Hip-hop is a style of music that is most frequently distinguished by an energetic, rhythmic beat and a rap vocal recording. One of the most popular music genres in the US, the genre got its start in New York City in the 1970s as a cultural interchange between Black, Latino, and Caribbean adolescents. Hip-hop is a culture that is based on four primary tenets: DJing, rapping (also known as MCing), breakdancing, and graffiti.

Even though a nice turntable set can be pricey, the original hip hop innovation involved using a disco DJ setup with two record players so that the DJ could use two copies of a record to replay and extend the more danceable “break” sections of well-known R&B and funk songs (setting the precedent for sampling.) Both record players and the popular recordings used to create the breakbeats were widely accessible. With DJ Cool Herc’s invention, the turntables were transformed into a tool for making music. DJs used to perform in locations like public basketball courts by tapping into power lines, doing away with the requirement for a formal venue and bringing the musical expression right up to the audience.

Rhyming words and rhythm are essential components of rapping. The first rapping was a reminiscence of Kool Herc’s experience with the Jamaican custom of “toasting” before he immigrated to the US. In contrast to traditional poetry, there is no need for literary expertise because the language employed are those spoken on the streets. The essence of rap even today is impromptu, boastful poetry and speech over music.

The more acrobatic dance was initially done spontaneously and on cardboard. There was no requirement for formal instruction or a location to participate; the moves were spread among breakdancers through demonstration and word of mouth. The first break dancers were those who

were dancing to Kool Herc’s breaks; he called them “b-boys” and “b-girls,” and they would start to establish the hip hop fashion aesthetic.

It only takes a can of spray paint, which is reasonably priced, and a “free” wall to contribute to hip hop’s visual depiction. Despite not being the original type of graffiti, those who utilized these everyday objects in inventive and artistic ways produced a distinctive style that is now unmistakably hip- hop.

What constitutes quality hip-hop? It should be both unexpected and recognizable. Hip hop developed from a culture that didn’t have much but was determined to make the best of it because it is about making the most of what you have and using familiar tools in unexpected ways.