Hey HIP HOP, Thank You For Being There

The most accepted and renowned form of music, Hip Hop, without which almost all songs are incomplete, turns 44 today.

Hip hop is a subculture and art movement developed by African-Americans & Puerto Ricans from the South Bronx in New York City during the late 1970s. While people unfamiliar with hip hop culture often use the expression "hip hop" to refer exclusively to hip hop music (also called "rap"), hip hop is characterized by anywhere from four to nine distinct elements or expressive realms, of which hip hop music is only one element.

DJ Afrika Bambaataa of the hip hop collective Zulu Nation outlined the pillars of hip hop culture, coining the terms: "rapping" (also called MCing or emceeing), a rhythmic vocal rhyming style (orality); DJing (and turntablism), which is making music with record players and DJ mixers (aural/sound and music creation); b-boying/b-girling/breakdancing (movement/dance); and graffiti art, which he called "aerosol writin'" (visual art).

Other elements of the hip hop subculture and arts movement beyond the main four are: hip hop culture and historical knowledge of the movement(intellectual/philosophical); beatboxing, a percussive vocal style; street entrepreneurship; African-American language and slang; and hip hop fashion and style, among others.