Final answer:
Hip-hop originated in the Bronx in the 1970s, with DJ Kool Herc among its pioneers. It spread globally, adapting to diverse contexts like Japan's Hiroshi Fujiwara and the Middle East's Klash, and received recognition with Kendrick Lamar's Pulitzer Prize in 2018. Despite cultural barriers, hip-hop has diffused worldwide and serves as a vehicle for expressing socio-political resistance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The origins of hip-hop are credited to street musicians in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s, with a particular spotlight on DJ Kool Herc as a pioneer. These artists, like The Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron, provided raw and honest depictions of inner-city life. As hip-hop spread globally, figures like Hiroshi Fujiwara in Japan and Middle Eastern artists like Klash began interpreting the genre to reflect their own experiences. Hip-hop both resisted and assimilated into various cultural norms, evidenced by its diffusion patterns such as hierarchical diffusion and stimulus diffusion. A hallmark in hip-hop's evolution was the awarding of the Pulitzer Prize to Kendrick Lamar in 2018, recognizing hip-hop as a respected art form.
One of the first hip-hop records to reach mainstream success was "Rapper's Delight" in 1979 by the Sugarhill Gang, using trained musicians instead of a DJ. This early adoption and subsequent adaptations demonstrate the genre's expansive influence. Despite barriers, hip-hop has thrived and become a powerful medium for expression, especially in communities facing racial and economic challenges, as seen with artists like Public Enemy advocating against societal injustices.
Internationally, hip-hop faced various obstacles such as cultural and religious conservatism but has remained a prominent form of creative and political expression worldwide. Its ability to encapsulate the realities of marginalized communities continues to be instrumental in its global spread and impact, showing that the diffusion of hip-hop can occur despite significant barriers.