User:OnBeyondZebrax/sandbox/Hip hop music

Hip hop as music and culture formed during the 1970s when block parties became increasingly popular in New York City, particularly among African American youth residing in the Bronx. At block parties DJs played percussive breaks of popular songs using two turntables to extend the breaks. Hip hop's early evolution occurred as sampling technology and drum-machines became widely available and affordable. Turntablist techniques developed along with the breaks and the Jamaican toasting vocal style was used. [Rapping]] developed as a vocal style in which the artist speaks along with an instrumental or synthesized beat. The first hip hop record is widely regarded to be The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight", from 1979. The 1980s marked the diversification of hip hop as the genre developed more complex styles. Prior to the 1980s, hip hop music was largely confined within the United States. However, during the 1980s, it began its spread and became a part of the music scene in dozens of countries.

New school hip hop was the second wave of hip hop music, originating in 1983–84 with the early records of Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J. The Golden age hip hop period was an innovative period between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s. Notable bands included Public Enemy and A Tribe Called Quest. Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop that reflects the violent lifestyles of inner-city American black youths. N.W.A is the group most frequently associated with the founding of gangsta rap. Controversy surrounded Ice-T's album Body Count, in particular over its song "Cop Killer". Hip hop became a best selling music genre in the mid-1990s and the top selling music genre by 1999. In the West Coast hip hop style, G-funk dominated mainstream hip hop for several years. East Coast hip hop in the early 1990s was dominated by the Native Tongues posse and artists such as Nas and Notorious B.I.G..

In the 1990s, hip hop began to diversify with other regional styles emerging on the national scene, such as Southern rap and Atlanta hip hop. At the same time, hip hop continued to be assimilated into other genres of popular music, an example being Neo soul. The popularity of hip hop music continued through the 2000s. Dr. Dre was an important figure and Eminem was successful. Hip hop influences also found their way increasingly into mainstream pop during this period mainly the mid-2000s. In addition to the mainstream success, the United States also saw the success of alternative hip hop styles, such as Crunk, a music that emphasized the beats and music more than the lyrics. Starting in 2005, sales of hip hop music in the United States began to severely wane. During the mid-2000s that alternative hip hop secured a place within the mainstream, due in part to the crossover success of artists such as OutKast and Kanye West.