{"id":26838,"date":"2026-02-01T12:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T17:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=26838"},"modified":"2026-02-25T11:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:11:14","slug":"how-hip-hop-culture-became-a-global-force-in-black-creative-expression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/how-hip-hop-culture-became-a-global-force-in-black-creative-expression\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hip Hop Culture Became a Global Force in Black Creative Expression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Bronx Block Parties to Global Influence: Hip Hop\u2019s Role in Black Creative Expression Across the African Diaspora<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The following information on Hip Hop history is excerpted from the Berklee Online course Black Creative Expression: An Introduction to Africana Studies<\/em><\/a>, written by Emmett G. Price III, PhD<\/a>, and currently enrolling.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hip Hop Culture has become one of the most dynamic and influential forms of Black Creative Expression to emerge from the United States\u2014and the first Afro-Diasporic cultural movement from the US to resonate globally. Rooted in Black music, dance, theater, and embodied expression, Hip Hop\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Rap Music to Hip Hop Culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often castigated as \u201cAmerica\u2019s worst slum,\u201d the Bronx, one of New York City\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the gangs were comprised of kids from the local neighborhood. As each neighborhood often had their own gathering spaces\u2014whether local parks, community centers, or discotechs\u2014the 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). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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