The delivery of rhythmic, rhyming poetry over a beat.
The culture officially began on , at a back-to-school party in the Bronx. DJ Kool Herc pioneered "the break"—using two turntables to loop the percussion-heavy instrumental segments of funk and soul records. While Herc held down the beats, MCs (Masters of Ceremonies) began talking over the music to keep the energy high, a practice rooted in the West African Griot tradition of oral storytelling. The Four Pillars hip hop music