Lyrical genre that arose in the early 1980s to talk about the lifestyle of poverty, drugs, sex, guns and street fashions in the inner city urban ghettos of New York and Los Angeles. Usually rapped, or rhythmically spoken, but sometimes sung, hip-hop often features DJs or "scratch artists" who mix vinyl discs on twin turntables as an integral part of performance. Commercially released hip-hop recordings commonly sample, or borrow from, previously made recordings. Some hip-hop music has reached mainstream culture status in television commercials and awards programs, but "gangsta" rappers seem determined to maintain an aura of defiance and outrageousness much as some rockers go out of their way to cultivate a reputation for bad taste. Notable artists include Run D.M.C., Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dog, and Eminem.
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