Hip-Hop
A cultural movement and music genre born in the Bronx in 1973, built on DJing, MCing, breakdancing, and graffiti — now the world's most consumed music genre.
Sub-topics
Born August 11, 1973, at a Bronx block party. DJ Kool Herc isolated funk breakbeats, MCs rapped over them. Jamaican sound system culture meets African-American street culture.
The earliest recorded hip-hop era (1979-1984). Simple beats, party-oriented rapping, DJ scratching. Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Run-DMC.
The creative peak of hip-hop (late 1980s-early 1990s). Diverse styles, innovative sampling, lyrical sophistication. Rakim, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Nas.
Subgenre depicting street life, violence, and systemic injustice. Emerged in the late 1980s. N.W.A, Ice-T, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. Controversial but culturally transformative.
New York-centered hip-hop emphasizing lyrical complexity, jazz-influenced production, and boom-bap beats. Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z.
Los Angeles-centered hip-hop with G-funk production, synthesizer-heavy beats, and laid-back flows. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Ice Cube. The Chronic (1992) defined the sound.
Hip-hop from the American South — Atlanta, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans. Distinct bass-heavy production, regional slang, crunk energy. OutKast, UGK, Three 6 Mafia, Lil Wayne.
Atlanta-born subgenre defined by 808 bass, hi-hat rolls, and dark synthesizers. Named after T.I.'s Trap Muzik (2003), popularized by Lex Luger and Waka Flocka in 2010. Dominated 2010s hip-hop.
Socially and politically aware hip-hop focusing on knowledge, justice, and Black empowerment. KRS-One, Common, Talib Kweli, Kendrick Lamar. The thinking person's rap.
Aggressive hip-hop subgenre born in Chicago (early 2010s) from trap music and gangsta rap. Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Young Chop. Spread to London (UK drill) and Brooklyn.