Alison Miller

Definition of Hip-hop

When trying to define hip-hop, one restricts the content of this phenomenon to the list of music, visual, and dancing practices, while others in contrast use big words like religion or philosophy. In my opinion, both ways are inappropriate when looking for the interpretation of the meaning of this phenomenon. In considering the issue of its definition, like any other cultural background, the importance of influence is critical. This perspective allows defining hip-hop as a way to self-defining of young African Americans and marking their place on the map of the USA in the last 20 years of the 20th century.