As an art form, hip-hop is a very young phenomenon. Originating in the South Bronx in the late 70's/early 80's, hip-hop itself is only ca. 20 years old. However, despite it's recent founding, it has become a tremendous influence on American culture and global culture as well. It has been a creative output for many people and gone down in history as one of the most important art forms to emerge in the last few decades.
             Hip-hop has borrowed from many earlier art forms, whether they be rock and roll, r&b, beat poetry, or even disco. However, what many people don't realize is that it has strong roots derived from past traditions such as slave music or even from the church. Slaves were for the most part unable to get ahold of instruments, thus using whatever they had in their hands to create a beat. Hip-hop is just the same, in that it is merely someone rhyming over a beat. In fact, during hip-hop's earlier years, many people used their mouths to create a beat for someone else to rap over. This was dubbed the "beatbox." Slave music is also reflected in rap's subject matter. Many people who rhyme with their friends on streetcorners simply talk about whatever is on their mind through their music, whether it be a girl, their job or any other simple day to day thought. Slaves would do the same, singing about their thoughts, mostly though about going home and freedom. The idea of community, heavily evident in slave songs is also represented in hip-hop. During many songs sung by slaves, during work for example, one person would begin and then another take over or someone else adding in their point of view. Many rappers do the same, beginning a rhyme in a circle of friends and then letting somebody else take over and finish it. Church music can be detected in hip-hop as well. A preacher, often times in a black church (which is generally more lively), would use call and response to involve ...