III. Hip Hop Arts and Culture: Foundational Elements

Hip-hop dance and culture are built on several foundational elements that have shaped its unique identity. DJing involves creating music through mixing and scratching records, laying the groundwork for hip-hop beats. MCing, or rapping, adds the vocal element with rhythmic and rhyming speech that often tells stories or provides social commentary. Graffiti art serves as the visual expression of hip-hop, with vibrant and bold artwork that often carries social messages. Breakdancing (B-boying/B-girling) is the dance component, characterized by acrobatic moves, intricate footwork, and powerful freezes. Beatboxing adds another layer of musicality, using the mouth to create beats and rhythms. Together, these elements collectively form the foundation of hip-hop culture, influencing not just music and dance, but also visual arts, fashion, and social movements.

III.A. MCing / Rhyming

MCing (Rapping): This is the vocal element of hip-hop, where artists perform rhythmic and rhyming speech. It often involves storytelling, social commentary, and wordplay ¹.

MCing - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
MCs (masters of ceremonies) deliver the spoken-word element of hip hop. MCing (or emceeing) began as a complementary skill and evolved to become the driving force of the music once hip hop transitioned from the street to the recording booth. The MC is the mouthpiece of the culture, and with the evolution from audio to visual and digital media platforms, the MC has become the face of hip hop.

Music Bed Produced By: Ok!Chris Introduction produced By: Mike Jaxx and Tha Hydrox Rakim sits down with @247HH to break down what he believes is the difference between and MC and a Rapper. #247HHEXCL

III.B. DJing/Turntablisim

DJing (Turntabling): This involves using turntables to create music by mixing and scratching records. DJs like Kool Herc were pioneers in this field, creating the beats that became the backbone of hip-hop music ¹.

DJing - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
One of the four major elements of the hip hop culture is DJing (or deejaying), along with MCing or rapping, Bboying/B-girling or breakdancing, and graffiti. However, the practice of DJing and the figure of the DJ existed before hip hop formed as a culture in the Bronx borough of New York City, and DJs maintain a presence in other musical genres and cultures. The distinctiveness of DJing in hip hop started with the development of adroit techniques on two turntables. Despite variance in the profile of the DJ over time, DJing has remained a staple of hip hop music.

An Introduction to DJing Turntablism and Hip Hop by Marcia Murnell

III.C. Dance/Breakin`

Breakdancing (B-boying/B-girling): This is the dance element of hip-hop, characterized by acrobatic and athletic moves. Breakdancers, or B-boys and B-girls, perform intricate footwork, spins, and freezes ¹.

Breakdancing - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
Breakdancing began in the South Bronx, New York, in the 1970s as an underground dance movement. As Elizabeth Burbach observes in her 2013 essay in Voices: Journal of New York Folklore, breakdancing “became an alternative to gang fighting: that is, a non-violent resolution to the problems of the street through the creative use of the body, mind, and space without weapons” (32). Breakdancing often involves groups of performers, although it can also feature soloists. Breakdancing groups are known as crews, and the competitions in which they participate are called battles

Weapon X Vs Valencio - B-Boy Finals- Red Bull BC One Cypher East USA 2024 - BNC

B-Boy Finals "Red Bull BC One is coming back to Philly! Join us as the top breakers from across the US come together for an epic 1v1 showdown at the Red Bull BC One Cypher East at Philadelphia's Dilworth Park City Hall location. Witness the region's best breakers battle it out for a chance to advance to the National Cypher in Los Angeles. This event is open to all ages, promising a day filled with incredible talent, fierce competition, and electrifying performances. Dont' miss out on this ultimate celebration of breakdancing culture in Philly!" - Winner Valencio (Havikoro/Illakoro/Winners Circle)

Olympics Break Dancing 2024

B-BOY CHAMPION 2024	B-GIRL CHAMPION 2024

B-Boy, B-Girl - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
A practitioner of breaking, a style of street dancing associated with hip hop culture. Short for break boy or break girl. Also broadly used to refer to anyone who engages in hip hop culture. B-boys and B-girls are also known as breakers. The term breakdancer, though common in the mainstream media, is often dismissed by breakers, in part because it has been used to conflate breaking, a dance style that originated in the Bronx borough of New York City, with other styles such as popping and locking, which originated in California.

III.D. Aerosol Arts / Graffiti Writing

Graffiti Art: Also known as “writing,” graffiti is the visual art component of hip-hop. Artists use spray paint to create vibrant and expressive works on public surfaces, often as a form of self-expression and social commentary ¹.

Graffiti - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
The word graffiti typically refers to drawings or writings that have been inscribed or painted on a surface, generally in a public place and often illegally. Graffiti is traditionally identified as one of the four principal elements of hip hop culture, alongside DJing, MCing or rapping, and breakdancing. Graffiti is sometimes known as “aerosol art” due to many graffiti artists' reliance on aerosol spray paint to create their works. The term aerosol art is typically used in reference to licit, as opposed to illegal, forms of graffiti writing.

Spray-painted subway cars, tagged bridges, mural-covered walls – graffiti pops up boldly throughout our cities. And it turns out: it’s nothing new. Graffiti has been around for thousands of years. And across that span of time, it’s raised the same questions we debate now: Is it art? Is it vandalism? Kelly Wall describes the history of graffiti. Lesson by Kelly Wall, animation by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat.

Beatboxing

Beatboxing: This involves creating beats and rhythms using the mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. Beatboxing can serve as a musical accompaniment to rapping or as a standalone performance ².

Beatboxing - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
Beatboxing is a way of mimicking the sound of a drum machine with one's mouth, lips, and vocal cords. This sound can be varied through the use of a microphone and amplification; however, it can also be effective without any such assistance. According to “Characteristics of the Beatboxing Vocal Style” (2008) by Dan Stowell and Mark D. Plumbley, scholars from the Department of Electronic Engineering at the Centre for Digital Music in London, the main goal of beatboxing is “to create convincing impersonations of drum tracks” (1). Beatboxing expresses a synergy between music, percussion, and movement that exemplifies the hip hop ethos and culture. One need not own a drum set, an 808 drum machine, or even turntables to participate in the art of making hip hop music. With beatboxing, one's own body becomes not only a source of dance and vocals but also of instrumentation itself.

Dylan Mayoral vs Kenzo Alvares featuring Mad Twinz & Dharni |

Dance Battle To The Beatbox 2018 | Semi Final

DYLAN MAYORAL vs KENZO ALVARES feat. MAD TWINZ & DHARNI | Dance Battle To The Beatbox 2018 | SEMI Final - Thank you World Beatbox Camp and Fair Play Dance Camp. Thank you Mad Twinz and Dharni for your beats and shoutout to the Dancers, you are all super talented and crazy. Sep 12, 2018 - Swissbeatbox.com

III.E. Knowledge of Self

Knowledge of Self: Knowledge of hip-hop dance culture involves understanding its origins, key elements, and its broader impact on society. Hip-hop dance emerged in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York, as part of the larger hip-hop culture, which includes DJing, MCing, graffiti art, and beatboxing. The dance styles within hip-hop, such as breakdancing (B-boying/B-girling), popping, locking, and krumping, are characterized by their energetic, improvisational, and often acrobatic nature. These styles are not just about the moves but also about expressing individuality, community, and social issues. Hip-hop dance culture promotes values like respect, originality, and resilience, and it has significantly influenced global dance trends, fashion, and media ¹ ². The Knowledge of self includes knowing the moral, social, and spiritual principles that inform and inspire hip hop ways of being.

For a deeper dive into the sociological and cultural aspects of hip-hop dance, you can refer to resources like "The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies" ² and other academic works that explore its history, methodologies, and impact on identity and community ¹.

¹ Framing Hip Hop Dance as an Object of Sociological and Cultural Research

² The Oxford Handbook of Hip Hop Dance Studies

Learn more 1. academic.oup.com 2. academic.oup.com 3 classpop.com 4. doi.org 5gettyimages.com

Fashion

Fashion: Hip-hop fashion has evolved over the years but originally included items like baggy jeans, graphic tees, and sneakers. Fashion in hip-hop is a way to express individuality and cultural identity ².

Fashion - St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture
In hip hop culture, fashion has changed markedly over time in response to a wide variety of economic, aesthetic, and cultural factors. As hip hop has gained increasing mainstream acceptance, hip hop fashion has demonstrated two seemingly contradictory impulses: the celebration of urban street wear and the incorporation of high-end designer clothes and jewelry. The ways in which these two strains of fashion push and pull against each other have shaped much of the development of hip hop fashion since the 1970s.

STEEZY gives you 10 easy examples of how to dress for any dance style or occasion!