by Ronisha Johnson

Created on: June 12, 2009

Hip Hop is so much more than what people think it is. People hear the music but they don't see what else Hip Hop has to offer. Hip Hop is a culture. It's about music, dance, language, fashion, jewelry, cars and so much more. It's about how a generation expresses itself.

Hip Hop originated in New York City. DJ Kool Herc was given credit for starting Hip Hop in the early 1970's. DJ Kool Herc was originally from Kingston and moved to the Bronx as a child. Remembering his roots he mimicked the dancehalls from Kingston and began to toast over his music. Toasting is referred to as talking or chanting in monotone over a rhythm or beat.

In the mid '70's DJ Kool Herc would place two of the same records on the turntables and loop the break of popular songs. He noticed that the break of the song is when the crowd responded most energetically. He would make announcements to the audience and speak in a rhythmic tone to hype up the crowd. This was the foundation of emceeing then later rapping. Rap was a term used before the creation of Hip Hop to define conversation. Other DJ's soon followed DJ Kool Herc's footsteps. They eventually recruited MCs to hype up the crowd so that they could focus on deejaying.

Hip Hop emerged from disco. When the audiences didn't want to hear the DJ scratching records and the MC hyping up the crowd, the DJ and MC took their talents to the streets. They would throw block parties and house parties and perform in almost any public setting. The DJ would play the break of various songs and scratch the record in a rhythmic manner. The MC would hype up the crowd and rap to the beats the DJ played.

Hip Hop was used as an alternative to street violence for the youth. Afrika Bambaataa, division leader of the Black Spades, began hosting parties to use Hip Hop to draw angry youth out of street gangs. He later formed the Universal Zulu Nation. The Zulu Nation was comprised of dancers, rappers, graffiti artists and other people involved in the Hip Hop culture.

Break dancing is apart of the Hip Hop culture. It is an acrobatic style of dance. Dancers are called B-boys and B-girls, breakers or break dancers. They would generally dance to the looped break that the DJ played at various parties. Dancers would dance on oversized pieces of cardboard that served as the dance floor. Over the years other forms of dance have developed including crunk dance, house dance and popping and locking.

Many different genres are the foundation of Hip Hop. Everything from Jazz to Soul to Rock N Roll has been the foundation of Hip Hop. Technology and creativity of many individuals has shaped Hip Hop into what it is today. Hip Hop has traveled a long way but will always be the way a generation expresses itself. Hip Hop is more than just music it's a culture.

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