Music Sound

Hip hop music (Rap)
Stylistic origins:	Jamaican Dancehall toasting alongside the rhythms of R&B, disco and funk
Cultural origins:	late 1960s/early 1970s: Kingston, Jamaica - early 1970s South Bronx, New York City
Typical instruments:	Turntable, rapping, drum machine, Sampler, synthesizer, human beatboxing
Mainstream popularity:	Since late 1980s in the United States, worldwide beginning in early 1990s, among best-selling genres of music by early 2000s.
Derivative forms:	Trip hop, Grime
Subgenres
Abstract - Alternative - Chopped and screwed - Christian - Conscious - Crunk - Gangsta - G-funk - Hardcore - Horrorcore - Hyphy - Instrumental - Jazz rap - Latin rap - Mobb - Nerdcore - Old school - Pop rap - Snap
Fusion genres
Country rap - Electro hop - Freestyle - Hip house - Hip life - Ghettotech - Hip hop soul - Miami bass - Neo soul - New jack swing - Ragga - Rapcore - Reggaeton - Urban Pasifika
Regional scenes
African - American: (East - West - South)
Other topics
DJing (Turntablism) - History - Rapping - Roots - Timeline

A Tribe Called Quest’s, The Low End Theory, is one of the defining albums of the conscious hip hop genre

Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music. Though mainstream and crossover acceptance has been generally limited to gangsta rap and pop rap, some artists with a socially aware and positive or optimistic tone or a more avantgarde approach have achieved some success. They are often referred to in mainstream musical circles as conscious hip hop due to their focus on political issues surrounding the black community, which differentiates them from gangsta rappers. Fans of such rappers tend to view this subgenre as more authentic hip hop, claiming that they harken back to hip hop's early days where several artists rapped about "socially conscious" issues and gangsta rap had not yet gained mainstream acceptance.

History

In 1988 and 1989, albums from the Native Tongues collective like De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising, A Tribe Called Quest's People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and the Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle are usually considered the first conscious rap albums, with jazz-based samples and quirky, insightful lyrics covering a diverse range of topics (see jazz rap) and strongly influenced by the Afrocentric messages of Bambaataa's Zulu Nation. This period, between 1988 and 1992, when the Native Tongues (together with other crews such as Pete Rock and CL Smooth) were at their creative peak, is considered the golden age of hip hop.

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is one of the definitive voices of "conscious hip hop," verbally confronting institutional racism, police corruption, and the legacy of slavery in the United States. They attracted youth because of their ability to boldly criticize and reveal serious contradictions in American democracy. Since then, other rappers have promoted positive messages. For example, with songs like "Stop the Violence" and "Self-Destruction," KRS-One has dedicated his talent to opening the ears of a world that often seems cruel and drenched in hate. eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Schoolly D, Slick Rick, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Ice Cube all helped to build this movement.

Lyrical content

With conscious hip hop lyrics become more poignant as the rhythm continued to capture the attention of young audiences. The following excerpt from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" demonstrates how the lyrics and rhythm come together: "Got a bum education, double-digit inflation/ Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station/ Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge/ I'm tryin' not to lose my head/ It's like a jungle sometime it makes me wonder/ How I keep from going under." Because of the beat and the rhythm of the music this particular song appealed to a large audience and the message against the oppression of Afrikan Americans spread with it.

Hip hop/Rap

Beatboxing - DJing (Turntablism) - Fashion -History (Roots - Old school - Golden age - Modern) - Production - Rapping

Genres

African - American (East - West - South)

Abstract - Alternative - Chopped & Screwed - Christian - Country-rap - Crunk - Electro - Freestyle music - Gangsta - G-funk - Ghettotech - Golden age - Hardcore - Hip hop soul - Hip house - Horrorcore - Hyphy - Instrumental - Jazz rap - Latin rap - Mafioso - Miami bass - Mobb - Neo soul - Nerdcore - New jack swing - Old school - Political hip hop - Pop rap - Rapcore - Ragga - Reggaeton - Snap music - Urban Pasifika