The term Hip Hop most commonly refers to a genre of music known for its synthesized beats and turntable technique. Originating in the Bronx of 1970's New York, Hip Hop began as a popular music genre among African Americans and Latino Americans who used Hip Hop music as a cultural expression of their ethnicity. However, in a country as diverse as America, it did not take long for the origins of Hip Hop to spread throughout the east and west coasts, gradually accumulating different styles, ethnicities and followers, to become a global phenomenon of the musical world. Today, Hip Hop represents an entire culture, with various subcultures and distinctions that make it a well-known and frequently practiced form of musical expression.
Since its initial introduction to the U.S. in the 1970s, Hip Hop has gained notoriety with each passing decade. The beat boxing and scratching of records at New York block parties - wildly popular in the '70's - transitioned to include complex lyrics in the '80's. By the '90's, the notable rap lyrics and synthetic beats of Hip Hop were combined with multi-layered instrumental music and metaphorical lyrics. Today, Hip Hop is such a well-known musical form that it is considered its own genre, competitive with the country, soul and pop categories.
Hip Hop can no longer only be described by the word music. Among its followers Hip Hop is a way of life; a way of expressing oneself through synthesized beats, metaphorical lyrics, deliberate dance, and even a "bling" style of dress. The tremendous impact it has had, and will continue to have, on the music industry is indicative of its rising popularity and staying power. The eclectic sound of Hip Hop testifies to its growth over the past 30 years; from a segregated musical form of 1970's New York life to its current global representation of dance, song, dress and style. Hip Hop is here to stay!
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