New York hip-hop
New York hip-hop is the culture and music scene that developed in New York City, encompassing rap, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti.
Bronx hip-hop: The early hip-hop culture that took shape in the Bronx during the 1970s. The Bronx was the scene’s birthplace, where block parties joined DJing, MCing, dance, and graffiti.
Breakbeat: A rhythmically intense passage in a song, often centered on drums, that DJs isolate and extend. New York DJs lengthened these passages to give dancers more time and MCs a musical bed.
Afrika Bambaataa: A Bronx DJ and organizer who helped popularize hip-hop culture and founded the Universal Zulu Nation. He connected music, dance, and graffiti with a broader cultural and community identity.
West Coast hip-hop: The hip-hop culture and music scene that developed in California, especially Los Angeles. Its rise challenged New York’s earlier dominance and helped define the coast-to-coast rap rivalry.
Hip-hop culture: A cultural movement encompassing rap, DJing, dance, graffiti, and related forms of expression. New York’s scene helped establish the practices and shared identity associated with hip-hop worldwide.
DJ Kool Herc: A Jamaican-born DJ whose Bronx parties helped establish hip-hop’s early sound and performance practices. His extended breakbeats became a foundation for the music developed at Bronx parties.
Turntablism: The use of turntables as instruments through techniques such as scratching, beat juggling, and mixing. New York DJs made the turntable a central instrument rather than merely a playback device.
Run-D.M.C.: A Queens rap group whose stark production and streetwear helped redefine hip-hop in the 1980s. The group carried New York rap into mainstream attention while keeping a stripped-down local sound.
Southern hip-hop: The hip-hop music and culture that developed across the American South. Southern artists and production styles later displaced New York as the dominant commercial force in rap.
Hip-hop fashion: Clothing styles associated with hip-hop artists and communities, shaped by local taste and commercial influence. New York crews and performers made distinctive streetwear part of the scene’s public image.