What Type of Music is Hip Hop?

Hip hop music is a type of music that typically includes rap and rhythm and blues.

Origins of Hip Hop

Hip hop is a type of music that originated in the 1970s in the United States. It is a genre of music that is characterized by a strong rhythmic beat and often contains rap.

DJ Kool Herc

DJ Kool Herc is a bronze bust of the legendary Hip Hop DJ and turntablist. The bust is located in the likeness of Kool Herc on Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx, New York City. Hip hop as a musical genre is often thought to have originated with DJ Kool Herc’s “Back to School Jam”, thrown on August 11, 1973, in The Bronx.

Grandmaster Flash

Hip hop music first began to emerge in the South Bronx in New York City in the 1970s. Hip hop culture has its roots in Afro-American and Latino youth cultures, and its rise to popularity was largely due to the work of DJs and MCs who created new musical styles by blending together different types of music. One of the most important pioneers of hip hop was Grandmaster Flash, a DJ who was one of the first to use turntables to create new sounds.

Elements of Hip Hop

Hip hop is a type of music that was created in the 1970s by African American and Latino youths in New York City. It is a style of music that is characterized by rap, DJing, and sampling. Hip hop music has since evolved and now includes subgenres such as trap, cloud rap, and drill.

Rap

Rap is a vocal style, usually coming together with hip hop music, the musical style incorporating rhythmic and/or rhyming speech that became most visible and popular in the 1980s. Rap initially started out as poetry and then developed into a form of music after DJs began adding their own rhythms and beats to the poetry. By the late 1970s, rap music was beginning to emerge as a viable commercial genre with artists such as the Sugarhill Gang and Kurtis Blow releasing successful songs. In the 1980s, rap took on a more mainstream appeal with artists such as Run DMC, Public Enemy, N.W.A., LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, and Salt-N-Pepa entering the mainstream charts.

DJing

In hip hop’s earliest days, the music only existed in live form, and the music was spread via parties and nightclubs that were frequented by the African-American, Latino, and Italian-American communities. DJs would play sets of funk, soul, disco, and latin records while MCs would hyped up the crowd by replying to the DJ and adding flavor to the set with rhymes. As time progressed and hip hop became more mainstream in the late 1970s and early 1980s, rappers began to release more recorded material.

Breakdancing

Breakdancing is a style of dance that emerged from the hip hop scene in the 1970s. It is characterized by its acrobatic moves, elaborate footwork and specialized equipment, such as portable turntables and DJ mixers. Breakdancing became popularized by movies such as Flashdance (1983) and Wild Style (1982).

Graffiti

Often considered one of the four elements of hip hop, graffiti is a form of street art that dates back to the early 1970s. When hip hop began to emerge in New York City, graffiti artists tagged buildings and subway cars as a way to mark their territory and gain attention. Even today, graffiti is often used as a way to express political or social messages.

Hip Hop Today

The origins of hip hop can be traced back to the 1970s when DJs in New York City began mixing rap music with other genres. Since then, hip hop has evolved into a global phenomenon, with artists from all over the world creating their own unique styles. Today, hip hop is one of the most popular genres of music. It is characterized by its rhythmic, often repetitive, and sometimes rhyming lyrics.

Commercialization

The commercialization of hip hop music began in the 1980s when hip hop spread throughout the world. Hip hop made its way to Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa in the early 1980s. In 1982, “Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force” released “Planet Rock” which became a global hit and was later used in a Coca Cola commercial in Japan. This marked the beginning of commercialization of hip hop music. In the 1990s, hip hop became a multi-million dollar industry with artists such as Puff Daddy, Jay-Z and Sean Combs earning millions of dollars per year. Today, hip hop is one of the most popular genres of music in the world and is played on radio stations all over the world.

Mainstream success

In the mid-2000s, mainstream success started becoming more common for hip hop artists. Technology played a big role in this, with the rise of online music distribution services such as iTunes and Napster. This made it easier for people to find and listen to hip hop music without having to buy CDs or go to record stores. As a result, more people were exposed to hip hop and it became more popular than ever before.

One of the most successful hip hop artists of this era was 50 Cent, whose 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ sold over 8 million copies. Other popular artists included Jay-Z, Nelly, Outkast and Eminem. This was also the era when Hip Hop began to branch out into other genres, such as R&B (rhythm and blues) and pop. Hip hop artist Snoop Dogg even released a reggae album in 2006!

Social impact

Hip hop has had a tremendous social impact since its inception in the 1970s. As one of the most popular music genres today, hip hop is known for its unique style and sound. But beyond the music, hip hop has also been influential in fashion, film, and television.

While some might see hip hop as a fad or passing trend, the genre has shown staying power over the decades. In fact, hip hop is now considered one of the most significant music genres of our time. It’s hard to overestimate the social impact of hip hop music and culture.