earliest and best-known graffiti
artists include Sandra Fabara (known as Lady Pink),
Fred Brathwaite (known as Fab 5 Freddy), Jean-
Michel Basquiat, and Donald Joseph “Dondi” White .
Lady Pink works on a painting
honoring women in hip-hop.

7. 11
The MC
In the beginning, a rapper was called an
MC, which stands for “master of ceremonies .”
The MC was a sort of sidekick to the DJ . As the
DJ mixed dance music to keep the party going,
the MC grabbed the microphone and did call-
and-response to energize and engage the crowd .
Soon, though, MC’ing progressed to talking and
rhyming in sync with the music .
Rappers are judged by the content, flow, and
delivery of their rap . The content covers a wide
range of subjects, from clever expressions of self-
confidence to social and political commentary .
Having good flow means staying on beat while
delivering lyrics . Good delivery involves having
a distinctive voice, enunciating the words, and
breathing without interrupting the flow .
The Fifth Pillar of Hip-Hop
Many hip-hop fans consider knowledge to be the fifth
pillar of hip-hop. According to legendary MCs like KRS-One,
knowledge ties the other four elements of hip-hop culture
together. To be great, hip-hop artists must have knowledge
about their own history and identity as well as the history of
their community. They must also know about the history, values,
and ideas of hip-hop culture in order to grow and find new ways
to express themselves. Having this knowledge helps hip-hop
artists use their art as a force for social change.
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 12
Women in Hip-Hop
Since the beginning, women have helped shape
hip-hop culture . One of the earliest to do so was
Sharon Green, or MC Sha Rock, who is considered
the first female rapper . She began her career as
a b-girl in the South Bronx at age fourteen but
quickly developed her skills as an MC . In 1979,
she became the first female rapper to get a record
deal, along with her rap group, Funky 4 + 1 . Two
years later, Funky 4 + 1 became the first hip-hop
group to perform on national television .
Sylvia Robinson, sometimes known as the
“Queen of Rap” and the “Mother of Hip-Hop,”
was one of the most influential music producers
of all time . In 1979, Robinson founded Sugar Hill
Records, hip-hop’s first record label, and helped
produce some of the best-known early hip-hop
music, including “Rapper’s
Delight .” Performed by the
Sugarhill Gang, “Rapper’s
Delight” was the first
nationwide hip-hop hit . It
introduced the rest of the
United States to hip-hop,
which at the time was
largely unknown outside
of New York City .
Sylvia Robinson

8. 13
The hip-hop industry—
and the music industry in
general—is dominated by
men . Female hip-hop artists
have endured sexism since
the beginning . Lyrics that
were disrespectful of women
became a staple of later
popular styles of rap produced by male artists .
Rappers such as MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Salt-
N-Pepa, Lady B, and Lauryn Hill influenced and
transformed hip-hop . These artists used hip-
hop to empower themselves and other women .
They used rap music as a platform to talk about
how women were treated in both hip-hop and
mainstream culture .
Roxanne’s Revenge
At fourteen, Lolita Shante Gooden (better known as Roxanne
Shante) was already one of the best rappers of her time. In 1984,
she released a song called “Roxanne’s Revenge” about the
sexism women experience. The song was a huge success. The
next year, Shante was a finalist in a freestyle MC competition.
Despite being the obvious winner of the final rap battle, one of
the judges gave her a low score so she would lose the match.
Years later, the judge—a well-known MC himself—told
Shante he did it because he thought a young girl winning the
competition would discredit hip-hop as a serious form of art.
Despite losing the battle, Shante went on to produce two rap
albums and became a mentor for young women hip-hop artists.
Lauryn Hill
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 14
Rapped in Controversy
Although hip-hop began as party music, even
the earliest hip-hop artists addressed serious
social and political issues . They spoke honestly
about firsthand experiences with racism, poverty,
violence, and injustice .
One of the first to do so was Grandmaster
Flash and the Furious Five with their song “The
Message,” released in 1982, which was a blistering
portrayal of urban poverty and misery on the
streets of New York City . Later in the 1980s, Public
Enemy used their music to communicate Black
pride and address racism Black people experience
in the United
States . MC Lyte,
whose real name
is Lana Michelle
Moorer, broke
barriers in the hip-
hop industry by
discussing issues
such as racism,
sexism, and the
devastating
effects of drug use
on her community
in her music .
MC Lyte performs in New York City in 1993.

9. 15
In the 1990s, a style of rap known as “gangsta
rap," which often included lyrics some people
considered offensive, began to dominate hip-hop
music . As gangsta rap became more popular, the
music industry promoted gangsta rap above other
styles . Many Black artists weren't given record
deals unless their music fit into this genre . With
the rise of gangsta rap, many people outside of
hip-hop culture started to view the entire genre of
rap music as offensive .
Public Enemy was one of the most influential—and controversial—hip-hop
groups of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 16
Poetic Roots
Spoken-word poetry in
the 1960s set the stage for the
rise of rap music. Spoken-word
performers such as the Last Poets
from New York City and the Watts
Prophets from California would
recite poetry over the beat of a
bongo drum or jazz music. Their
poems carried important social
and political messages about Black
pride, racism, poverty, and justice.
These poets and their work are
often seen as precursors to contemporary hip-hop.
Still, rap has also been seen by many as a form
of poetry . Rap and traditional poetry contain
many of the same elements, including expert
use of rhythm, rhyming, and storytelling . Maya
Angelou, one of
the most celebrated
poets of all time,
saw a connection
between hip-hop and
poetry, too . Angelou
collaborated with
and inspired some
of the best-known
rap artists in history .
Maya Angelou recites a poem during the
inauguration of President Bill Clinton.
The Last Poets

10. 17
The Golden Age of Hip-Hop
The spread of hip-hop music across the
country during the mid-1980s and early 1990s
transformed hip-hop culture . With new hip-hop
artists came new musical influences, greater
diversity, and stylistic innovation .
Demand for new hip-hop music from local
radio stations and club DJs grew . Mainstream
popularity and success of hip-hop skyrocketed .
Record companies started spending a lot of money
to produce new hip-hop albums . Distinct styles
of hip-hop emerged from different cities all over
the country, such as hardcore rap and boom-bap
in New York City, and G-Funk and gangsta rap
in Los Angeles, California .
Newer hip-hop artists, such as Run DMC,
began fusing hip-hop with other genres of music .
Groups like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest
used elements of jazz and blues music to create
jazz rap . Salt-N-Pepa created a new, upbeat style
known as pop rap or hip pop .
One of the defining characteristics of this hip-
hop era was sampling—taking a part, or sample,
of one song and reusing it in a different song . Hip-
hop artists used samples from all kinds of musical
genres, including jazz, blues, soul, and rock . Some
artists even sampled sound clips from movies .
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 18
Hip-Hop Goes Global
Nearly 9,000 miles (14,484 km) separate the Bronx and
New Zealand. But in the early 1980s, hip-hop music traveled
that great distance and found an eager audience among the
M-
aori, the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.
Much like Black people in the South Bronx in the early
1970s, large numbers of M-
aori were part of disadvantaged
communities. They experienced greater financial struggle,
higher levels of crime, and poor access to health care and
education. The M-
aori people felt they were not represented
in mainstream New Zealand
culture. Hip-hop resonated
strongly with them. M-
aori
bands such as Upper Hutt Posse
and Third3ye embraced it
as their own musical culture.
Hip-Hop Doesn’t Stop
As rap music grew more and more popular
around the world, hip-hop culture became a
global phenomenon . Hip-hop took root in France,
Mexico, New Zealand, and South Africa . Break
dancing caught the world’s imagination with
the release of films such as Wild Style (1982) and
Breakin’ (1984) and became popular in countries
like the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Russia,
and South Korea . Today, incredible works of
graffiti art can be seen in the streets of cities
from Brazil to Morocco to China .
Upper Hutt Posse

11. 19
What started at a young girl’s street party in the
South Bronx in 1973 has become a global sensation .
A lack of resources led to some of the most
creative musical innovations and forms of artistic
expression of the twentieth century . To this day,
hip-hop has influenced many aspects of popular
culture worldwide, leaving an enduring mark .
Graffiti decorates a building in
Brazil. (top). A b-girl from Japan
dances in a competition in
Hungary (left). A member of
a Muslim hip-hop duo performs
in England (right).
A Hip-Hop History • Level Z2 20
Glossary
ceremonies (n.) formal events that take place
on special occasions (p . 11)
culture (n.) a particular society with its
own ideas and customs (p . 7)
distinctive (adj.) having a quality or
characteristic that is different
and notable (p . 7)
economic (adj.) related to buying and selling of
goods and services (p . 4)
genre (n.) a category of literature or art
marked by a certain style, form,
or content (p . 15)
innovation (n.) the act of introducing or
inventing new things (p . 4)
phenomenon (n.) a remarkable event or
occurrence (p . 18)
pioneering (adj.) introducing new ideas or
methods (p . 7)
portable (adj.) able to be easily carried or
moved around (p . 5)
profoundly (adv.) strongly or intensely (p . 8)
sensation (n.) someone or something that
causes great excitement (p . 19)
transition (n.) the passing from one stage, place,
or condition to another (p . 7)