Asian American hip-hop

The influence and impact of hip hop was originally shaped from African American communities in the South Bronx. In the last several decades, the abundant Asian and Asian American presence in hip hop has become a worldwide phenomenon and one factor of their exponential participation in hip hop culture can be credited to the emergence of collegiate California-based dance teams that propagated from the culture-centric/ethnic-centric clubs on campuses; in the mid 1980's to the late 1990's the first generation of collegiate teams had been inspired by dance films such as Breakin' (1983), Flashdance [Rocksteady Crew] (1983) and popular house party dances like Wop and the Running Man. The following generation of collegiate dance teams were further nurtured by the commercial successes of films like Save the Last Dance (2001), Honey (2003), You Got Served (2004), Step Up (2006), and Stomp The Yard (2007). Television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance (2005), America's Best Dance Crew (2008); and finally Internet video sharing websites such as YouTube (2005) facilitated greater exposure of hip hop dance culture to mass audiences, both domestic and international. Technological advancements and forms of communication and publishing have allowed the movement to become a worldwide phenomenon which transcends different cultural boundaries. Asian American hip-hop practitioners include: MC Jin, Lyrics Born, Dumbfoundead, Tokimonsta, and DJ Q-Bert.