History of Hip Hop

Most people are familiar with the hip hop music that is heard on the radio today, but few take the time to discover the history of hip hop. The origins of hip hop music go beyond the rapping, scratching, and break dancing that are often associated with it.

Hip hop music was made popular in the Bronx, New York in the 1970’s, but the history of hip hop started much before then. It has it roots in the music that was made in West Africa. This music was the inspiration for the alliteration, rhyming, and dramatic beat, which is seen in hip hop music today.

The history of hip hop music moved a step further in the 1970’s, when  as an effort to move away from the disco era, DJ’s in the New York area began isolating the percussions sequences in many popular songs. They realized that these were the parts of the song that people were the most entertained by and enjoyed dancing to the most.

Prior to this MC’s simply introduced DJ’s who were responsible for playing the music. In the 1970’s the MCs played a greater role and began talking and joking during the breaks between songs. This was developed and stylized into the earliest forms of rap known in the history of hip hop.

By 1979 hip hop music had penetrated mainstream America. Then the Golden Age in the history of hip hop took place between 1986 and 1992. During this era the popularity of hip hop music soared. Hip hop was combined with many other styles of music such as reggae, techno, and rock, which opened the door for such classics as the Beastie Boys and the collaboration between Aerosmith and Run DMC. Gangsta rap and more hardcore hip hop became popular throughout the 1990’s.