Today, hip-hop is everywhere.

In music, fashion, art, and entertainment, hip-hop has become a language that we all understand. But it hasn't been that way for very long. Hip-hop grew from the neighborhoods of New York City to become a major part of life around the world.

Learn about how slavery and the civil rights movement helped lead to the birth of hip-hop.

Read about how break dancing, graffiti, and DJs all added to hip-hop. Find out how hip-hop has changed over the years.

Hip-Hop: A Short History

tells the story of how hip-hop started and how it became popular all over the world.