You can find hip-hop everywhere you go. Countries like France, Brazil and even Japan have their own hip-hop Culture. But where did this strange speaking-singing style come from? Many centuries ago, in West Africa, traditional storytellers played musical instruments while they were telling stories. When this tradition travelled from West Africa to the USA, it developed into different musical style. For example, blues, jazz and soul music. These style all stated in poor, African-American areas. And in the 1970s, there were a lot of poor areas in New York. There wasn't any money for music lessons in schools, so kids made their own music. Teenagers Afrika Bambaataa and Kool DJ Herc played their records outside in the streets. Everybody joined in. MCs had rapping. competitions. Every week, there were talented new dancers, new DJs and new MCs. Hip-hop culture was born.
I remember the first time I heard hip-hop. It was 1980. I was at a party in New York. There was a young DJ at the party. He was playing records on two turntables. While he was putting a record on, a kid pidked up a microphone and began rapping. Some other kids were break-dancing to the music. It was loud and repetitive, and I hated it. I preferred jazz.
During the 1980s, hip-hop became popular all over the USA. Today's successful artists like Missy Elliot and her friend Tim Mosley [Timbaland] heard it on the radio when they were growing up.
The last time I heard hip-hop, I was in Senegal, West Africa. I was writing a book about African-Americans. I was going to interview a traditional storyteller when I met a young hip-hop artist. He told me there are hundreds of rap groups in Africa today. We live on a hip-hop planet.