hip-hop

genreship-hopfrom English

A cultural movement and music genre originating in 1970s New York, built on rapping, DJing, sampling‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌, and beatmaking.

In Depth

Hip-hop emerged in the South Bronx in the 1970s, created by African-American and Latino youth.‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‍​‍​‍​‍​‌​‍​‌​‌​‌​‍​‌​‍​‌ DJ Kool Herc pioneered the technique of isolating and looping the break sections of funk and soul records, creating an extended groove for MCs (rappers) to rhyme over. This innovation — the breakbeat — became the rhythmic foundation of hip-hop. Hip-hop rapidly evolved from party music into one of the most influential cultural forces of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Grandmaster Flash developed turntable techniques, Run-DMC brought hip-hop to the mainstream, Public Enemy added political consciousness, and artists like Nas, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake expanded its artistic and commercial reach. Today, hip-hop is the most-streamed genre worldwide.
Did you know?

The first hip-hop hit record, Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang (1979), sampled the bass line from Chic's Good Times — establishing sampling as a foundational technique of the genre.

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