Hip-Hop Defined:Hip-Hop Defined:Hip-hop is a type of music which is composed mainly of emceeing and deejaying> with graffiti and breakdancing acting as visual components of hip-hop. As hip-hop progresses into immense business, the four elements (emceeing, deejaying, graffiti, and breakdancing) are constantly being fused with others like clothing trends, slang, and general mind-set. In the words of KRS-One, "hip-hop is something you live, rap is something you do. "Break dancing was a way to be heard without violence, Graffiti was a way to speak out against putting up the South Bronx express way. Graffiti was purposefully put on the trains so that it would be seen throughout New York. People wanted to be heard.Hip-Hop Started in the Bronx:Hip-Hop Started in the Bronx:Hip Hop is actually a mix of tribal African music as the underbelly beat and Latin American styles at the top beat. Hip-hop originated in the Bronx, NY by a Jamaican DJ titled Kool Herc. At house parties, Herc would rap with the microphone, using a myriad of in-house references. Copies of Herc's house parties spread through Brooklyn, Manhattan, because of that Herc and other block party DJs helped spread the message of hip-hop around town and produced masses of followers.

Humble BeginningsHumble Beginnings::Some of the earliest rap songs ever recorded includes "King Tim III (Personality Jock)" by Fatback Band and "Rapper’s Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. The record reached the #36 spot on the Billboard charts (a huge gain by 1970's standards), therefore showing hip-hop's ability to induce commercial appeal.

America's Best Dance Crew> America's Best Dance Crew> is a reality show where dance crews from all over showcase their talent and compete for a $100,000.00 grand prize. Each week, the crews are given a challenge, the challenge is different for each crew but has the same general concept. For example, one challenge included a set of a school gym, and each crew had to incorporate beats with the props on stage (lockers, bleachers, jump ropes, etc.). Every week there is a performance/results show. Mario Lopez reveals which crews are in the bottom two. These two then do the performances they were planning on doing if they were safe and then the judges choose which crew's performance was better, and that crew stays while the other crew is eliminated. Since the first season, the winning crews also received the Golden B-Boy Trophy, a golden statue of a B-Boy doing a freeze, with the legs moving like a bobble head. Another unique aspect of ABDC is the crew banner. The logo on a banner represents that crew, appearing on merchandise and the background for interviews, and is also used as a transition effect. When a crew is eliminated, its banner falls off the top of the stadium where the banners of the crews still in the running stand. They get to dance one last time on the stage as they "walk it out" to the song of the same name. The show incorporates the underground influential lifestyles from hip hop and places them onto an audience demographic that is wide beyond the hip hop mainstream. The show allows audiences to view and understand the positive side of the ‘hip hop world’, whilst broadcasting the fun side of hip hop.

Wild ‘N’ Out> Wild ‘N’ Out> Similar in principle to game-type shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the show puts two teams of comedians: the "Red Squad", captained by Nick Cannon, and the "Black Squad" led by a celebrity guest, against each other in a series of Wild 'n Out games which are all basically "improvisational" comedy games. After three such games, the two teams square off against each other in the final round of the game called Wild Style, in which they must insult the other team member(s) within a freestyle rap. The comedians "beef" with each other, however some are impersonal jokes. Although, similar to Whose Line, the "points don't matter", the teams score one point per round victory during the normal rounds, plus one point per favourably judged punch line during Wild Style. Each episode also includes a musical performance, occasionally by the guest captain for the Black Squad. At times, the musical guest comes out just before Wild Style as the judge for the beefs. Wild ‘n’ Out incorporates hip hop in comedian form and presents the funnier and lighter side of the genre to its audience. This is very important for the genre as sometimes hip hop is presented as a violent and cold world, with drugs and violence involved heavily with hip hop artists.

Lil Wayne> Lil Wayne> Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., a famous American rapper, got his start in the industry when he was only nine years old, making him the youngest member of Cash Money Records. Whilst incarcerated he released an album, thus staying relevant in the hip hop and rap community. In 2006 and 2007, he released several mix tapes, being the main way he reached his audience. Even though he did not release a solo album during these two years, the mix tapes generated enough buzz to increase his street credibility and win over his peers, fans, and music industry executives . Wayne's studio album was so profoundly awaited that when Tha Carter III was released in 2008, it sold over a million copies in its first week. Fans and critics agree that Lil Wayne's mix tapes are among the best in the hip hop and rap industry. The raw talent and lyrical content displayed in these recordings set the bar extremely high for other artists. Anyone who is part of the hip hop culture recognizes the importance that these recordings have on a person's career. The community relies on mix tapes as a way for rappers to stay connected to their fans, and Lil Wayne has perfected this art. Even though he is well established in the industry, Lil Wayne continues to use this medium as a way to generate buzz and communicate with the public. After Lil Wayne released his 2005 album Tha Carter II, he used hisLil Wayne mix tapes as a way to reach his audience. Dedication 2 and Da Drought 3 were the two most popular mix tapes releases. The former mix tape contained a song called Georgia Bush that criticized President Bush's response to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy in New Orleans, Louisiana. The socially conscious track became extremely popular and increased Lil Wayne's popularity. The praise received from his mix tapes laid the groundwork for his next studio album, Tha Carter III, which was released in 2008 to instant success.

Jay ZJay Z >> Shawn Corey Carter spent early years of his life in Brooklyn's drug infested Marcy Projects. The majority of his autobiographical songs, he mentions that he dealt with drug abuse and went as far as to shoot his brother for stealing his jewellery. He had a strong love for rapping from a very young age, and started writing lyrics when he was 9, using the kitchen table to create drum-patterns. In 1989, he joined hands with rapper Jazz-O and recorded a song "The Originators" which appeared in an episode of YO!MTV Raps, this established him on the music scene as Jay Z. However even after having a stage name, no famous Label was willing to sign him, therefore in 1996, he along with his friends Damon Dash and Kareem Burke, founded their own label Roc-A-Fella Records. His first music album was "Reasonable Doubt“, which featured Mary J. Blige and Notorious B.I.G. Jay Z was now an established rapper. Fast forward to the future he now has 15 albums to his credit, alongside he owns a fashion line and stake in stake in the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball franchise. Jay-Z states that his earliest exposure to music was through his parents' record collection, which was mostly of soul artists such as Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway. He often uses excerpts from these artists as samples in his work, especially in the Kanye West-productions included on The Blueprint. Jay Z is one of the most financially successful rappers and businessmen in America. His first music album "Reasonable Doubt" paved the way to the establishment of his empire. He has sold more than 18 million albums worldwide.

Dr.Dre>Dr.Dre> André Young considered by many to be hip-hop's greatest producer, uses mixes from different styles to create his own productions. His very early albums were violent but advisory tales of the criminal mind, but Dre's records with NWA celebrated the self-indulgent, moralistic side of gang life. Being around during the birth of west coast hip-hop during the early 1980s, Dre found himself performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South-Central Los Angeles. In 1986, Dre met Ice Cube; instantly becoming good friends, the two MCs began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by 'Eazy-E'. Initially they were rejected by the record-buying public, but Eazy formed NWA, an acronym for Ni**az With Attitude, with Dre, Cube, and newcomers M.C. Ren and DJ Yella, releasing their first album in 1987. Then, in 1989, with distribution from Bryan Turner and his Priority Records label N.W.A. delivered "Straight Outta Compton," a vicious, violent, and misogynistic record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press. That was considered just the beginning. While it seemed that the group was strong, Ice Cube suddenly departed in late 1989 amidst many financial disagreements with Dre. Suddenly the music was in Dre's hands. Dre left the group the next year to form Death Row Records with ‘Suge Knight'. Then Dre discovered Snoop Dogg through his stepbrother 'Warren G', and he immediately began working with the brilliantly talented MC. Snoop becoming great friends with the Doctor and was on Dre's 1992 debut "The Chronic" as much as Dre himself. Dre, left the label in the summer of 1996 to form Aftermath, declaring gangsta hip-hop was dead. It wasn't until he began working on his 2001 album, and discovering an underground MC by the name of Eminem that Dre would make his comeback.

Run dmc> Run dmc> Joseph Lloyd Simmons is one of the founders of the hip-hop sensation Run-DMC. Joseph Simmons is a real life reverend, thus the name Rev Run, and also the younger brother of Russell Simmons, the founder of Def Jam Records. The Run-DMC band proliferated during the 1980's and into the new millennium with a 2002 summer tour with Kid Rock and Aerosmith. Following this, the band split and Joseph Simmons ventured into the solo artist business. Rev Run is a respected rapper from hip-hop's golden age who broke out on his own in the mid-2000s, Rev Run started out as Kurtis Blow's DJ. His brother, Russell Simmons, formed the hip-hop management company Rush Productions in the early '80s. By the mid-'80s, Russell had formed the inventive record label Def Jam with Rick Rubin. Encouraged by his brother, Run and his friend Darryl McDaniels formed the rap group Run-D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) completed the group's lineup in 1982 and the act went on to sell millions of albums, open numerous doors for hip-hop, and blend rock into the mix with their hit cover version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" in 1986. Rev Run also shows his deep spiritual side by posting "Rev Run's Words of Wisdom" daily on his website. In late 2005, Run signed a deal with MTV for the reality show Run's House, a look into the daily life of Rev Run's family.

> Hip Hop has influenced other genres such as rock and pop into using rap as part of their usual lyrics , thus spreading the message behind hip hop to wider audiences. As a result more individuals globally are now becoming interested in hip hop beats and rapping, and because of that aspiring to become rappers themselves.

>In the developing world hip hop has made a considerable impact in the social context. Due to limited funds, hip hop artists are forced to use very basic tools, and even graffiti, an important aspect of the hip hop culture, is constrained due to its unavailability to the average person. Many hip hop artists that make it out of the developing world come to places like the United States in hopes of improving their situations. This whole cycle causes people to aspire to be great and successful , with simple messages embedded on local streets through graffiti people are motivated daily.

>Many organizations and facilities are providing spaces and programs for communities to explore making and learning about hip hop. An important example is the IMP Labs in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Many dance studios and colleges now offer lessons in Hip Hop alongside Tap and Ballet. As well as KRS-ONE teaching hip hop lectures at Harvard University. This again proves to those from a hip hop ‘background’ that they can be alongside the best of the best if they just try and dream.