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Hip hop music, aka: rap or rap music, is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s,
and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. It consists of two main components: rapping (MCing) and DJing
(audio mixing and scratching). Along with hip hop dance (notably breakdancing) and urban inspired art (notably graffiti).
These compose the four elements of hip hop, a cultural movement that was started by inner-city youth, mostly African Americans
in New York City, in the early 1970s.
Typically, hip hop music consists of intensely rhythmic lyrical form making abundant use of techniques like assonance,
alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually referred to as a "beat", performed
by a DJ, created by a producer, or one or more instrumentalists. This beat is often created using a sample of the percussion
break of another song, usually a funk or soul recording. In addition to the beat other sounds are often sampled, synthesized,
or performed. Sometimes a track can be instrumental, usually to showcase the skills of the DJ or producer.
Hip hop began in The Bronx, located in New York City, when DJs began isolating the percussion break from funk and disco
songs. The early role of the MC was to introduce the DJ and the music and to keep the audience excited. MCs began by speaking
between songs, giving exhortations to dance, greetings to audience members, jokes and anecdotes. Eventually this practice
became more stylized and became known as rapping. By 1979 hip hop had become a commercially popular music genre and began
to enter the American mainstream.
In the 1990s, a form of hip hop called gangsta rap became a major part of American music, causing significant controversy
over lyrics which were perceived as promoting violence, promiscuity, drug use and misogyny. Nevertheless, by the beginning
of the 2000s, hip hop was a staple of popular music charts and was being performed in many styles across the world.
Typically, hip hop music consists of intensely rhythmic lyrical form making abundant use of techniques like assonance,
alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually referred to as a "beat", performed
by a DJ, created by a producer, or one or more instrumentalists. This beat is often created using a sample of the percussion
break of another song, usually a funk or soul recording. In addition to the beat other sounds are often sampled, synthesized,
or performed. Sometimes a track can be instrumental, as a showcase of the skills of the DJ or producer.
Hip hop began in The Bronx, located in New York City, when DJs began isolating the percussion break from funk and disco
songs. The early role of the MC was to introduce the DJ and the music and to keep the audience excited. MCs began by speaking
between songs, giving exhortations to dance, greetings to audience members, jokes and anecdotes. Eventually this practice
became more stylized and became known as rapping. By 1979 hip hop had become a commercially popular music genre and began
to enter the American mainstream. In the 1990s, a form of hip hop called gangsta rap became a major part of American music,
causing significant controversy over lyrics which were perceived as promoting violence, promiscuity, drug use and misogyny.
Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 2000s, hip hop was a staple of popular music charts and was being performed in many
styles across the world.
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