Born in the Ghetto

The beauty of Hip Hop is that it was born in the streets. It is a form of musical expression that is tied to the the ghetto. The origins of hip-hop culture came from the Bronx, N.Y., during the 1970s. Battling the likes of longer existing and more popular music, like Rock N' Roll and Disco, Hip Hop was considered a phase for the moment. It was a music that embraced street culture, which was linked to criminal activity - gangs violence and graffiti defacement of property; so it was expected to never have a chance of prosperity. But the beat boys and the rappers kept hope alive, kept "spitting" rhymes in alleys and were the foundation of the underground hip hop revolution.

Hip Hop was not conceived immaculately. Born from Jamaican roots, Clive Campbell (DJ Kool Herc) brought the Jamaican sound system and art of "toasting" to the Bronx.

"In 1967, a young Jamaican, Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc, came to the Bronx with knowledge of the Jamaican "sound system" as well as "toasting." Sound systems were gatherings of DJs and engineers who played music for entertainment. Toasting was when DJs or disc jockeys talked over the music they played such as phrases to encourage the crowd. As a DJ, Kool Herc linked the excitement of a crowd to the beat of the music."

As much as it was about fun, entertaining music it was about bringing light to a community of struggle; bringing hope to youth rebellion, and bringing awareness to the lifestyle of the inner city population. Hip Hop was not a phase it was the expression of the way of life for the young minority.