experiencing an explosion in popularity as the twentieth century progressed, the music spread across the whole social spectrum, often found in middle-class areas, and high-end nightclubs, as well as topping charts all overt the world.

the music is characterized by the speaking of rhyming lyrics over a simple beat, whilst sometimes using more complex sounds, usually introduced over a mixing machine - to some the art of rapping is considered a sophisticated style of poetry, which will usually address less mainstream musical topics, like social problems, violence, and sex.