Hip Hop
Some say it started with "Rapper's Delight." Some say it started with James Brown. Others will tell you it really started with Gil-Scott Heron and the Last Poets. Still others will say it didn't really start until Tupac. Whatever, man. Hip hop and rap are now thoroughly global phenomena, and history has shown that almost anywhere in the world you can find two turntables and a microphone, hip hop will soon follow (if it hasn't started there already). Hip hop historians traditionally cite four recognized forms of hip hop expression: rapping, DJing, graffitti writing, and breakdancing. Epitonic now welcomes you to the fifth: downloading.
OK, OK, so maybe downloading these tracks isn't going to teach you how to bomb a subway car, smurf, headspin, or scratch, but it will expose you to the freshest beats, lyrics, and turntable madness that the Web has to offer, as well as classics from the worldwide underground. Start with two and pass it to your homie on the left.
