How Hip Hop Culture Became a Global Force in Black Creative Expression

Hip Hop Culture has become one of the most dynamic and influential forms of Black Creative Expression to emerge from the United States—and the first Afro-Diasporic cultural movement from the US to resonate globally. Rooted in Black music, dance, theater, and embodied expression, Hip Hop’s rise reflects a powerful tradition of self-determination and innovation. What began in the 1970s with rap music has grown into a far-reaching cultural force that continues to shape and reflect the creative spirit of the African Diaspora.

From Rap Music to Hip Hop Culture

During the late 1960s, the structured phase of the Civil Rights Movement came to a halt as a result of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a new form of expression emerged that continued the rich tradition of integrating creative expression with activism. Stimulated by the urban decay and social crisis experienced in the boroughs of New York City, rap music emerged as a form of Black Creative Expression, and like most forms of artistic expression, existed before it was named. 

During the late 1960s and early 1970s US-born Black Americans and first and second generation Afro-Caribbeans and Afro-Latinx inhabitants of New York City combined music, dance, fashion, visual art, and technology to create rap music, which evolved into Hip Hop Culture. Infused by Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Bahamian cultural influences, the generation of teens and 20-somethings sparked a new response to not only national and international challenges, but local challenges that they experienced on a daily basis. 

Often castigated as “America’s worst slum,” the Bronx, one of New York City’s five boroughs, suffered greatly during the 1970s as a result of the placement of the six-lane, seven-mile Cross-Bronx Expressway, which ripped up thriving residential neighborhoods full of single-family households. In addition to the Expressway, numerous large high-rise apartment buildings were created, causing immediate overcrowding and a severe reduction of homeownership. The 1968 opening of Co-op city created 15,000 new subsidized apartments, replacing up to 60,000 homes. 

In addition to the Expressway and the new urban development, remaining homeowners and business owners fled for suburban communities where economic development was thriving. With the reality of rent control and the challenge of stimulating the economy in the Bronx, some property owners turned to arson as a last measure of recouping the equity in their investments. Burdened by these and other extenuating circumstances, neighborhood gangs turned violent with the sudden infusion of weapons and the eventual emergence of narcotics. 

On December 8, 1971 when Cornell Benjamin (a.k.a. Black Benjie) of the Ghetto Brothers was killed, a historic truce was called at the Bronx Boys Club. Gang leaders and numerous representatives from area gangs were present, and although the violence did continue, their meeting spurred new efforts to curb it. 

Many of the gangs were comprised of kids from the local neighborhood. As each neighborhood often had their own gathering spaces—whether local parks, community centers, or discotechs—the gangs began to enjoy the new style of localized music that evolved as Clive Campbell (a.k.a. Kool Herc) began to DJ at local events. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Campbell was familiar with the massive Jamaican dub systems and the practice of toasting (talking or rhyming over instrumental tracks). 

During the late 1960s in Jamaica, Jamaican dub emerged as a derivative of reggae. With a focus on instrumental remixes, dub valued heavy bass and specific effects such as reverb and echo. In order to garner the attention of the crowd, the dub artists (or DJs) had to have large sound systems referred to as dub systems.

Campbell would eventually create Kool Herc and the Herculords (also referenced as the Herculoids) serving as a model for other creative innovators. Afrika Bambaataa, the former gang leader turned leader of the Zulu Nation and Joseph Saddler (a.k.a. Grandmaster Flash) soon emerged as leading DJs of the new movement. 

As DJing and toasting became popular, each of the area gangs would identify their favorite DJ and emcee who would call out the names of the gang leaders and members as they arrived at the party. Eventually, the breakdancing crews (B-boying and B-girling) would follow as representatives of the neighborhood, the gang, the set, or the crew. Adorned with fashionable clothing that stood out to the naked eye, each crew had their own trademark routine, brand, or the like. The Rock Steady Crew was founded in the late 1970s and revolutionized the New York style of breakdancing with focus on footwork and powerful spins. Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón and Ken Swift remain celebrated as two of the most noted B-boys and leaders of the Crew.

Although there were small print records of rap music being recorded and distributed during the 1970s, Sugar Hill Records 1979 release of the Sugar Hill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight,” took rap music national and eventually international via the power of radio. As radio plays by prominent radio disc jockeys expanded the marketplace, leading record labels began organizing national tours for their artists. The mid 1980s witnessed numerous tours of leading DJs, emcees, and dance crews that traveled across the United States and into the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Holland, Germany, Cuba, Australia, the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, and beyond. Movies such as Wild Style (1983), Style Wars (1983), Beat Street (1984),  Breakin’ (1984), Krush Groove (1985) aided in the rapid and wide expansion of Hip Hop Culture both domestically and worldwide.

Enjoy this clip from Wild Style, featuring Grandmaster Flash and the Rock Steady Crew.

‘The Message’

Released on July 1, 1982, by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, “The Message” was a seven-minute social commentary on life in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City. Written in 1980 by Sugar Hill Records musician/ producer, Edward Fletcher (a.k.a., Duke Bootee) and Furious Five member Melle Mel, the lyric offers raw commentary on a day in the life of a Black man as he struggles through the challenges of inner-city life further complicated by the 1980 New York Transit strike. 

For 11 days (April 1-11) New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) was shut down due to the strike by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100. These subway train and bus drivers were distraught over job security and working conditions caused by MTA financial challenges which signaled budget cuts and layoffs. For nearly two weeks, low income and even middle class families had to rely on taxis, dollar vans, or walking to commute to work, school, grocery stores, or doctor’s offices. 

Not only did these lengthy walks create additional health concerns and conditions, additional policing was requested in certain neighborhoods due to fears stimulated by increased pedestrians. Due to already fractured relationships and lack of trust with law enforcement, the arrest and criminalization of people of color increased significantly as depicted in the closing scene in the music video for “The Message.” Full of coded and uncoded language (including homophobic and misogynistic insinuations) the record became a national hit because of its message. 

Released on the Sugar Hill Records label, the single became the title track of their 1982 debut album. As the song and the album spread globally with the rise of the impact of rap music in the early 1980s, the depiction of Black life within New York city as depicted in the music video emerged as influential in both positive and negative ways. In a positive sense, like most Black creative expression, the daily experiences of Afro Diasporic people facing discrimination, prejudice, and the like was spotlighted and revealed for all to see. In a not-so-positive light, people from all around the world who had never met Afro Diasporic people or experienced Afro Diasporic Culture imagined all Black people to look, sound, behave, and live like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Take a moment to experience Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s classic track, “The Message,” if you are not already familiar with it.

Examining the Role of Message in Music, Theater, and Dance within Hip Hop Culture

During the late 1960s, various elements of what we now know as Hip Hop Culture emerged separately. From the DJ-focused music known by the mid 1980s as rap music to the street art referred to as graffiti to the team-oriented style of dancing called breakdancing, these forms of expression resonated deeply, fulfilling a need for connection, identity, and creative release. 

Message is an important aspect of storytelling, for every story ever told has a direct or indirect message. Whether subtle or overt, the message is often cultural and coded. The various elements of Hip Hop Culture are no different. Let us explore the message in a few examples of music, theater, and dance. 

In 1988 at a Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy concert, Darryl James, a young teenager, was killed after an altercation. His death, by gun violence, served as a catalyst for a number of the leading rappers during this time to come together to record the “Self Destruction” record and music video. The proceeds of the record were dedicated to the National Urban League. Produced by KRS-One, D-Nice (both of BDP) and Hank Shocklee (of the Bomb Squad), the record and music video released in 1989 was a tremendous catalyst as an intervention to gun and gang violence which presented Hip Hop in a much different light than it was perceived during this time. 

Mainstream presentations of Hip Hop Culture during this time were filled with drugs, guns, gangs, greed, misogyny, and the objectification of human bodies (mostly women). “Self Destruction” features: KRS-One, D-Nice and Ms. Melodie (of BDP), Delite, Daddy-O, Wise and Frukwan (of Stetsasonic), Kool Moe Dee, MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Just-Ice, Heavy D, Chuck D and Flava Flav (of Public Enemy). Check out the message of “Self Destruction.”

Inspired by the East Coast artists who put together “Self Destruction,” several West Coast artists joined the movement to inspire hope and an end to gun and gang violence. Led by Michael Concepcion, a former gang member who emerged as a leading activist, the song, “We’re All in the Same Gang,” was produced by Dr. Dre. Similar to “Self Destruction,” the power of influence led to a change in the activities and actions in the street as some of the leading West Coast rappers signaled a change was needed to stop Black-on-Black violence. The record and music video features: King Tee, Body and Soul (including Dee Barnes), Def Jef, Michel’le, Tone-Loc, Above the Law, Ice-T, members of NWA (Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, and MC Ren),  J.J. Fad, Young MC, Digital Undeground’s Shock G and Money B, Oaktown’s 3.5.7, and MC Hammer. Check out the message of “We’re All in the Same Gang.”

Inspired by the founders of Hip Hip, Lin-Manuel Miranda borrowed the cadences and styles of his favorite rappers to tell the story of Alexander Hamilton in his 11-time Tony-winning musical. Composed from 2008 to 2015, Hamilton: An American Musical serves as a biographical musical based on Ron Chernow’s 2004 biography of one of the Founding Fathers. Presented in two acts, the performance captures Alexander Hamilton’s life experiences through the American Revolution, as an aide to General George Washington, and his time as an attorney and the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury. Of note is his storied relationship with muse turned staunch rival, Aaron Burr, New York’s third Attorney General, Senator and the third vice President of the United States. Considered a Hip Hop work, the songs are inspired by artists who span Hip Hop generations, including Grandmaster Flash, Mary J. Blige, Tupac, Nas, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Brandy and Monica, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule, Eminem, and Beyoncé.

Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda in this CBS Morning News clip on the award-winning musical:

Hip Hop didn’t just emerge from the boroughs of New York—it erupted, born from resilience, ingenuity, and the need to be heard. While this article touches on its foundational years, there’s far more to the story: the rise of the Native Tongues collective, the impact of Gangsta Rap, the Southern explosion, the global underground. Each chapter in Hip Hop’s history adds to its reach and richness.

More than music, Hip Hop is a cultural force—a global language shaped by the African Diaspora and powered by generations of artists, dancers, and visionaries. Its influence spans continents and industries, but its roots remain planted in community, expression, and survival. And though its sound has changed over time, its message still resonates: we are here, we matter, and we have something to say.

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