ABSTRACT
Hip hop emerged among Black and Latino youth in New York City around the early 1970s. It is defi ned by its adherents as a youth arts movement comprised of four elements-breakdancing (b-boying/b-girling), graffi ti (writing), disc jockeying (DJing), and emceeing (MCing)—and as an expression distinguished by distinct forms of dress, gesture, and language that embody an urban street consciousness. By the late 1970s, hip hop had caught the attention of music entrepreneurs who recognized its commercial potential with the release of the recording “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang (1979). Following the overwhelming success of this recording, hip hop steadily moved from the inner-city streets of New York City into popular mainstream culture. Additionally, the production of hip hop arts via the silver screen, the advertising industry, and underground promotion strategies (e.g., mixtapes) have further contributed to its rise to national prominence. 2 Realizing its viability to a growing youth constituency, entrepreneurs began placing signifi cant value on certain elements of hip hop believed to be more marketable to the average consumer. For example, MCing and DJing were positioned as primary markets of exploitation while breakdancing and graffi ti became secondary markets of hip hop. As such, the former two eventually eclipsed in popularity breakdancing and graffi ti, thus introducing the music category rap music. Occasionally, critics and afi - cionados of rap music use the term interchangeably with hip hop, or more specifi cally, hip hop music.
