Timeline: History of Hip Hop

While James Brown’s soul and funk music had paved the way for hip hop music, the early 1970s is where it all started. Created in a very poor districts of New York City, the things leading to the development of a hip hop culture were a combination of social, musical and political impacts as diverse and intricate as the music itself. Since then, hip hop music has evolved to produce various sub-genres like gangsta rap, alternative hip-hop, electronic hip-hop and other experimental stuffs. Let’s look back at the greatest moments and icons in the history of hip hop. See also Six Degrees of NWA.