Hip-Hop: From the Streets to Mainstream

Hip-hop is a cultural movement created in the 1970s by African American youth in New York's Bronx. DJ Kool Herc's "breakbeats" paved the way for rap's birth. In the 1980s, groups like Run-DMC and Public Enemy combined social messages with music. The 1990s are considered the "golden age" with legends like Tupac, Notorious B.I.G. and Nas on stage. In Turkey, hip-hop exploded in the late 1990s with Cartel. Today, names like Sagopa Kajmer, Ceza and Ezhel have large fan bases. Rap music continues to be youth's voice with its lyrical depth and social criticism.