What You Need to Know About Hip Hop Music on Wikipedia

A quick guide on what you need to know about hip hop music on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s History with Hip Hop

Hip hop music first gained mainstream popularity in the 1970s with the release of songs like The Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight.” Since then, the genre has evolved and changed, with new subgenres and subcultures emerging. Wikipedia has kept up with these changes, providing detailed articles on everything from the early days of hip hop to the present.

The early days

The early days of hip hop on Wikipedia were not without controversy. In fact, the very first hip hop article, on the group N.W.A., was deleted within days of its creation for being “non-notable.” But other articles about hip hop groups and artists quickly followed, and by the late 1990s, there was a thriving community of editors working on hip hop-related topics.

One of the most notable controversies came in 2006, when an editor created a page for the rapper 50 Cent that included several unsourced claims about his personal life. After another editor added even more unverified information, the page was nominated for deletion. A heated debate ensued, with some editors arguing that unsourced information should be allowed on Wikipedia if it could eventually be verified, and others arguing that only verifiable information should be included. In the end, the page was deleted.

Since then, Wikipedia’s policies on sourcing and verifiability have become much stricter, and pages about hip hop artists are now held to a higher standard. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still controversies from time to time. In 2012, for example, an editor created a page for the rapper Tyler, The Creator that included several profanity-laden lyrics from his songs. After other editors objected to the inclusion of the lyrics, they were removed from the page.

Despite these occasional controversies, Wikipedia has become an important resource for information about hip hop music and culture. The site now includes hundreds of articles about hip hop groups and artists, as well as articles about important topics in the genre such as sampling and breakdancing. And every day, new editors are adding their knowledge to Wikipedia’s growing repository of hip hop knowledge.

The “Great Hip Hop Purge”

From late 2008 to early 2009, a major editing war took place on Wikipedia over the inclusion of various artists and genres in the Hip hop music article. The war began over the addition of mainstream artists such as Akon and G-Unit, and ended with the near total removal of every artist from the article that did not meet Wikipedia’s Notability guidelines. This event has been dubbed the “Great Hip Hop Purge” by many involved editors.

The conflict began in late 2008, when an editor known as Sadads began adding mainstream artists to the Hip hop music article. These edits were quickly reverted by other editors, who argued that these artists did not meet Wikipedia’s Notability guidelines. Sadads then began adding these artists back in, often using multiple accounts to do so.

This led to a major editing war, with dozens of editors reverting each other’s changes on a daily basis. The conflict quickly escalated, with both sides resorting to personal attacks and edit wars. In January 2009, after months of debate, the article was locked by Wikipedia administrators.

This decision was highly controversial, and led to many editors leaving Wikipedia or taking a break from editing altogether. The lock was eventually lifted in March 2009, but by this point the damage had been done. The “Great Hip Hop Purge” had left the Hip hop music article a shadow of its former self, with only a handful of notable artists remaining.

Since then, there has been much debate over whether or not mainstream artists should be included in the article. However, no consensus has been reached, and the issue remains highly divisive among Wikipedia editors to this day.

The current landscape

The current landscape of hip hop on Wikipedia is filled with a variety of articles on artists, albums, and other topics related to the genre. However, there is still a lack of diversity in coverage, with only a small handful of articles on women rappers and few articles on hip hop artists from countries outside the United States. There is also a need for more comprehensive coverage of older artists and albums, as well as greater attention to the development of regional scenes and subgenres.

Why is Hip Hop on Wikipedia Important?

As the largest online encyclopedia, Wikipedia has become an important resource for music fans and scholars alike. For hip hop fans, Wikipedia can be a great way to learn about the history and culture of the genre. However, because anyone can edit Wikipedia, it’s important to be skeptical of the information you find there. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to evaluate the hip hop articles on Wikipedia.

The reach of Wikipedia

With millions of monthly readers, Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the world. That popularity means that the encyclopedia entries on subjects like hip hop music can have a major impact on how people learn about and understand the genre.

For better or worse, Wikipedia is often used as a primary source of information about music, and that can have a big impact on how hip hop is perceived by the general public. In particular, Wikipedia’s “notability” requirements can shape what kind of information is included about hip hop artists and bands, potentially skewing perceptions about who is important in the genre.

Given all of this, it’s important to make sure that hip hop artists and bands are accurately represented on Wikipedia. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to do this, including adding citations, expanding existing articles, and creating new articles about deserving subjects. By taking some time to improve hip hop’s presence on Wikipedia, we can help ensure that the genre is given the fair and accurate treatment it deserves.

The credibility of Wikipedia

As the world’s largest and most popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia has become a go-to source for information on everything from current events to ancient history. But not everyone is comfortable trusting the accuracy of Wikipedia’s crowdsourced content. This is especially true when it comes to topics that are prone to bias and misinformation, such as hip hop music.

So why is hip hop on Wikipedia important? For one, it provides a much-needed resource for accurate information about the genre and its history. While there are other sources of information about hip hop online, none are as comprehensive or respected as Wikipedia. In addition, Wikipedia’s open editing model means that anyone can contribute to or improve the articles, making it a dynamic and constantly evolving resource.

Of course, the accuracy of any given Wikipedia article depends on the skills and knowledge of its contributors. This is why it’s important to be selective about the sources you use when researching hip hop on Wikipedia. Make sure to check the references listed at the bottom of each page, and look for articles that have been verified by reliable sources (such as news outlets or academic journals).

At the end of the day, Remember that even though Wikipedia may not be perfect, it’s still an invaluable tool for learning about hip hop and its rich history.

The potential impact of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is the world’s largest online encyclopedia, and as such, it has the potential to shape public opinion on a variety of topics. This is especially true for controversial topics, like hip hop music.

Hip hop music is often misrepresented in the mainstream media, and Wikipedia offers a unique opportunity to present a more nuanced view of the genre. Wikipedia is also one of the first places that people go when they are looking for information on hip hop music.

However, because anyone can edit Wikipedia, there is also the potential for misinformation to be spread on the site. This is why it’s important that hip hop fans work together to ensure that the information on Wikipedia is accurate and up-to-date.

How can you help improve Hip Hop on Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is a platform for sharing knowledge and collaborating on articles. Anyone can create or edit an article, and this makes Wikipedia a powerful tool for disseminating information. However, because anyone can edit an article, there is the potential for inaccuracies. This is especially true for articles about niche topics, like hip hop music.

Editing existing articles

If you are interested in contributing to improving existing hip hop articles on Wikipedia, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Editing on Wikipedia is a collaborative process, so it is important to be respectful of other editors’ input and to strive for consensus when making changes.

When editing, be sure to reference your sources using inline citations (or, if you are making more significant changes, using the talk page to discuss your proposed changes with other editors first). This will help to ensure that the information in the article is verifiable and reliable.

Finally, remember that Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, so the articles should focus on providing an overview of the topic rather than promoting particular artists or points of view.

Creating new articles

One way to help improve Hip Hop on Wikipedia is by creating new articles. This can be done by researching the topic, and then writing and publishing the article on the site.

Improving article quality

Articles on popular music in general and hip hop music in particular are often of poor quality on Wikipedia. This is usually because they are based on hearsay or popular culture rather than on reliable sources.To improve the quality of articles on hip hop music, it is important to use only reliable sources when adding information to the articles.

Primary sources, such as interviews with musicians or reviews of their albums, can be useful in providing background information about the artist or album, but should not be used to make claims about the quality of the music. Instead, secondary sources such as articles from reputable music critics should be used to make claims about the quality of the music.

In addition to using reliable sources, it is also important to write in a neutral and objective tone. Articles should not contain biased or promotional language, and should instead focus on providing accurate and factual information about the subject.

What challenges does Hip Hop on Wikipedia face?

Lack of reliable sources

One of the challenges that Hip Hop on Wikipedia faces is the lack of reliable sources. This is because most sources used for Hip Hop come from magazines, newspapers, and other sources that are not always reliable. In addition, many of the artists associated with Hip Hop have not been able to release albums or have not been very successful, which makes it difficult to find good sources.

Vandalism and other malicious edits

One of the challenges that Hip Hop on Wikipedia faces is vandalism and other malicious edits. These can be anything from someone changing the lyrics of a song to make it obscene, to adding false information about an artist or group.

Another challenge is that because Hip Hop is a relatively new genre, there is not always a consensus on what should be included on Wikipedia. This can lead to heated debates and edit wars between users.

Finally, Hip Hop is a global phenomenon with fans all over the world. This means that there are many different perspectives on what Hip Hop is and what it should be. This can make it difficult to reach a consensus on what should be included on the Hip Hop Wikipedia page.

The ever-changing landscape of Hip Hop

Hip hop music is constantly evolving, with new artists, styles, and subgenres emerging all the time. This can make it difficult for Wikipedia to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the music scene. Additionally, because hip hop is such a diverse and open-ended genre, there is often debate among editors about what does and does not qualifies as “hip hop.” This can make it difficult to reach consensus on which articles should be included on Wikipedia.