Week 32: Hip Hop Music

Diversity is any kind of variety that makes our world a better place.

Students, you may know a lot about Hip Hop music, but how much do you know about Hip Hop history? Let’s take a pop quiz. When and where did hip hop music begin? And who is credited with starting it?

Hip Hop music first appeared in the early 1970’s at large block parties in New York City. The music and dance at these parties were a blend of African-American, Puerto Rican, and Jamaican influences. And the man who pioneered the role of DJ at these parties was hip hop legend DJ Kool Herc, who was born this week in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1955.

Hip Hop’s distinctive rapping element has its origins in West Africa, where singers and poets called “griots” have traveled the area for hundreds of years, preserving the oral traditions of their culture. Griots still play a role today in West African countries like Mali, the Gambia, Guinea, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal.

Remember, you don’t have to travel as far as New York City or West Africa to find diversity. There are hundreds of opportunities to celebrate diversity right here at your own school. Find one today!