Final answer:
The significant cultural phenomenon of the 1980s was the rise of hip-hop music, characterized by artists who conveyed the realities of inner-city life with authenticity and intensity.
Step-by-step explanation:
Back in the 1980s, a significant cultural movement took the world by storm, and it wasn't something as mundane as a weather event. This phenomenon was the rise of hip-hop music. Hip-hop emerged from self-taught street musicians who creatively integrated elements of 1970s funk with spoken-word lyrics and beats. This genre gave birth to artists who spoke of the inner-city life with great honesty and intensity. Pioneers such as the Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron, as well as artists like Chuck D of Public Enemy, crafted music that resonated beyond the ghettos and addressed issues such as racism with their thought-provoking lyrics.
Considering the other options, we know that the personal computer revolution was also a hallmark of the '80s, radically transforming how people work and communicate. The advent of compact discs (CDs) did replace cassette tapes but gained true prevalence in the 1990s. Despite the growing fitness trend, the popularity of aerobics did not have as wide-ranging an impact as hip-hop or computers. Therefore, the rise of hip-hop music fits the description best as a stormy cultural movement that swept through the 1980s.
Final answer in 2 lines: The correct choice relating to something that took the world by storm in the 80s is (C) The rise of hip-hop music.