Rap music is an art form produced by American minorities. Most Americans do not contemplate rap music to be a legitimate art form and they assume it really is basically fashionable for the moment and will expertise dwindling popularity. However, this post will prove to you that rap music is far more than just a passing trend. It has been a component of American culture for much more than two decades.

The roots of rap music, are even so, a lot older than 20 years. In reality, its' roots stem from trained West African singers and storytellers referred to as Griots. But, for the purposes of this article we will not discover the relation in between rap music and Griots. Here we will address the development of rap music in America.

'Hip Hop' culture was also comprised of graffiti, break dancing, and also the attitude and dress of the men and women who subscribed to the mores and traditions of this subculture. Another objective of my unit will probably be to examine the influence Jamaican music had on American rap music. Finally, I intend to examine a few of the key American rap artists and their styles as well as the technologies which played a significant role within the evolution of rap music in the United States.

All sources seem to point to the Bronx in New York City as the origin for the 'Hip Hop' culture. The first major component of this subculture I wish to discover could be the graffiti aspect. Prior to discussing this aspect students need to know what conditions or events existed within the Bronx which fostered the development of the 'Hip Hop' culture.

There were three key events which took location within the Bronx which led to the birth of this subculture. First, in 1959 Parks Commissioner Rober Moses began creating an expressway via the heart of the Bronx. As a result, the middle class Italian, German, Irish, and Jewish neighborhoods disappeared overnight. Furthermore, corporations and factories relocated and left this borough. (I intend on having a map of New York City available to show my students where the Bronx is located at this point in my unit.

The second major event which occurred when once again below the direction of Parks Commissioner Robert Moses would siphon off a majority of what was left of the middle class inside the Bronx. This event occurred in 1968 with the completion of a 15,382 unit co-op apartment complex on the northern edge of the Bronx near an expressway.

This project fostered and accelerated the Bronx middle class exodus from comfortable and well-kept apartments. Consequently of the skyrocketing vacancy rates reputable landlords began selling out to expert slumlords. As a consequence of this action the Bronx deteriorated into a neighborhood with numerous unkept and vacant buildings.

The Bronx in this deteriorating condition fell prey to the third main event which led to the direct development of the graffiti aspect of the 'Hip Hop' culture. This event occurred in 1968 and coincided with Robert Moses' second key project in the Bronx, the Co-Op City. It needs to be noted that these last two events were not related.

This third event involved a group of seven teenage boys who began terrorizing the vicinity around the Bronxdale Project on Bruckner Boulevard inside the southeast Bronx. This could not appear essential, but this group of teenagers laid the groundwork for a surge of street gang activity that would overwhelm the Bronx for the subsequent six years.