Hip hop has multiple branches of style and is a culture of them. This essay will examine hip-hop from the perspectives of the following three popular music scholars: Johnson, Jeffries, and Smitherman. It will deepen their understanding of what hip hop is and its relationship to the different people who identify with its message and content. It will also identify the history of hip hop and its transition to popular music. This essay will particularly focus on what hip hop represents in the black community and how it can be used as a social movement against the inequalities they face. This will then open up the discussion on how this has influenced society and the impact it has had in terms of the racial issues that hip hop itself often represents through music. Hip hop originated in the ghetto neighborhoods of New York in the 1970s and is a mixture of DJs, MCs, B boys and Beat boxing. In his studies on the definition of hip hop, Jeffries concluded that these mixtures of art forms do not define hip hop but rather that hip hop itself is a culture of these elements. “Hip-hop is like a culture, it’s a voice for black people to be heard. Our own style, our own music” (Jeffries. 2011: 28). Jefferies identifies hip hop as a social movement, which arises from the concept of “collective identity” (Jefferries. 2011; 27). This can be defined as “an individual’s cognitive, moral, and emotional connection to a broader community” (Polletta and Jasper. 2001; 84). Which relate to Smitherman's views that hip hop is a celebration of black culture uniting these individuals to form a collective community. (Smitherman. 1997; 20).These theorists generally accept that hip hop is a culture and that it is the production of its creators and the individuals who consume them...... middle of paper ... ...all of these aspects correlate with just one other. Hip hop is a cultural tool born from the need to take a stand on issues related to the black community. And that it is a voice to connect and unite people who share the same struggles on which to advocate change. Works CitedJohnson, L. (2003). The spirit is willing and so is the flesh: the queen in hip-hop culture. Smitherman, G. 1997. “‘The Chain Stays the Same’: Communicative Practices in the Hip-Hop Nation.” Journal of Black Studies 29.Polletta, F. and Jasper, J.M. (2001). Collective identity and social movements. Annual Review of Sociology, 283-305. Jeffries, M.P. (2011). Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Carlton Ridenhour, (1989) Fight the Power [Public Enemy]. Motown RecordsOwens, (1989) Ladies First [Queen Latifa]. Tommy Boy Records