What’s the 411?

Hip-Hop culture is a popular multigenerational movement which started as a youth movement in the early 1970s. The South Bronx, New York is its birthplace, and today Hip-Hop is a thriving global phenomenon. The words Hip-Hop came from the verses that artist “Love Bug Starski” use to say (“to the Hip-Hop you don’t stop”) and it was Afrika Bambaataa and his Zulu Nation that laid the culture’s groundwork.  Hip-Hop is a culture that can not be ignored because of its power and presence in the everyday lives of youth and adults.  You couldn’t ignore it if you tried.

Hip-Hop’s original arts include Djing, Rapping (or MCing), B-Boying and Girling (or Breaking), Graffiti (or Tagging) and Fashion.  Knowledge of Self has since been added but has always been a part of the Hip-Hop movement.  All of the elements are used to communicate positive and not so positive messages that impact youth attitudes and behavioral choices. We want to give a positive health and education spin to Hip-Hop and drop some knowledge about drugs and HIV/AIDS using the Hip-Hop arts in fun and “edutaining” ways.