Hip hop music is characterized as a "genre of music typically consisting of a rhythmic style of speaking called rap over backing beats" ("Hip Hop Music," 1). Generally, hip hop is the term given to the culture in which rap music, fostered in part by individual artists and driven early on and throughout its evolution by DJs who speak over music, has developed. It is said to have been developed in New York City in the 1970s predominantly among African-Americans, Jamaicans, and Latinos (Urban Dictionary, 2008).
The origin of the term is somewhat unclear, though it is often attributed to a Jamaican named DJ Kool Herc. Alternatively, a rival DJ named DJ Afrika Bambaataa may have invented the term to describe the culture it subsumes. DJ Kool Herc is credited as being a pioneer of hip hop during the 1970s and much of his work centered on the Bronx section of New York City where this musical genre attracted many adherents (Urban Dictionary, 2).
Hip hop draws upon the rhythms and beats of the Jamaican musical genres as well as the technological capacities of sound systems including audio mixers, dual turntables, and the techniques of looping, sampling, and remixing music that is already published. To an extent it is an evolution of Jamaican Dub music ("Hip Hop Music," 1).
While rhythms and beats do vary, a number of key elements are essential to the genre. These include rapping, break dancing, DJing, beatboxing, the wearing of street fashions, the use of street language, and graffiti art. Hip hop and rap are both associated with lyrics that can be extremely explicit, at times obscene, and at other times inherently political ("Hip History & Culture," 1-2).
There is a clear association between hip hop, rap, ska, and reggae music. By far, the most significant element within hip hop music is the role of the DJ, who often assumes star status similar to that of recording artists. Chris Robertson (1) states that with...