hip-hop

(hĭp'hŏp') or hip hop
n.

1. A popular urban youth culture, closely associated with rap music and with the style and fashions of African-American inner-city residents.
2. Rap music.

adj.
Of or characteristic of hip-hop culture.

[Probably HIP² + HOP¹.]

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Hip-hop dance originated in New York among young Hispanic and African-American men during the late 1960s as part of the hip-hop culture of rap, scratch music, and graffiti art. The dance is always changing but essentially embraces the two styles of break dance and body popping. The former is an athletic solo form in which the performer enters the dance arena in a sideways motion then dives or breaks to the floor, spins around on his head, shoulders, or buttocks and ends with a freeze position. Body popping involves a series of fast, sharp actions that travel through the body in a robotic-looking alternation of move and freeze. The dance and its music became internationally current from the late 1970s and are often incorporated into theatre dance, by Doug Elkins, among others.

Another name for rap music.

The term hip-hop also refers to the speech, fashions, and personal style adopted by many youths, particularly in urban areas.

For a list of words related to hip-hop, see:

• Cultural Movements, Events, and Institutions - hip-hop: Slang. popular subculture of urban youth, esp. African Americans, based in part on rap music, break dancing, and graffiti art
• Styles and Genres - hip-hop: rock and dance style emphasizing spoken lyrics, contemporary urban themes, and acrobatic steps; rap

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