Hip hop is a cultural movement that began among urban African Americans and Latinos in the Bronx New York City in the early 1970s, and has since spread around the world. The four main aspects, or "elements", of hip hop culture are MCing (rapping), DJing, graffiti, and breakdancing. Some consider beatboxing the fifth element of hip hop; others might add political activism, hip hop fashion, hip hop slang, double dutching (an urban form of rope skipping) or other elements as important facets of hip hop. The term has since come to be a synonym for hip hop music (or rap music) to mainstream audiences.

The origin of the term "hip hop" itself is unclear; but, over time, the term has taken on a life of its own. The movement that later became known as "hip hop" is said to have begun with the work of DJ Kool Herc, while competing DJ Afrika Bambaataa is often credited with having invented the term "hip hop" to describe the culture. A variety of mythical etymologies and complex meanings have been attached to the term and continue to propagate within the hip hop community.

Hip hop music

Main article: Hip hop music

The various factors that influenced early hip hop are complex and numerous. Although the majority of influences can be traced to African culture, the multicultural society of New York City resulted in diverse musical influences finding their way into hip hop music.

Elements of the style and techniques of rapping originate with the griots of West Africa; traveling singers and poets had musical styles that contained elements of what would later evolve into hip-hop music. Some griot traditions came to the United States, the UK and the Caribbean with the passage of African slaves to the New World. Other notable influences are the spoken word sections of records by soul and funk musicians such as James Brown and Isaac Hayes.

One of the many influences on the creation of contemporary hip hop music is the Jamaican style called dub, which arose as a sub-genre of Reggae in the 1960s. Dub music saw producers such as King Tubby creating instrumental versions of popular reggae records for the purpose of clubs and Sound systems; they had discovered that dancers often responded better to the extended, isolated beats of the records, often featuring intense percussion and heavy basslines. Soon, the MCs that hosted the dances began speaking over the instrumental records, and the skills of MCs such as U-Roy, Dr. Alimontado and Dillinger saw them become popular performers in their own right. This tradition continues in contemporary Dancehall music. In 1967, Jamaican immigrants such as DJ Kool Herc brought dub to New York City and began playing it at parties in community centres, roller rinks and on the streets.

Another significant influence is Blues music. In fact it could be argued that hip hop is a continuation of an oral historical tradition dating back to the griots and traced through blues to the current hip hop scene. One of the main influences Blues had was the Call/Response aspect of the music. This survived into the tradition of "toasting", another aspect of the oral tradition intrinsic to hip hop music. This became most pronounced in the tradition of MC "Battles", begun in the early 1980's.

DJing

Main article: DJing

DJing (turntablism) in hip hop refers to the art of using turntables as a musical instrument. Records/albums are used as tools to create many different styles of music. Some of the techniques used include cutting, scratching, body tricks, needle drops, and blends or mixes.

Traditionally, a DJ will use two turntables simultaneously. These are hooked to a DJ mixer, various other pieces of electronic music equipment, amplifier (or receiver), and speakers. The DJ will then perform various tricks between the two albums currently in rotation using the above listed methods. The result is a unique sound created by the seemingly combined sound of two separate songs into one song. A DJ should not be confused with a producer of a music track (though there is considerable overlap between the two roles).

Famous DJs include Grandmaster Flash, Mr. Magic, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Scratch from EPMD, DJ Premier from Gang Starr,DJ Scott La Rock from Boogie Down Productions, DJ Miz, DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC, Eric B., Tony Touch, DJ Clue, DJ Shadow, DJ Q-Bert, Mix Master Mike, DJ D-Styles and DJ Spooky.

Before coming into their own as music makers, an MC's role was to get the crowd into the DJ's mix. Hip hop used to be, above all, about getting one's audience to dance. In Europe this attitude has been more enduring than in the U.S., where MCs quickly became hip hop's central focus. Disillusioned with this new culture, some DJs further explored the art of spinning records, creating the turntablist scene.

A DJ needs turntables, a good sound system, and scratch fodder, which typically comes in the form of vinyl records. Some early recorded rap music does not contain any sampling or DJing, however; for example, none of the members of the Sugarhill Gang were actually involved in the DJing scene in the Bronx and thus couldn't have done any, which explains the session player remake of "Good Times".

MCing

Main articles: Master of Ceremonies and Rapping.

Battling

Battling is the term in hip hop used when two MCs conduct verbal combat against each other, a practice having its origins on the east coast of the United States. The purpose of battling is for both MCs to try to diminish each other's lyrical skills and gain the favor of the crowd or audience. The level of crowd impression with a particular lyricist is determined by various forms of lyrical delivery, skill, insults and their ability to "move the crowd". The crowd, meanwhile, reacts with gestures such as "oohs" and "aahs", responses to the lyricist's "requests", or an ovation at the end of a battling session. The crowd's final reaction then determines the victor, thus giving the triumphant lyricist recognition and increased confidence to engage in and win more battles.

Most "true" battles occur in various underground hip hop clubs, or even in a simple place such as a street corner; these events are usually fixed contests. More well-known "battle" MCs such as Canibus may go public with a battle on the radio or produce a "diss" record and call out their potential opponent. This can be done by disrespecting their opponent's lyrical skill, subject matter, or even personal qualities. Most public battles are publicity events used to gain exposure and acquire more fans. Unfortunately, some lyricists cross a personal line when battling and what was once fun leads to physical confrontation.

There are some who feel that, for present-day Battle raps, this personal line is crossed frequently and with a great amount of cruelty. Many argue that this part of hip hop has "gone too far" and that, as the rapper Nas said, "No women and children [should be] involved". Others feel that this is all a part of hip hop. When one MC battles another, he wants to say anything that will make the crowd react. It should be noted that though it may not be something personal that one MC has against the other, with both simply trying to win the battle, verbal assaults on an opponent's family, spouse/lover, or friends can easily lead to flaring tempers. Ultimately, only a few Hip hop rivalries that began on record, have ever lead to violence.

While less common than rap battles (in which only MCs participate), DJ battles, breakdancing battles, and beatboxing battles are also conducted. As in rap battling, audience response and participation (and, occasionally, panel judging) are used as the metric by which a victor is selected.

Graffiti art

Main article: Graffiti, Types of graffiti

The first forms of subway graffiti were quick spray-painted or marker signatures ("tags"), which quickly evolved into large elaborate calligraphy, complete with color effects, shading, and more. Finding original techniques was very important for graffiti artists; for example, in 1972, one well-respected graffiti artist called Super Kool replaced the dispersion cap on his spray paint with a wider one, found on a can of oven cleaner. This is still a common practice. By 1976, graffiti artists like Lee Quinones began panting entire murals using advanced techniques. Some of the most memorable of Quinones' work were political in nature, calling for an end to the arms race, for example. The book Subway Art (New York: Henry Holt & Co, 1984) and the TV program Style Wars (first shown on the PBS channel in 1984) were among the first ways the mainstream public were introduced to graffiti. Quickly the rest of the globe imitated and adapted hip hop graffiti. Today, there are also strong scenes in Europe, South America, Australia and Japan.

Graffiti has long been villianized by those in authority and allegedly associated with gangs, violence, drug culture and street crime. Although it is a crime, falling under the category of vandalism, many artists are not criminals and do not engage in such activity as the brands that their art form has been labeled. Still, popular culture feels that it is a violent activity that is an overall detrement to society. This may be true in some cases, but most "writers", as they are often called, are in fact true artists that spend painstaking hours practicing and refining their skill to create something that is beautiful, at least in their own eyes. Demonizing their art by saying it is nothing more than a nuisance that might not be aesthetically pleasing has resulted in knee-jerk legislation, such as the 3-strike laws in Los Angeles, California. These can send a young artist to prison for life just for writing on a wall, even if it is the only crime they have ever commited, because it is has been classified as "gang related activity".

Breakdancing

Main article: Breakdancing

Breakdancing, also known as B-boying or B-girling by its practitioners and followers, is a dynamic style of dance. The term "breakdancer" originates from the dancers at DJ Kool herc's parties who would save their best dance moves for the break section of the song. Breaking is one of the major elements of hip hop culture, commonly associated with, but distinct from, "popping", "locking", "hitting", "ticking", "boogaloo", and other funk styles that evolved independently in California during the late 20th century. It was common during the 1980s to see groups of people in a playground, basketball court, or sidewalk with a radio performing breakdancing shows for a large audience.

While breaking in its current form began in the South Bronx alongside the other elements of hip-hop, it is similar in style to and may possibly derive from the Capoeira form of dancing/martial arts, which was developed by slaves during the slavery period in Brazil.

"Hip-Hop" as a form of dance is becoming more popular. Derived from, but not wholly consisting of, breakdancing moves, it is a dance without any limitations to positions and is an expression of how a dancer feels on the inside.

Beatboxing

Main article: Beatboxing

Beatboxing, considered by many to be the "fifth element" of hip hop, is the vocal percussion of hip hop culture. It is primarily concerned with the art of creating beats, rhythms, and melodies using the human mouth.

Early pioneers of the art include Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, and Buffy of the Fat Boys. The term 'beatboxing' is derived from the mimicry of the first generation of drum machines, then known as beatboxes.

The art form enjoyed a strong presence in the '80s. Beatboxing declined in popularity along with breakdancing in the late 80s, and almost slipped even deeper than the underground. Beatboxing has been enjoying a resurgence since the late '90s, marked by the release of "Make the Music 2000." by Rahzel of The Roots (known for even singing while beatboxing) The Internet has greatly aided the rebirth of modern beatboxing—on a global level never seen before—with thousands of beatboxers from over a dozen countries interacting on the UK's Humanbeatbox.com.

The art form has radically evolved, extending its reach to include physical theater routines, and has integrated itself into hip hop (and other forms of theater). Vocal percussion is a standby of a capella groups, as well.

Beatboxing has also recently branched beyond its traditional scope (mimicry of "beat boxes" to create hip-hop beats) to several new stand alone forms. It is now widely practiced as a form of human Drum & Bass, a style of heavy electronic music. The range of sounds that can be reproduced by the human vocal chords are staggering to many unfamiliar with this musical practice.

External links

• Hip hop discussion and community
• Rap.about.com Vast Hip-hop culture resource
• Hip hop radio stations
• hiphopmusic.com - Popular hip hop blog
• Rap Dictionary the oldest and ultimate resource for looking up hip-hop slang.
• nobodysmiling.com - Hip Hop website

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