Hip Hop 

Hip Hop is a social-political movement created in the late 70's. Hip Hop is a culture to give people who grew up in the ghetto a voice, songs in hip hop are spoken from personal experience. Songs are usually mixed with other genres of music like rock and classical (piano), or with record players and scratchers. Break Dancing and Graffiti is also apart of hip hop as a way to express the people apart of the cultures selves, Freestyling is also a major part of hip hop along with rap battles.

"Some people argue that hip hop is dead, I believe that hip hop lives underground, the unfortunate thing is that the culture is getting smaller and smaller."

"Don't confuse hip hop for rap music, rap is just words, hip hop is the context, the beat, the dance movements, hip hop is a culture, and if you grew up in the ghetto and found a voice in hip and use personal experience in the context of your rap, and use record scratchers and mix genres of music then you are most likely apart of the culture."

Hip Hop by Madison P May 14, 2015

Hip Hop 

A name for the 4 elements of the late 70's New York City renaissance which includes break dancing, emceeing, (rapping) graffiti, and turntablism.

Rap is something you do Hip Hop is something you live- KRS One

Hip Hop by Nate Hamer January 15, 2003

hip hop 

first off, if it's on mtv it's NOT hip hop (50 cent isn't fucking hip hop), secondly if it's about lots of bling with my bitches riding on my twenty's capin some mofo it's NOT hip hop, thirdly if the song is only two lines repeating over and over it's NOT hip hop, fourth if the verse is all jumbled together and not enunciated it's NOT hip hop, the above mentioned criteria constitute rap.

Hip hop typically has a social message that not just about how fucking awesome I am and how hot my bitches are, enunciated lyrics, a more complex beat, and requires serious talent. If you want to listen to hip hop, you have to seek it out. It's not going to be on MTV or clear channel

And finally if you listen to both and can't discern a single thing and think I'm full of shit go listen to Umi Says by Mos Def (you can even find the lyrics on line), at least you'll understand the differing messages between hip hop and rap

I fucking hate it when people call rap and hip hop the same thing, they're not, go fucking educate yourself

hip hop by Paul S.W. November 4, 2006

hip hop 

Hip hop is a culture, or a lifestyle if you wish.
the term '4 elements' was coined when there was still only 4 elements;

bboyin (not break dancing) which could mean break boy or beat boy or bronx boy depending on where you live.

emceeing, which used to be shoutouts and such later evolved into 'rapping' and no thats not what 50 cent does because 50 cent is a sellout loser that sings bout his imagineary 'hoes'.

Djing or turntablism, this started by them just replaying the break bits in funk songs so that bboys could get down, and breakbeats was the first hiphop music ('evolved' from funk music.)

Graffiti, i dont know much about this but its visual art.

The 4 elements was a good concept for a while, but hip hopp grew and became more than 4 elements, making this term invalid.

Hip hop is a lifestyle, its a culture.

hip hop by frankie- a funkstylist. November 14, 2005

hip hop 

It's a culture, it's a state of mind, it's a language, it's fashion, it's a style, it's something you feel every moment of your day. Hip hop is not commercial shit, hip hop is deep, it has a meaning for each person. You don't just listen to hip hop music, you feel it, you respect it, understand it, share it.

hip hop and rap are not the same thing

hip hop by Risk4graffiti January 28, 2007

Hip Hop 

culture in which there are 4 elements that compose it. Breakdancing, graffiti, Mcing, and DJing. Culture which has their own dance (breaking), art (graffiti), music, language, and its race is international. Every race can participate in this culture. Hip hop originally didn't start talking about hoes or drugs or gangbanging, it started as a way to show off how good you are at the element you are good for and talk about other subjeccts like love, party, protest against goverment, music to enjoy other elements with, and stuff like that. The real hip hop stays underground and never sells out to be mainstream. Once its mainstream, it should be called just rapping, not hip hop! Hip hop was born underground and should stay underground. Hip hop should also not be asociated with gangs and drugs.

Hip Hop Wont Stop
Rap is something you do, hip hop is something you live

Hip Hop by Snoop1 December 18, 2005

hip hop 

Hip Hop is a culture centered around bettering yourself and being positive. There are 4 original elements.

Dance:
Breaking is the ONLY dance realated to hip hop despite what the media tells you. The only 2 adopted elements to the dance is popping and locking. If your not breaking, popping, or locking then your not dancing hip hop.

Music:
DJ: The hip hop art form of playing the music using records and involving scratching and extending beats. The most important element of hip hop, because with the beat there can be no emceeing or dancing.
Emcee: The art of rhyming and rapping. Make sure you understand the difference between "HIP HOP" and "GANGSTER RAP". While gangster rap is still in the catagory of hip hop because of the emcee and dj, it is not part of the hip hop culture because hip hop isn't about being a gangster.

Graffiti:
The visual art form of hip hop often using letters and characters. From tagging to murals using anything from markers to spray cans.

The meaning of hip hop has been lost over time. Its not about dressing a certain way, where your from, what nationality you are, or how much money you have. Its about being yourself, not being a mindless follower, and expressing your own creativity. Hip hop came from the ghetto, and the purpose of it was for people to better themselves. Rather than going out and shooting each other they could dance, or rap, or express themselves through art. Hip hop has been underestimated by a lot of people who don't understand it, and it has literaly saved the lives of a lot of people. Hip hop is just a word, it has been around since the beginning of time even if nobody knew what it was. A person who has never heard of the word hip hop in their life who lives positively and works hard at everything they do is living hip hop more than a person who TRYS to be hip hop, dances, paints, dj's, and emcee's, but doesn't know what it means.

Did you hear KRS One's new hip hop cd?
Hip hop changed my life
Hip hop saved my life
I went to a hip hop event where they had breakers, poppers, lockers, dj's, emcee's, and graff writers.

hip hop by Steve A. Miller September 14, 2007