The History of Hip Hop

What do Dave, Nicki Minaj and Drake all have in common? They're all considered hip-hop artists, but the groundbreaking genre has been 50 years in the making. But wait, what exactly is hip-hop?
Dave、Nicki Minaj 和 Drake 有什么共同点？他们都被认为是嘻哈艺术家，但这种开创性的流派已经酝酿了50年。但是等等，到底什么是嘻哈音乐？

Typically, hip-hop can be characterized as music with artists rapping, talking and sometimes even singing over a beat. Something similar to this. So, we know what it is, but where did it start? Let's go back in time all the way back to the 70s.
通常，嘻哈音乐可以被描述为一种音乐，艺术家们随着节拍说唱、交谈，有时甚至唱歌。类似于这个。我们知道它是什么，但它是什么时候开始的呢？让我们回到70年代。

Wait, where have I ended up? What? America? One of the poorest parts of New York, the Bronx had a lot of problems, including fighting between gangs. People needed an escape and they found it through music and parties. One of these parties in particular is widely thought to be the start of what we now know as hip-hop.
等等，我到哪儿啦？哪一个？美国？布朗克斯是纽约最贫穷的地区之一，问题很多，包括帮派之间的争斗。人们需要逃避，他们通过音乐和派对找到了出路。其中一个派对被广泛认为是 我们现在所知的嘻哈音乐的开端。

This man, called DJ Cool Herc, was playing at a party in building 1520 Sedgwick Avenue on August 11th, 1973. DJs back then used turntables to play music using vinyls, which is like a big CD. DJ Cool Bill Herc was different in that he was one of the first to use two at once and focus on playing the section of songs without words. Having two meant the music, and the party, never stopped. And this became the basis of hip-hop.
1973年8月11日，这个名叫 DJ Cool Herc 的人在塞奇威克大道1520号大楼的一个派对上表演。当时的 DJ 使用唱盘播放音乐，唱盘就像一张大 CD。DJ Cool Bill Herc 的与众不同之处在于，他是第一批同时使用两台唱机并专注于播放无词歌曲的人之一。有了这两台设备，就意味着音乐和派对永不停歇。这也成为嘻哈音乐的基础。

But since then it's grown into a massive multi-billion dollar industry, influencing everything from culture, to language, to fashion. It's also created some pretty big legends. Artists such as Jay-Z and Diddy are considered as hip-hop's first billionaires. Artists like Missy Elliott and Outkast are considered as some of hip-hop's most creative and trailblazing artists.
但从那以后，它已经发展成为一个价值数十亿美元的庞大产业，影响着从文化、语言到时尚的方方面面。它也创造了一些相当大的传奇。像Jay-Z和Diddy这样的艺术家被认为是嘻哈界的第一批亿万富翁。像Missy Elliott和Outkast这样的艺术家被认为是嘻哈界最具创造力和开拓性的艺术家。

But hip-hop is more than just an American scene. The genre has grown so big that it's inspired genres and artists all around the world. Think of your Stormzy's, your Little Sims and even Ed Sheeran. All have been inspired and shaped by hip-hop in some way. And to think, all of this started with a guy and two turntables. Imagine if he had three.
但是，嘻哈音乐不仅仅是美国的一个场景。这一流派已经发展得如此之大，以至于启发了世界各地的流派和艺术家。想想你的Stormzy's、Little Sims）甚至Ed Sheeran。他们都在某种程度上受到了嘻哈音乐的启发和影响。想想看，这一切都源于一个人和两台唱机。想象一下，如果他有三台转台，那将会是怎样的一番景象。

词汇表
groundbreaking  全新的，开创性的
genre (文艺作品的) 类型，流派
gang （青少年的）帮派，团伙；犯罪团伙
turntable （留声机、电唱机的）转盘，唱盘
trailblazing 开创性的，开拓性的

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