In its 50 years the genre has helped bring awareness, social change and empowerment. Candace McDuffie explores the ground-breaking records that have made a difference.
Largely remembered as forerunners of hip-hop, the Last Poets, Watts Prophets and Gil Scott-Heron were radical artists who deserve recognition in their own right, writes Dorian Lynskey.
As hip-hop turns 50, Arwa Haider traces the verbal pioneers who forged a path long before 1973, from jazz "hep cat" Slim Gaillard to "dirty blues" singer Lucille Bogan.