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Hip-hop was Invented in the South Bronx neighborhood in the 1970s by African American youth, hip-hop music quickly started expanding throughout the US and, eventually, the rest of the world. At first, listeners were drawn in by the creative hip-hop artists who used pre-existing music to create a new sound that hadn’t been popular over the course of many years. Hip-hop artists used digital samplers, drum machines, and turntables as musical instruments, opening up new possibilities for previously recorded music. They created a whole new approach to composition, turning music that was recorded and sold to consumers into a raw form that could be combined in countless ways. When it came to the digital remix era, hip-hop artists were the real pioneers. There's more to this genre than just music. It's a multifaceted culture that includes elements such as graffiti, hip-hop dancing, DJing, MCing, and rapping.

Hip-hop has taken over the youth culture at large. Hip-hop provides the young generation with a sense of identity and belonging, which strengthens their sense of hope and togetherness. Young artists have turned to dance, music and art as a way to express their experiences in this racist world due to racial discrimination, economic hardships, and a lack of opportunities. Hip-hop culture therefore influences children from the time they can talk until high school, whether or not they listen to music.  Many experts believe that rap has a strong influence on children. Many young people consider the words in their lyrics to be powerful and pay attention to them. Youngsters absorb knowledge by living it and learning by living it. The majority of these kids, many of whom come from broken homes, hold rappers in high regard.

The rapper frequently assumes the role of teacher. Rap music and videos negatively affect school-age children. The school children are wearing baggy jeans and swearing. Girls often dress in a way that is similar to the overly clad women in the videos. Certain experts are dubious about claims that hip-hop and rap are detrimental. They contend that additional factors, such as a broken home, mental health problems, or financial hardship, are involved.

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1. Nappy-headed hos - It’s a term used by radio host Don Imus to describe the black women in the Rutgers basketball team.

“Man, those girls are rough Dims, some nappy-headed hos.”

2. Misogyny - hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women

3. Toasting - Toasting in hip-hop is a term used to refer to chanting or talking rhythmically in a monotonic melody. This happens over a beat which can be seen as miming.

4. Hip-hop culture - Hip-hop is one of the cultural movements that has been shaped and dominated by African American males though female hip hop artists have contributed to the art form and culture as well. Hip-hop culture is characterized by the key elements of rapping, DJing, turntablism, and breakdancing.

5. Main Stream - Mainstream music refers to commercialized music that is extremely popular among people. It can be great or garbage depending on the generation. The most useful definition of mainstream is music that the average music listener is familiar with, such as Top 40 pop music or anything of similar strata.

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How does Hip-Hop influence the youth of today?

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Rappers need to portray their struggles through music

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Rappers need to portray their struggles through music

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Many rappers and MC's come from a dark past. Throughout their childhood, they have faced issues that pretty much all African-American population faces such as racial abuse and profiling, lack of opportunities and financial issues. This has created a culture where talented people from the hood express their pain and struggles through their respective art forms, the main one being hip-hop/rap music. This is the way that these individuals strive to make a change for their communities as they have the loudest voice in terms of a global scale as hip-hop is now a mainstream source of music. For example, Snoop Dogg, who is one of the biggest hip-hop artists the genre has ever seen, lived a rough childhood where he had to navigate through gang violence, racial abuse, and countless other problems such as drug addiction. His breakthrough into the rap game changed his life for good as his debut mixtape gave him the local buzz and he went on to become a legend in the scene.

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The youth is heavily influenced by rap music.

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The youth is heavily influenced by rap music.

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Since rap/hip-hop is one of the biggest and most popular forms of music, it's influence has reached multiple corners of the world. Kids who are into this form of music tend to idolize their favorite rappers and use the words that rappers use, including profanity, harsh slurs and misogynistic terms that rappers use in their lyrics. The music videos they use portray women as promiscuous which influences young women to believe in unnatural beauty standards. As Jeff Johnson from CNN suggests in his article, "while acceptable for adults, are targeted to a demographic made up of young people ages 12 to 16. Studies have shown that these images, and more importantly these lyrics, play a role in how young people view themselves and process sex and relationships." This has become a real problem in society as young kids don't understand the roots of the lyrics and think of it as 'cool'.

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 Hip-hop has positively empowered African-American individuals

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 Hip-hop has positively empowered African-American individuals

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Hip-hop has created a culture so big that it can be seen all across the world. Since Hip-hop was taken from the corners of the street to the global radio, it has changed the lives of so many African-American people. Firstly, Hip-hop gives people a big opportunity to make something of themselves in a country where black people don't get as many opportunities as white people do. It is quite evident that the influence rappers have in this day and age is massive. Using Hip-hop as a platform to strive to make a change for their people is special because it gives people a sense of togetherness and hope but more importantly it empowers the audience. For example, the hit rap song 'Alright' became the anthem during the black lives matter protest.

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Johnson, Jeff. “‘Cousin Jeff’: Don’t Blame Hip-Hop for Society’s Sexism.” CNN, Cable News Network, 2007, www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/07/commentary.johnson/index.html.

Sanneh, Kelefa. “Don’t Blame Hip-Hop.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/arts/music/25hiph.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.7Jvn.lCfPpoGaSjoO&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ugrp=u.

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Hip-Hop and its culture has a broad impact on today's youth by influencing various stereotypes and cultural expressions depicted in society. Rather than just being a music style, Hip-Hop is a cultural movement that aims to appeal to youth all over the world. It focuses on representing the unheard voices on stage which are acknowledged by people of color and the youth of today who constantly listen to and follow hip-hop culture. Hip-hop acts as a mirror reflecting the realities, struggles, and dreams of a large number of young people. Popular figures such as Snoop Dog and Kendrick Lamar are artists who have faced several struggles in their lives such as racial abuse and profiling, financial issues, and gang violence which has been heavily expressed throughout their music as a way of voicing out their struggles to the world. Despite this, they are constantly questioned for the use of profanity and racial slurs in their music which may negatively affect the youth of today, resulting in the youth and women of today adjusting to certain stereotypes set by these songs. However, songs from Hip-Hop culture should be acknowledged, encouraging young listeners to think critically about the world and act as change agents. Hip-hop inspires youth to explore their artistic abilities and develop their own voices, which has a positive impact on creativity and self-expression. Hip-hop also inspires people of color to voice out their thoughts and beliefs and express their struggles through music just like other hip-hop artists. Unfortunately, Hip-Hop culture also has a downside as the kids of the younger generation may be influenced by the songs of these generations causing them to act out while women are being sexualized through the lyrics and music videos of these songs. However, it is important to understand that the lyrics of Hip-Hop songs are focused on people expressing their struggles and opinions, while also being a coping mechanism for what people have faced throughout their childhood, encouraging listeners to look at the positive side of Hip-Hop and see it as an art rather than it being a taboo to society.