Moleek Loper

English 101
Dr. Pearson
November 6, 2014
The Origin of Hip-hop
The culture of hip-hop has emerged significantly over the course
of 3 decades. Hip-hop is a music genre that consists of stylized rhythmic
music, where MCs rap to up-tempo beats that is generally engineered in
studios by, rappers or producers. This genre started in a predominantly
African American community. This became a way of artists having their
own way of expressing their voice and opinions on subjects that were
going on at the time period. According to the article, The origin of Hip
Hop(Henry), Hip-hop started in the South Bronx by DJ Kool Herc. He
originated from Kingston Jamaica, and later moved to the Bronx, New
York. Hip-hop started around the 1970s. Hip-hop gained its popularity
from a party that was hosted by DJ Kool Herc; Dj Kool Herc decided to
start scratching the records he was playing on turntables. The audience
attending the party liked what they were exposed to; at that moment
hip-hop was birthed. Young adults and teens started rapping to the
beats and break dancing. This new urban hip style of music eventually

started to spread to other parts of New York such as Brooklyn and

Manhattan. Hip-hop was started as a form of a resolution to stop
violence, and to let people solve their disputes by battling each other in
rap battles, or dancing it out. Over the course of 30 years, Hip-hop has
had a major impact on the American culture from when it originated in
1970s, to now present day 2014.
Hip-hop had major changes from when it started in 70s to the
golden age in the mid 80s; these changes were an affect on America.
The first hip hop record to be widely recognized was by The Sugar Hill
Gang, and the name of their hit record was Rappers Delight in 1979.
According to the article, The Golden Age Of Hip-Hop(Tropes, and
Idioms) A few years later in the mid 80s, hip-hop has taken its way to
the west coast of California. A new genre of rapping styles was birthed
and called Gangsta rap. This was known as the new school hip-hop, and
also the Golden Age. A rap group named N.W.A, also known as Niggas
With Attitudes started this new style, which had influenced other west
coasts artists such as Ice T and Schoolly D. Tupac Shakur a native of
Compton, California impacted the hip-hop culture with his powerful
poetic lyrics that many people related to. Gang violence has been a huge
problem in California, and many believed that Gangsta Rap had played a

major role in the violence. Many rappers in the Golden Age were
affiliated or apart of some form of a gang.
However, the 90s came and the East Coast primarily New York
took over hip-hop. Artists such as Notorious B.I.G, Puff Daddy, and their
group Junior Mafia took hip-hop by a storm with their songs relating to
things going on in city of New York urban streets. Buying fancy cars and
clothes, selling drugs, money and sex. A female rapper known by the
name Lil Kim had started her own movement of Gangsta Rap for
females; her raps consisted of provocative and very vulgar messages
that her fans loved. She was also a member of the rap group Junior
Mafia. Other artists such as MOBB DEEP, and Nas emerged as big names
with their style of Gangsta Rap, which included powerful messages and
stories behind the lyrics they rapped. As a result of Gangsta rap, drugs,
gangs, and murder related crimes has been at an all time high in New
York. Critics have been firm believers that hip-hop has promoted these
ideas to being ok.
Furthermore, as the early 2000s came, and hip-hop continued its
dominance as it continued to grow and spread around the country. Hiphop has been the number one selling music genre. Major contributors
such as, The Diplomats or Dipset, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Snoop

Dogg, continued the style of Gangsta Rap, and have had successful
careers. According to the article Why Rap is Going Down, Down,
Down(Rakoczy). Hip-hop continued to spread as it made its way to the
Midwest and the South. A new genre was birthed called Crunk music
which started in Memphis Tennessee, and made its way to Atlanta,
Georgia who then adopted it. This new genre started to focus less on
lyrical meanings, and more on being played in clubs, having the crowd
dancing to the beat. In 2006,(Rakoczy) hip-hop record sales started to
drop by 40%. Then in 2009, numerous hip-hop artists had albums that
went number one on the billboard200. Now a day many may argue that
hip-hop is dying and losing what it represented, causing people to no
longer respect it. Others feel hip-hop might be at a point it never
reached before.
However, Hip-hop today is still very popular. Artists such as Jay Z,
Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, T.I, Fabolous and various
other artists have been major assets to hip-hops success from 2010 to
present day hip-hop. While hip-hop has changed significantly its
influence will always be the same. Hip-hop is very influential in many
ways such as trends that are set. Fashion, jewelry, cars, slang words and
things of that nature are often seen used today by youth of all races. The

audience of hip-hop has changed from when it started. It started off as a

genre that was predominantly listened to by African-Americans and
now listen to by people of different ethnic backgrounds. Hip-hop has
also been a big part of Hollywood and films. TV channels such as BET.
BET has played a major role in the evolutionary success of hip-hop. Now
in 2014 hip hop music consists of many different styles. The use of auto
tune is very popular in hip-hop, and also rappers harmonizing in the
background of their songs. Popular artists youll hear with the new
original style of music thats still continuing to take hiphop to new
levels are Drake, Meek Mill, Bobby Shmurda, Young Thug, Rich Homie
Quan, Migos, Fabolous and many more artists. The violence that goes on
around the United States still is being blamed on the music. Critics still
feel that hip-hop promotes violence, but there has been significant drop
in crime rates studies show.
Throughout the course of 30 years hip-hop has impacted not only
the United States, but also the world. The influence of hip-hop has its
positives and negatives. Hip-hop started as a way promoting peace,
black power, stopping violence and getting people together to solve
their issues in other ways. Hip-hop has changed from that style of music
to many new styles of music. Most rappers often rap about things that

they see that goes on, or things that they once lived. To some this new
style of hip-hop can be misleading, but in all reality they are still
expressing their selves but in their own way.

Works Cited
Adaso, Henry. "The Origin of Hip-Hop." About. Rap/Hip-Hop Expert,
3 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
TV Tropes. "Main/The Golden Age Of Hip Hop - Television Tropes &
Idioms." Home Page - Television Tropes & Idioms. TV Tropes
Foundation, 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Rakoczy, Sam. "Why Rap is Going Down, Down, Down, Down, Down |
Commonplace." McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions. The Ohio State
University, 18 Dec. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
P.S. Dear, Dr Pearson
The paragraphs that didnt contain citations consisted of
information I knew myself, where I didnt research or find it anywhere.