Rap and Hip Hop Culture

It was 1977, and the Summer of Sam was in full swing in New York. But in the neighborhoods and housing projects of the “boogie down” Bronx New York, a new art form was developing called Hip Hop. This new art form would change America and transcend a generation forever with its influences on fashion, music, and lifestyle. Hip Hop is an urban lifestyle that consists of different subgenres of music such as rap, “old school” rap and “gangsta” rap. In my paragraph, I’m going to do a comparison on hip hop and rap. On the surface, they may seem the same, but their just as different as they are alike.

In the hip hop subculture, two of the most standard types of music are called rap and hip hop. But there is a thin, fine line that defines the differences between rap and hip hop. In my opinion and many other fans and followers opinions, is that hip hop is a culture, that consists of more things than just music. From clothes styles, slang words, and dances such as breakdancing and more current dances like “Teach Me How to Dougie”. While rap is a style of music that comes from the culture and has many different genres like “Old School” and “Gangsta” rap an is expressed through spoken word to a beat.

Hip hop and rap are the same yet so different, because rap is hip hop but hip hop can never be rap. Because Hip Hop is the culture itself, and rap is how the culture explains itself through rhythmic beat and spoken word. In recent years, hip hop has been portrayed in the media as a bad thing. But for anyone who knows and loves the roots of this American icon called hip hop, knows that hip hop music and culture isn’t always negative, and never was conceived and given to the masses of people to start a negative based culture in which it is portrayed today. I am Hip Hop; and yes I do love her.