The history of hip hop can be traced back to the African American community and the West African music. This genre of music was adopted from the griots of West Africa who travelled in groups of poets and singers. This style is similar to the rap music and has been in existence since over a hundred years ago. The invention of hip hop may therefore not be attributed to any one person or group. The genre of music arose especially in the 1970s and was used in block parties in areas like New York City.

Jamaican immigrants also greatly influenced the invention of the hip hop music. The Jamaican music tradition included percussion breaks and Hip Hop Dance offered excellent beats to dance to. The emigrants to other parts of the world spread the gospel of hip hop with the inclusion of the short rap sessions. One of the prominent people in the world of hip hop is the hip hop ‘godfather’, DJ Kool Herc who was born in Jamaica. In the 1970’s, DJ Herc was very popular and would play the hip hop music by extending percussive breaks using the audio mixer while playing two records at the same time. His invention came about since his audience did not like the reggae music that was commonly played.
The history of hip hop can be traced back to the African American community and the West African music. This genre of music was adopted from the griots of West Africa who travelled in groups of poets and singers. This style is similar to the rap music and has been in existence since over a hundred years ago. The invention of hip hop may therefore not be attributed to any one person or group. The genre of music arose especially in the 1970s and was used in block parties in areas like New York City.

Jamaican immigrants also greatly influenced the invention of the hip hop music. The Jamaican music tradition included percussion breaks and Hip Hop Dance offered excellent beats to dance to. The emigrants to other parts of the world spread the gospel of hip hop with the inclusion of the short rap sessions. One of the prominent people in the world of hip hop is the hip hop ‘godfather’, DJ Kool Herc who was born in Jamaica. In the 1970’s, DJ Herc was very popular and would play the hip hop music by extending percussive breaks using the audio mixer while playing two records at the same time. His invention came about since his audience did not like the reggae music that was commonly played.