McBride’s primary purpose in this article is to inform the reader of the history,influence and spread of hip hop culture. Although throughout the article, McBride includes personal anecdotes of his experiences with hip hop, this article could be interpreted as a cultural study, rather than a personal essay because it isn't focused on his personal life, more so the historical and cultural impact and influence of hip hop. He also explains the fundamental roots of hip hop through the use of the example of Ethnomusicologists and tracing them back to the music and dance of the West African griots. McBride also describes how in America the majority of hip hop creators are Americans with African roots, but hip hop has since spread to the people of the world with endless backgrounds and heritages, more so in the cities that are considered “melting pots”. Hip hop of all art forms has flourished and been expressed however that person wishes. He even goes into detail about different artists over the years he includes names like “Fab 5 Freddy, Kurtis Blow.