Hip-hop isn't just about music. Hip-hop is about dance, art, expression, pain, love, racism, sexism, broken families, hard times, overcoming adversity and the search for God. It's a culture, a way of life, a language, a fashion, a set of values, and a unique perspective. Hip-hop is about trying to live out the American dream from the bottom up.

Hip-Hop culture is a unique phenomenon because it does incorporate and affect so many different cultures, ages and classes. In the early…