Lyrics
[Instro]
Hip hop or hip-hop,
also known as rap
and formerly as disco
rap, is a genre
of popular music that
originated
in the early 1970s
[Verse]
from African Americans
and Afro-Caribbean
immigrants in the Bronx,
a borough of New York City.
Hip-hop music originated
as an anti-drug and
anti-violence genre
consisting of stylized
rhythmic music
(usually built around drum beats)
that often accompanies
rapping,
a rhythmic delivery
of poetic speech.
[Chorus]
MCing / rapping,
DJing / scratching
with turntables,
breakdancing, and graffiti art.
While often used
to refer
solely to rapping
and rap music,
"hip hop" more properly denotes
the practice of the entire subculture.
[Instrumental]
(a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech)
[Verse]
In the early 1990s,
a professor of African
American studies
at Temple University said,
"Hip-hop is something that
blacks can unequivocally
claim as their own."
By the 21st century,
the field of rappers had diversified
by both race and gender.
The music developed
as part of the broader hip-hop culture,
a subculture defined by
four key stylistic elements:
[Chorus]
MCing / rapping,
DJing / scratching
with turntables,
breakdancing, and graffiti art.
While often used
to refer
solely to rapping
and rap music,
"hip hop" more properly denotes
the practice of the entire subculture.
[Instrumental]
(a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech)
[Verse]
The term hip hop music is
sometimes used synonymously
with the term rap music, though
rapping is not a required component
of hip hop music;
the genre may also incorporate
other elements of the culture,
including DJing, turntablism,
scratching, beatboxing,
and instrumental tracks.
[Chorus]
MCing / rapping,
DJing / scratching
with turntables,
breakdancing, and graffiti art.
While often used
to refer
solely to rapping
and rap music,
"hip hop" more properly denotes
the practice of the entire subculture.
[Instrumental]
(a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech)
[Outro]
(a rhythmic delivery of poetic speech)
[End]
[End]
