Hip Hop 69 with DJ SA. Hip hop is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, defined by key stylistic elements such as rapping, DJing, sampling, scratching and beatboxing. Hip hop began in the Bronx in New York City in the 1970s, primarily among African Americans with some Jamaican American influences. The term rap is often used synonymously with hip hop, but hip hop denotes the practices of an entire subculture.