Hip hop’s wild style first took shape in the 1970s, as DJs began mixing rhythm and blues records to create new music. MCs, or rappers, soon got involved, combining their own words with the beats to tell stories about life in urban America. They shared these NEW HIP-HOP PROJECTS with friends, and their peers embraced them.
New Hip-Hop Projects to Look Out For
Word spread, and hip hop was born. Hip hop later grew into an entire culture with its own language, values, and worldview.The best MCs use complex rhyme schemes that build on rock-solid four-beat rhythms known as meters.
Aficionados reserve extra respect for MCs with freestyle skills that allow them to improvise fresh rhymes on the spot Hip hop also has influenced other artistic forms, from graffiti to video games to film and theater. Today, hip hop continues to thrive.
In the studio, seasoned artists like Nas and Pusha T are proving they can still turn heads with their hard-hitting lyrics and production. Meanwhile, underground stalwarts like Roc Marciano and Billy Woods continue to grow. They keep building on the expansive creative vision that’s kept rap’s independent heart pumping into the age of social media.
Female rappers like Megan Thee Stallion, Little Simz, and Flo Milli are reshaping gender dynamics. And global superstars like Stormzy and Central Cee are starting to gain traction stateside. Then, of course, there’s the ever-evolving music itself.
The most successful emcees stay true to their roots while incorporating elements of other genres. They fuze contemporary pop, R&B, and other genres that appeal to young listeners. Shape-shifting rapper IDK, for example, juxtaposes somber stories of the hood.
The Washington, D.C., project he grew up near accompanies his production. His songs would be at home on any Black dance floor. As for the visual arts, street art has become a huge influence on hip hop, with graffiti writers using blank walls and train cars as their canvases.
The art form even has its own lexicon, including terms for “wild style”—art that defies conventions of size, complexity, and color. Hip hop has even made its way into the classroom, with hip hop-savvy teachers bringing in new and old works to share with their students.
Some children’s books received the hip hop treatment. Including Doug E. Fresh’s Think Again and Debbie Allen’s Brothers of the Knight, and Jasmine Bellar’s Hip-Hop Kidz series.
