Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music, or hip-hop music, is a music genre
consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and
rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture
defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching, break dancing,
and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling (or synthesis), and beatboxing.
While often used to refer to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the
entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap
music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also
incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing and scratching, beatboxing,
and instrumental tracks.
