World Hip Hop

Until the mid 1980s hip-hop was almost completely unheard of outside of the continental Unites States. During the mid 1980s it began to spread amongst the rest of the world. Germany, Australia, Africa, and France were among the very first countries to begin to be influenced by hip-hop music. Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt and Die Fantastischen Vier were two big hip-hop artists in Germany when it became popular. France was said to have been heavily influenced by the hip-hop that was coming out of Africa from artists like Afica Bambaataa and M.C. Solaar.

Now in France a more gangsta rap approach has become popular with younger people who embrace its violent message. It is also believed that Hiroshi Fujiwara, who was a Japanese man living as a DJ in America brought hip-hop to Japan first and created a massive wave of popularity amidst the Japanese club scene. Latin hip-hop grew quickly, developing its own style which is readily identifiable not only by language but by the distinct blending of traditional Latin music with that of American style hip-hop sounds. Not only have specific countries become hip-hop diversified over the last thirty years, but larger religious groups have been influenced by it as well. From Christians to Muslims, hip-hop has had a great influence on the music that they incorporate into their beliefs and praises to their particular chosen deity.

Even smaller countries that formerly had little connection with the outside world have begun to be influenced by hip-hop thanks to the massive rise in technology in the modern music world. Hip-hop reached the height of its world popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s and now, just as it does in America, hip-hop enjoys the wealth and fame of being one of the top music genres and lifestyles.