hip-hop

American  

[hip-hop] / ˈhɪpˌhɒp /

Or hip hop

noun

1. a popular culture movement originated by Black performers in New York City in the 1970s and characterized by rap music, break dancing, and graffiti art.

   The choreographer was a pioneer in introducing hip-hop to the national and international stage.

   Writing about hip-hop was really just an excuse to write about all these other aspects of Black culture.

2. rap music.

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adjective

1. relating to or characteristic of this movement.

   Unlike other big-name designers, he tapped into hip-hop street styles, which made him one of the wealthiest designers of the 1990s.

hip-hop British  

/ ˈhɪpˌhɒp /

noun

1. a US pop culture movement originating in the 1980s comprising rap music, graffiti, and break dancing

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hip-hop Cultural  

1. Another name for rap music.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of hip-hop

First recorded in 1975–80; probably hip ⁴ ( def. ) + hop ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “act of hopping”

Explanation

Hip hop is both a genre of music that features rhythmic rhyming lyrics and an artistic subculture influenced by hip hop music. Since the late 1970s, hip hop culture has been known for elements that include rapping (or chanting lyrics), graffiti art, turntable DJing, and variations on breakdancing. The name hip hop originally referred to 1950s teen dance parties, and later to the South Bronx parties where rap and hip hop were born. As the Sugarhill Gang says in 1980s song "Rapper's Delight": "I said a hip hop / The hippie to the hippie / The hip hip a hop, and you don't stop."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hip-hop

The hip-hop, bolero-infused musical will make its way to the Pasadena Playhouse stage between July 8 and Aug. 2.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Polymarket’s clipping campaign paid to promote a video of Ross saying he could easily use insider information to trade on the release date of an album by Drake, a hip-hop star and Ross’s acquaintance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Over a career spanning six decades, Davis, who was born in New York City in 1932, played a major role in shaping the sound of rock, folk, R&B and hip-hop.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Following a crowd-drawing DJ set from electronic low-fi hip-hop artist Flying Lotus, Govan introduced L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026

By the late 1980s, hip-hop had graduated from being the underground art of the Bronx to a rising global culture.

From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore