Hip-Hop is the musical subculture, born in New York in the early 1970s. The movement is defined by four key practices, or elements:

Hip-Hop has spread worldwide as various cultures have utilised these elements to express their culturally relevant stories, experiences, and perspectives. Lead by artists including Eminem, 2Pac and Missy Elliot, Hip-Hop has never been more popular, becoming the dominant music form popular amongst young people today.

MC-ing (or rap) is the use of rhymes and rhyme patterns to provide a medium for personal expression. This includes the art of freestyling and battling as displayed in Eminem's hit movie "8-Mile".

B-Boying (or breakdancing) is a style of extravagant dance, in which participants employ athletic moves to spin and pose their bodies. Pioneered by such groups as the Rock Steady Crew, B-Boying draws its moves from a number of influences including the Brazilian martial art style Capoeira, and pop-locking and boogaloo styles from the West Coast of America.

Graffiti (or aerosol art) is the urban visual artform predominantly based around the letter- form, and takes its root as an expression of personal identity. Writers use aerosol paint to create stylised representations of the artist's chosen moniker, or nickname. Often wrongly seen as purely an act of vandalism, in the right context graffiti can be applied to youth centres, store shop-fronts and trains in mural form to reflect community standards, culture, customs or the artist's own unique vision. Notable Australian aerosol artists include Mystery, Unique and Atome.

Beatboxing is the art of using your vocal chords, breathing and mouth to create music, specifically percussion elements (drums). Pioneered by New York artist Doug E Fresh, beatboxing has recently enjoyed a surge in popularity in Australia due to beatboxers gaining a spotlight on episodes of Australian Idol.