Hip Hop Lyrics

Hip hop originated from the music that arose from the post civil-rights cultural movement in New York City's African American neighborhoods, particularly the South Bronx. Through the combination of spoken word performances and mixed-music genres, artists of hip hop sought to define, reach, and give voice to disenfranchised communities. Hip hop lyrics tend to reflect upon the realities of each artist's life experiences.

From early artists such as DJ Hollywood, The Crash Crew, and Grandmaster Flash, to more influential mainstream artists, including James Brown and Blondie, this genre of music is associated with–and has influenced–rap, disco, and rock. Its lyrical rapping style has crossed over into variant genres of country, punk, and gospel, among others. Popular artists today include Lil' Wayne, Eminem and Jay-Z to name a few.

A combination of jazz and popular African American music, "Rhythm and Blues" was a term coined by Billboard magazine in 1948. R&B was distinguished from jazz by a heavy, compelling beat and its decidedly urban influence. R&B lyrics have had a tremendous impact on music, influencing popular artists such as Elvis Presley to The Rolling Stones. New artists such as Usher, Drake, Trey Songz and Rihanna continue to add influential songs to this ever-popular music genre. Subgenres of R&B include soul, funk, contemporary, reggae, ska and--some would argue – rock and roll.

Fun Fact:: Rapping, the lyrical vocal style of hip hop, finds its tradition in "griots", West African historians who deliver history and current events through oral recitation that includes poetry, praise singing and often musical accompaniment.