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Origin of Breakdance
Earl Tucker (aka Snake Hips), a performer at the Cotton Club, invents a dance style similar to today’s hip-hop moves. He incorporates floats and slides into his dance. Similar moves would later inspire an element of hip-hop culture known as breakdancing. -
Sound Clashing
The Soundclash contest between Coxsone Dodd’s “Downbeat” and Duke Reid’s “Trojan” gives birth to the concept of DJ battling. -
The Bronx
Parks Commissioner Robert Moses starts building an expressway in the Bronx. Consequently, middle-class Germans, Irish, Italians, and Jewish, neighborhoods gradually disappear. Businesses relocate away from the borough only to be replaced by impoverished African-American and Hispanic families. Along with the poor came addiction, crime, and unemployment. -
Rise of Zulu Nation
A gang named Savage Seven would hit the streets of the East Bronx. Savage Seven later changes its name to Black Spades, before eventually becoming an organization known as the Zulu Nation.
Afrikka Bambata
DJ Kool Herc
KRS One -
The Clash of Corporate hip-hop
Ice T helps pioneer gangsta rap in the west coast with his rapcore singles “Body Rock" and "Killers."
Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel (Furious 5) record the anti-cocaine single “White Lines (Don't Do It)," which becomes a rap hit.
Grandmaster Flash later sues Sugarhill Records for $5 million in royalties. The dispute causes the group to break up, signaling the looming danger of corporate control in hip-hop. -
Hip hop becomes more accepted in society
Michael Jackson does 'the moonwalk' at the Grammys, borrowing b-boy dance elements from LA breakers.
After years of being neglected by the mainstream media, hip-hop gets its own show on MTV, "Yo! MTV Raps."
N.W.A pioneers the gangsta rap movement with their gold album, Straight Outta Compton. -
Rise of A King
2 Pac joins Digital Underground as a dancer and a roadie. -
Tupac's First album
2Pac releases his first album showing a lot of knowledge pertaining to life in the ghetto while touching a lot of women as well with the song "Brenda's got a baby". This song brought him to stardom. -
Keep ya head up
Tupac continues to try and change the face of the young generation with hope by telling women to keep looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. -
U.N.I.T.Y
Rap around the '90s was becoming a much more universal and open to problems around the world not just dealing with African American communities but problems that deal with the government and the world itself. Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the "Best Rap Solo Performance" category for her hit “Unity.”
as well as michael jackson releasing "Heal The World" -
Eminem's Breakdown
Eminem becomes the new focus of a debate on hip-hop and racism after some unidentified friends of the rapper submitted a tape of him using the N-word and making several derogatory remarks about the African-American community.
"Black girls are b***es/ That's why I'ma tell ya you better pull up your britches/'Cause all that cash is making you're a* drag. : "Black girls and white girls just don't mix/Because Black girls are dumb and white girls are good chicks." -
Alternative Rap
In addition to the mainstream success, the United States also saw the success of alternative hip hop in the form of performers such as The Roots, Linkin Park, Gnarls Barkley, and Mos Def, who achieved significant recognition. Gnarls Barkley's album St. Elsewhere, which contained a fusion of funk, neo soul and hip hop, debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 charts. -
K-Pop
the early 2000s, infusing local styles of Afrobeat and arabesque melodies, dancehall and hip-hop beats, and Swahili lyrics. hip hop continued its spread into new regions, including Russia, Japan, Philippines, Canada, China, Korea, India and especially Vietnam. Of particular importance is the influence on East Asian nations, where hip hop music has become fused with local popular music to form different styles such as K-pop, C-pop, and J-pop. -
Snap Music
Snap music is a subgenre of crunk that emerged from Atlanta, Georgia, mid-2005 artists from other southern states such as Tennessee began to emerge with this style. Tracks commonly consist of an 808 bassdrum, hi-hat, bass, snapping, a main groove and a vocal track. Hit snap songs include "Lean wit It, Rock wit It" by "Dem Franchize Boyz", "Laffy Taffy" by D4L, "It's Goin' Down" by Yung Joc and "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy Tell 'Em. -
National Influence
In 2009, Time magazine placed M.I.A. in the Time 100 list of "World's Most Influential People" The alternative hip hop movement is not limited only to the United States, as rapper such as Somali-Canadian poet K'naan In 2009, TIMEmagazine placed M.I.A in the Time 100 list of "World's Most Influential people"."Islamic Eco-Rap" addressing issues of worldwide importance through traditionally disenfranchised voices. -
The Rise of Internet
Today, due in part to the increasing use of music distribution through the internet, many alternative rap artists find acceptance by far-reaching audiences. Several artists such as Kid Cudi and Drake have managed to attain chart-topping hit songs, "Day 'n' Night" and "Best I Ever Had" respectively, by releasing their music on free online mixtapes without the help of a major record label. New artists such as Wale, J. Cole, Lupe Fiasco, The Cool Kids, Jay Electronica, and B.o.B emerge -
Mumble Rap
Pump's big breakthrough on SoundCloud arrived in 2017 with the explosion of his single "Gucci Gang," which rose to the Top Three of the Hot 100 by the end of the year and was certified triple platinum. He issued his debut mixtape, Lil Pump, in October, featuring appearances by Smokepurpp, Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, and more. -
Soundcloud Rap
XXXTENTACION a very new and trendy controversial rapper has released a new song dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting that took place at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last week (February 14). -
Death of XXX
On June 18, 2018, Onfroy was killed while leaving a motorsports store in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Despite all the controversies that surrounded the rapper, XXXTENTACION was a role model to his fans in many different ways. He encouraged other kids to follow their dreams and even released a song to motivate and uplift them. He was able to tap into his Everyday Power to turn his life around and achieve success in a short span of time. -
Gekyume
The girlfriend of the late US rapper XXXTentacion, Jenesis Sanchez, has given birth to a boy - seven months after the artist's death. They said they were "thrilled" at the arrival of Gekyume Onfroy. The statement says the late musician, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, "specifically chose" the name Gekyume "for his first born son".The pregnancy was revealed last June, days after XXXTentacion was shot and killed in Florida at the age of 20.
