Hip-hop took birth as American street culture. Hip-hop culture emerged from 1970s block parties (large outdoor parties, thrown by owners of expensive stereo equipment) in New York City, specifically South Bronx. Pioneered by Black Americans, it includes rap music, break dancing, 'b-boy' fashion, and a defiant stance.

Amid predictions it would not outlive a season, hip-hop music managed to create its own race. Anyone who dismisses Hip-hop as rap music does not understand its history and the influence hip-hop has on youth culture. True fans appreciate that hip-hop is not just about music; it is a way of life, a language, and a unique perspective that uses music to address racism, oppression, and poverty issues, and transforms the music into a political movement. The aim is to motivate young adults to get active in ways reminiscent of the civil rights movement. Hip-hop narrates the stories of inner city African-Americans trying to live the American dream from the bottom up. It is about the youth culture of New York City taking over the world someday—about dance, art, hurt, love, racial discrimination, broken homes, overcoming adversity, and fulfillment.

Hip-hop includes four key forms of expression: mixing (combining sounds using turntables or other sources), “b-boying” (dancing), graffiti art, and emceeing (a person who can control the crowd with his lyrics). This culture manifested itself throughout New York City around the mid-1970s. There is a message passed down from the godfathers of hip-hop: to earn respect, you must be skilled on the mic, possess the ability to rock a crowd with sheer lyricism, and explain why you were better than the man next door.