hip-hop

noun

ˈhip-ˌhäp 

variants or less commonly hip hop or hiphop

1

a

: a stylized rhythmic music of African American origin that typically features rapping (see rap entry 6 sense 2) over synthesized beats (see beat entry 2 sense 4d) or sampled tracks

… the first bits of hip-hop were born out of DJs breaking apart funk and disco beats … until all that was left was the percussion, cut up into small, danceable portions for the people in the audience to sweat to.

—Hanif Abdurraqib

… hip hop has become a form reflecting both the beauty and the belly of the beast in American society, refracted through the lens of black American culture.

—Imani Perry

The music that Charanga plays is … a combination of jazz and rumba spiced with reggae, funk and hiphop.

—Silvana Paternostro

—often used before another noun

hip-hop artists

a hip hop song

b

or hip-hop dance or less commonly hip hop dance or hiphop dance : syncopated dancing typically performed to hip-hop music

For decades, Harris has been swerving away from stereotypes and expectations of hip-hop dance, all while staying true to its roots.

—Brian Seibert

… an untapped market of people wanting to learn hiphop dance.

—Nick Vogel

Unlike the verticality of classical dance … hip-hop uses a horizontal body, dissonance, and ragged gesture juxtaposed with a cool, relaxed, laid-back attitude.

—Karen Lynn Smith

—often used before another noun

a hip-hop dance group/crew

… a dance team that performs hip-hop routines at most weekend home games …

—Gina Cherelus

2

: a cultural movement associated especially with rap music

In one sense, hip-hop had triumphed over America. … No matter the race, class, or geography, the kids wore the same clothes, spoke the same language, listened to the same music.

—Jeff Chang

In my elementary school years, everyone I knew around my age loved hip-hop. … I loved every aspect of the culture and tried my hand at all of it.

—Rakim

—often used before another noun

the hip-hop generation

Hip hop culture is a four-legged stool, its artistic pillars of deejaying, graffiti art, rapping, and b-boying coming into existence in the early 1970s and each influencing the ways in which the other evolved.

—Jelani Cobb

Examples of hip-hop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There was the speech from Cardi B. There were also performances from female rappers, hip-hop stars and DJs, including trailblazer MC Lyte and fresh faces GloRilla, Flo Milli and DJ Gemini Gilly. —Mary Spicuzza, Journal Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2024

Ahead of Election Day coming up on Tuesday Nov. 5, the hip-hop hitmaker delivered a fiery speech that lasted nearly 10 minutes, complete with stinging soundbites and her signature, seemingly off-the-cuff swagger at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb outside Milwaukee. —Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024

This timepiece was made in collaboration with hip-hop artist Travis Scott and his brand/record label Cactus Jack. —Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024

The 39-year-old Nashville native has been candid about the humble beginnings preceding his stardom, as a former drug dealer who got his start selling his own hip-hop mixtapes out of his car in 2003. —Melissa Ruggieri, The Enquirer, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from hip entry 2 + hop entry 1

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

hip-hop

noun

ˈhip-ˌhäp

: the rhythmic music that often accompanies rap

also : a cultural movement associated especially with rap music