Have you ever wondered about the origin of Hip Hop?
Its history is very interesting and it all began as an urban dance from New York. Besides, apart from reaching the big screen, the movement and culture of Hip Hop has unleashed other styles in the world of dance that we are now going to tell you about.
Did you know that the term hip hop covers different areas such as dance, music, culture and painting?
The thing is, if you like pirouettes, jumps, rhythm, and marked movements, among many other techniques, hip hop is for you.
If you are a lover of urban dance, whether on the street, on the dance floor or in dance battles and don't know the roots of the style you dance, we encourage you to learn about the history of hip hop below.
Do you dare to discover it with
Pict by Barakaldodigital.blogspot.com
The history of hip hop and the elements that make it up
Hip hop is an artistic and cultural movement that emerged in the United States in the late 1960s in African-American and Latin American communities in neighborhoods such as the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn.
From the beginning, the characteristic manifestations of music (funk, rap, Blues, DJing), dance (hustle, uprocking, lindy hop, popping, locking) and painting (aerosol, bombing, murals, political graffiti) were highlighted, as they are told from danzaballet.com on its website.
As we mentioned earlier, hip hop covers different areas. At present, it is characterized by 4 elements representative of the different manifestations of culture.
Elements of Hip Hop
- Rap (oral: singing or reciting).
You know what the first rap in history is? Below you can see the official video of The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
- Turntablism or “DJing” (auditory or musical).
In this video the art of turntablism is clearly shown. Today, it's styled in all discos, dance floors and even live concerts.
- Breaking (fisical dance).
Then you can enjoy this video of breaking dance in its early stages: Piruettes, jumps, battles and more!
- Graffiti (visual: the painting)
The graffiti started on the streets of New York City. I hope you enjoy the video below.
What do you think of the before to after change?
However, for many, this unification of the elements of hip hop may be incomplete, as there are other manifestations of culture, such as beatbox, murals, beatmaking, popping, locking, uprocking, etc. that are not present in this discipline.
By the way, if you would like to learn to dance hip-hop, you can find and book courses at go&dance in hip-hop schools, get in touch with them and start dancing!
The origins of hip hop
Hip-hop originated initially as a musical style when street parties, the so-called "block parties" by Americans, were frequented in New York City, especially in the Bronx neighborhood because the clubs and discotheques were not very accessible to the neighborhood.
The block parties incorporated DJs who played popular music genres, generally funk and soul were highlighted.
From then on, music began to be played using turntablism techniques, such as scratching and beat juggling, which were developed in parallel to the breaks, bases created on which it could be rapped.
Then rapping was created, a technique of rhythmic singing based on improvisation, and with these techniques formed the popularization of remixes, and from there began to sound many songs of other mixed musicians.
Have you had the opportunity to attend a block party?
They have always been very popular in the US, especially in the summertime. Who doesn't like to enjoy an outdoor party?
However, this style of partying takes place in every corner of the world.
So you know, it's never too late to try something new.
Pict by funcheap.com
Hip Hop Golden Era
The golden age of hip-hop or also called the Golden Age of Rap was between the 1980s and the entire 1990s.
This period was characterized by the definitive explosion of hip hop and rap music culture characterized by its diversity of styles, quality, innovation and influence among both its artists and the public.
The most outstanding artists during this period are Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest y Jungle Brothers.
The golden age of hip hop was a period of constant evolution, change and creation of hip hop culture and music. And it was during this period that the first commercial successes of rap albums and the emergence of Gangsta Rap took place, a boom in the United States in the 1990s.
Hip-hop is not just a dance, it's a cultural trend
As you can see, hip-hop is not just a term that refers to dancing, since hip-hop dancing is part of the hip-hop cultural trend.
Hip-hop dance refers to urban dance styles that are performed primarily with hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of their culture. In addition, there are several sub-styles of hip-hop dancing that we will show you in future articles.
To finish this post, here are 3 videos of the main styles of hip hop dance:
- Video of a boy dancing Break Dance
Find your next school with break dance classes at go&dance.
- Video of two boys dancing Locking
Find your next school with locking classes at go&dance.
- Video de chico bailando Popping
Find your next school with popping classes at go&dance.
What did you think of these videos? Did you know these dance styles?
Now you know, if you want to start dancing this style you have to learn the basic steps of hip hop and dance!
The key to dancing well Hip Hop is practice and perseverance, just like any other style of dancing.
You might be interested: What kinds of Hip Hop dance are there?
