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Glite Dictionary
🎤 A music style 🕺 A cultural movement
hip-hop

hip-hop

16 3.4
A culture that includes rap music, DJs, breakdancing, and a style of dress
  • noun
  • /ˈhɪpˌhɒp/
translation icon : cultura hip hop
  • You know, the '90s was like the golden age of hip-hop.
  • hip-hop clubs
  • hip-hop artist
  • hip-hop music

Examples

  • So really I grew up with the hip hop, with the Mexican side.

  • The relationship between hip hop-inspired music and national politics is not unique to Ghana.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The country was cool and all, but, you know it was becoming the hip-hop generation, you know.

    The Country Bears (2002)

  • "Early on, hip hop fashion did not have its own aesthetic," she explained.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Since the 1990s, hip-hop music and styles have refashioned urban African youths' conceptions of life.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Masa and his friends Nishio, 27, and Ryo, 22, dance to hip-hop and work as dance instructors.

    Blog text (10)

  • The United Nations and MTV teamed up to appoint American hip-hop mogul Jay-Z honorary Global Water Ambassador.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Hip-hop music often features intricate beats and a mix of hip-hop and DJing.

  • During the festival, many hip-hop artists showcased their talent on stage.

  • The vibrant fashion of the hip-hop community reflects its unique cultural identity.

Surface Forms

hip-hop singular
hip-hops plural

Morphology

hip-hop = hip + hop (semi-transparent) = hip + hop

The components are clear, but the meaning referring to a broad cultural movement (music, dance, fashion) is specific and culturally loaded.

Etymology

Hip-hop comes from the parts hip ('aware' or 'fashionable') and hop ('to jump' or 'dance'), so it fits a culture of dance, style, and music. A popular story says DJs also used the sound 'hip-hop' like a marching beat, which helps you remember the strong rhythm and dancing at the heart of the movement.