Short answers, pulled from the story.
Hip-hop culture began on the 11th of August 1973 at a back-to-school party in the recreation room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. DJ Kool Herc used two turntables to extend instrumental breaks from James Brown records during this event.
The four principal elements of hip-hop culture are rapping, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art. A fifth element called knowledge underscores the role of music in shaping values and promoting consciousness-raising.
MC Hammer's album Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em sold over ten million units and became the first diamond-certified hip-hop record. This achievement occurred during the golden age period spanning from 1986 to the mid-1990s.
N.W.A released Straight Outta Compton in 1989 which included the song Fuck tha Police that sparked the first major controversy regarding hip-hop lyrics. FBI Assistant Director Milt Ahlerich wrote a letter to Priority Records lamenting the album's discouraging impact on law enforcement.
Starting in 2005 social media led to the decline of fans purchasing physical media like CDs and vinyl. Hip-hop sales plummeted totaling a 21% decrease from 2005 to 2006 due to peer-to-peer file sharing and digital downloads.