What is hip hop?

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In layman's terms please - but feel free to dive into musical theory if you wish. I just want to know what the various components of a hip hop track are, what makes something hip hop. If there's already a post on this can someone direct me there please.

― Ian, Thursday, 18 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hip hop is about making something out of nothing.

― Mark, Thursday, 18 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Everything is hip-hop, but hip-hop isn't everything.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 18 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hip-hop is rhyming about metaphysical outer-space Philip K. Dick shit over downtempo robo-death Moog beats.

What? Oh, OK, fine. Among other things. Sheesh.

― Nate Patrin, Thursday, 18 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

beats + rhymes + life = everything, okay yeah not a great definition but there you go. It's the stuff in the "hip hop" section at the record store.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

this is a paraphrase of something i read about hip hop:

hip hop is about flow; and anticipating, adapting and incorporating disruption. eg. for the music: a continuous beat (a sampled breakbeat = a point of disruption in another piece of music!) which is cut up - disrupted - at various points by a dj via scratching/other turntablist tricks. an mc flows over the beat, creatively working around the ruptured bits, also at times intentially straying from the expected rhythm, thus interrupting their own flow. the grafitti and the breakdancing have similar stylistic elements too, but presumably you're only interested in the music.

― minna, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A cultural genre encompassing the four (sometimes five) elemens: MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graf art (sometimes including beatboxing).

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Painting pictures of things you've seen before in colors you've never encountered.

― Clarke B., Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

these 20 records are all varied but all PURE hip hop - accept no substitutes

01) Public Enemy - Fight Tha Power (1989) 02) Pharcyde - Drop (1994) 03) N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton (1988) 04) Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear ( 05) De La Soul - Me Myself I 06) Busta Rhymes - Woo Hah! (Got You All In Check) 07) Wu Tang Clan - Wu Tang Clan Aint Nuthin T' Fuck Wit 08) A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation (Relax Yourself Girl) 09) LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out 10) Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message 11) Dr Dre - Let Me Ride 12) Beastie Boys - Sure Shot 13) KRS One - Step Into A World (Rapture's Delight) 14) Dead Pres - Hip Hop 15) Nas - Nas Is Like 16) Outkast - Elevators 17) Run DMC - My Adidas 18) Fugees - Fu-Gee-La 19) DMX - Who We Be 20) Massive Attack - Blue Lines

― blueski, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'd accept a substitute for that DMX track. Like Geto Boys' "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me".

― Nate Patrin, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

It seems that the less relevant the "4 aspects of hip hop" argument becomes, the more frequently it is repeated like a mantra (no offence Dom!).

― Tim, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Massive Attack ?!

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i dont think its irrelevant. people get offended by the definition because it leaves them out. it's just a word, though. i say get over it, call the music rap and bam! everybody's happy

― Ron, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Things which rhyme over beats which are syncopated.

― Sterling Clover, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sterling, what are "4 My People", "Xstacy", "BK Anthem" etc?

― Tim, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Xtasy is R&B. 4 My People and BK Anthem are so syncopated it hurts.

― Sterling Clover, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If you don't know then I'm certainly not going to tell you.

Alternate answer:

It's like pornography, you know it when you hear it.

― Jordan, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How do you know if you're hearing pornography or the people in the next room being a bit loud, though?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm surprised nobody said "It's bigger than all these fake fake rekkids" yet.

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I can always tell, Ned.

― Jordan, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

*bows*

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Kodwo Eshun once said abt something else (maybe)

"a mandate to recombinate"

He so catchy!

― Bob Zemko, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Xtasy is R&B."

I meant the Ja Rule version.

"4 My People and BK Anthem are so syncopated it hurts."

You may have a point.

― Tim, Friday, 19 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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