Native American hip hop is hip-hop culture practiced by people of Native American heritage; in colloquial terms, this also includes Canadian First Nation hip hop artists. As such it is not a specific form of hip-hop but varies in style along the lines of hip-hop in general. Native Americans have been present in hip-hop since its inception as breakdancers, DJs, rappers, and graffiti artists. The Native American contribution to hip-hop can occasionally be veiled by the ethnic umbrella term of Hispanic or Latino, terms that do not specifically refer to race. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget currently defines "Hispanic or Latino" as "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race". Hip-hop is most often described as originating in the 1970s in the inner city African American and Latino American communities of New York City.
Hip-hop has, in more recent times, grown in popularity not only in urban settings but also on reservations since it has become ubiquitous on television and radio. Political activism and its expression in art has also been of great influence due to the many social issues present in indigenous communities. Activists such as John Trudell with his spoken word poetry and Russell Means with what he calls his rap-ajo music have been of some influence with their artistic endeavors.
Read more about Native American Hip Hop: Notable Artists, Early Internet Pioneering
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