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Overview

As both a musical genre and a mass culture movement, hip-hop was developed in the United States by inner-city African American and Latino American youth in the Bronx borough of New York City during the 1970s. Since then, the genre has developed more complex styles and spread around the world.

Be ready to:

Describe the four elements of hip-hop and explain their significance to hip-hop.

Identify members of the holy trinity of hip-hop and understand nonviolent ethos.

Name two individuals responsible for establishing the DJ as an authority figure.

Define gangsta rap, including notable artists and their songs.

Articulate how and why new jack swing and other hybrids emerged during the late 1980s.

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References

Disseminating Factors that Contributed to Hip-Hop's Popularity

During this period, many factors aided and abetted in popularity of hip-hop and its eventual acceptance in mainstream culture. For example, rap music artists also collaborated with other popular music styles, as is evident for example with the punk group Blondie's 1980 recording " Rapture♫ " (leading some music critics falsely to assert that this was the first rap) and British punk stylist-cum-entrepreneur Malcolm McClaren, with the recording of " Buffalo Gals♫" (1982).

Mural of DJ Jam Master Jay in New York City

Run-D.M.C., a trio from Queens, New York consisting of two MCs, Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and DJ Jam Master Jay, made a significant contribution to the crossover success of rap by establishing a sound that combined rappin' with a background of rock guitar. Their single " Rock Box♫ " from the group's debut LP Run-D.M.C. (1983) broke ground as the first rap song played on the syndicated rock-oriented video television station, MTV.

Following this achievement, Run-D.M.C. released their sophomore LP, King of Rock (1985), followed by their multi-platinum LP, Raising Hell (1986), with its innovative rendition of " Walk This Way♫ " by the hard rock group Aerosmith, who appeared on the recording and in the video with Run-D.M.C.

Rap music also stormed the airwaves, thanks to the first rap music, radio show host personality, Mr. Magic . Magic's radio show was initially launched on WHBI of Newark, New Jersey, in 1979, later finding a permanent home on WBLS in New York City. New York's KISS FM followed by hiring its first hip-hop music host, DJ Red Alert.

Magic's radio concept established a trend for other rap-oriented stations to follow. These include Greg Mack's all-radio station KDAY in Los Angeles and WKCR-FM at Columbia University.

DJ Red Alert

Russell Simmons

The thing about hip-hop is that it's from the underground, ideas from the underbelly, from people who have mostly been locked out, who have not been recognized.

Rakim

The golden age was when people were starting to understand what hip-hop was and how to use it. I was lucky to come up then. Everybody wanted to be original and have substance; it was somewhat conscious...There was an integrity that people respected.