This is the genre that is also referred to as rap music. It was born and still remains most popular in the United States. The genre was born and bred in African-American neighborhoods and gained most of its popularity towards the end of the 1970s.
Hip Hop is a distinct music genre that mainly uses rap, a style of putting together rhymes in a hard-hitting chant that is backed up by heavy beats. It came to be as part of the hip hop culture, a style that used art, graffiti and dressing modes to signify 
a new and independent black society.
Even in its early days, the style became hugely popular with youthful black Americans. Some older people also caught on the lifestyle and the genre was largely used to address social issues. Hip Hop artistes were viewed as cultural icons and played an important part in society.
Today, hip hop remains a special music tool. Besides social issues, it has also been used for pure entertainment and, at times, a competitive tool. The genre has spread across the world and is now popular in most cities around the globe.
