The Origins Of The Term "Hip Hop"
We discuss the cultural and artistic elements that make up Hip Hop's origin.

Hip Hop. Widely known in the world now making up most of the hit songs is a term that many are unfamiliar with. As much as you do listen to rap music, or hip-hop, do you really know where it originated from?

In this article, I hope to answer exactly that question, delving deep into the origins of hip-hop and different elements that defined what it is today, like graffiti or the term MC.
In addition, I will talk about the 4 key elements of hip-hop that will be mentioned later in the article.

What is « Hip Hop »

Hip-hop is a genre of music also known as rap music, and formerly known as disco rap. With time, of course, the way rappers rap changed a lot. From west-coast rap, to drill, to underground hip-hop, this genre of music branched out a lot. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.

The origins of the term « Hip Hop »

The origin of the term hip-hop is also tied to the origin of the music in general. Both the music and the term originated in the Bronx, New York City. Steven Hager, a downtown reporter published a longform article in the Village voice. Hager did what a lot of reporters wouldn’t do at his time, he was one of the first white reporters to cross the Harlem River and see how African-Americans were living in one of the most sluggish, forgotten places in the USA, the Bronx.

Steven Hager then wrote about the lifestyle, culture, art and language and the overall style that the people embraced there. He went on to say “In another five years, hip-hop could be considered the most significant artistic achievement of the decade.”
Surprisingly enough, he was right. Right now, hip-hop is one of the most popular if not the most popular genre of music in the USA and worldwide.

However, this isn’t the only originator of the term, it could be seen as the first door of sorts. Then came out the name of the alleged originator of the term “hip-hop”, Afrika Bambaataa. Afrika was once interviewed where they asked him if he had a name for what his acolytes were doing, he responded with the term “hip-hop”.

When asked what makes hip-hop, he named 4 aspects, adding on a 5^th later on, these aspects are “DJing, rapping, breaking, graffiti writing, and knowledge”. But many people thought that Bambaataa was just trying to improvise since he wasn’t expecting a question like that. Nevertheless, these 5 elements can still now be considered as pillars in hip-hop.

Another origin could be seen in the 1950s, although it was not as focused as it was with Bambaataa, it was just thrown out, where old people were calling teen house parties “them old hippity hops”

Others say that the origin actually came from MCing, an art that got lost with time. This story is about two of the most important party-rockers of all time: Grandmaster Flash and Keith Cowboy with a rapper DJ called Lovebug Starski. At a party, the DJ was chanting with the crowd “hip-hop-hip-hop-…”
Soon Starski had a new line to try out at parties: “Hip, hop, hippy to the hippy hop-bop.” Cowboy did too: “I said a hip-hop, a hibbit, hibby-dibby, hip-hip-hop and you don’t stop.”

We can safely say that there are many origins for the term “hip-hop” from many different stories but Grandmaster flash, Cowboy, Afrika Bambaataa could be considered the originators, or the ones who made hip-hop what it is.

What does a song have to do to be considered as a “hip-hop” track?

For a song to be considered as a “hip-hop” track it is tied with the 5 elements that Afrika Bambaataa mentioned. DJing, rapping and knowledge are what makes a song a hip-hop song. Now, hip-hop is a very wide genre, but back then, it was considered disco rap.

However, both versions include the rapping and the knowledge. For a song to be considered a hip-hop track it is often a freestyle, or a written rap verse that is sung upon a beat, the way someone raps change the subgenre of the song, from conscious rap, to drill, west-coast, gangster rap etc.

What is an MC?

As mentioned before in the article, a key part of the beginning of hip-hop was MCing. Which begs the question, what is an MC? An MC is a master of ceremonies, originating from New York, it is typically associated with hosts of parties, formal events, or a host for an entertainment program.

During the 1970s in New York, with the rise of DJs and DJing around the US and New York in general, MCs were simply on hand to get the crowd hype and ready for the DJ and to announce upcoming appearances. If any rhyming was to be done by the MC, it was to talk about how great the DJ was. In most cases the MC needed the DJ’s permission to get on the microphone at all. It wasn’t a great time for MCs but they were considered to be a vital part of the event nonetheless.

However, with time, that term changed. Nowadays, the term MC is often associated with hip-hop and rap in particular, where an MC is a vocalist who rhymes over sampling, scratching and mixing supplied by a DJ. Of the most famous and influential MCs we have Rakim, LL Cool J, Eminem, Jay-Z, 2 Pac. An MC is also called “Microphone controller”, “Move the Crowd” and many other things. It has been called so many things that we could also say it lost it’s cultural meaning as not many people refer tot themselves as MCs anymore.

What is a DJ?

“DJ” is the most common abbreviation used for what we call a Disc Jockey. There are many types of DJs like club DJs, mobile DJs, turntablists etc.
The most general meaning for it though is, someone who plays recorded music for an audience. A DJ is essential for every music genre and is someone who was crucial for the rise of hip-hop music.

A DJ is always present at any concert to play the recorded songs the artist wishes to perform, he is present at clubs to play the mi of the songs he made for parties. You can even recruit a DJ for a party of your own.

A DJ usually plays music from either Vinyl records, digital audio tracks or CDs using a controller to mix and match the songs to his liking.

In the case of hip-hop, they are often songwriters and producers which use turntablism and sampling to create a new and unique backing instrumental for rap songs, a famous sampler is Kanye West. Another famous sample is the violin in the song “Dior” by Pop Smoke.

What is breakdancing and Graffiti

For the 2 final elements that Afrika Bambaataa mentioned, we have graffiti painting and breakdancing. Graffiti is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. It is not associated heavily with hip-hop anymore however it was a key aspect of it in hip-hop’s early days. With gangsta rappers loke N.W.A and 2pac, graffiti was often shown in music videos, where a lot of the neighbourhooods they lived in were filled with graffiti.

Since it was illegal most of the times, artists used graffiti for attention and to express their opinions in a loud voice, those opinions mainly being something along the lines of “being against the system, or government”, which is something gangsta rap was very familiar with.

Meanwhile breakdancing represented the much earlier version of hip-hop that was disco rap. People breakdanced on the dancefloor to hip-hop music and it quickly became a cultural dance that evolved with time. Although it is not as famous now as it was back then it still is a cultural gem for the hip-hop community, especially those who listened to old hip-hop like MC Hammer or LL Cool J.

Conclusion

To conclude this article, we can say that the term hip-hop originated from 2 sources. Afrika Bambaataa, and grandmaster flash, Cowbow and Lovebug Starski. Hip hop has 5 key elements, 3 of which have been explained, they are: Graffiti painting, breakdancing, DJing, knowledge and rapping. Although, we can safely say that MCs were a key part as well.

Nowadays, hip-hop has widened to many subgenres having a very detailed history about it's transformation with time, becoming what it is today with rap, trap, having some aspecs of it in R&B, soul and other genres.

Some of the icons of hip-hop are MC Hammer, Outkast, Eminem, Jay-Z, 2Pac and Biggie, LL Cool J, Birdman, Nas, Lil Wayne and much more.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_(culture)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music

https://medium.com/cuepoint/how-hip-hop-got-its-name-a3529fa4fbf1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mc-emcee-master-ceremonies/

https://www.upbeatgeek.co.uk/the-greatest-mcs-of-all-time/