A: Hip-hop got its start in the South Bronx during the mid-1970s, says Craig Werner, a UW-Madison professor of Afro-American Studies and noted popular music historian.

The term itself is most frequently used in connection with music, but hard-core hip- hop "heads" (the insider's name for fans) and scholars agree that "rap" music is only one of the four elements of hip-hop, Werner says. The others are breakdancing, graffiti and scratching (the use of turntables as musical instruments). Some would add a fifth element related to clothing and style.

"The name 'hip-hop' comes from a line in the first hit rap record, 'Rapper's Delight' by The Sugarhill Gang, but the form had already been around for a while before that record hit the airwaves," says Werner.

The origins of hip-hop can be traced to Jamaica, where reggae parties featured MCs who would speak over instrumental versions of local hits. The style moved to the U.S. and took root in the South Bronx during a period of extreme economic hardship, Werner says.

The list of rap founders includes Kool DJ Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first hip-hop act elected (this year) to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

- Produced in cooperation with University Communications

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