What's on your mug?

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."

By Madison P

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

By Nate Hamer

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

By Paul S.W.

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.

By frankie- a funkstylist.

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

By Risk4graffiti