Explore how hip hop grew from the streets of the Bronx into a global industry — and practise reported speech, the grammar you need to summarise what other people say, at B2/C1 level.
Read the text carefully, then answer the comprehension questions using the dropdown menus.
Hip hop began in the early 1970s in the South Bronx, New York, where DJs at block parties experimented with extending the instrumental "breaks" of funk and soul records. MCs soon began rapping over these beats, and by the early 1980s hip hop had developed from a local street culture into a recognisable musical genre. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, artists such as Public Enemy and N.W.A used rap to comment on racism, poverty and police violence in Black communities, turning the genre into a powerful form of social commentary as well as entertainment.
The 1990s also brought hip hop's greatest commercial breakthrough. Tupac Shakur, known as 2Pac, became one of the best-selling artists in the world, blending personal struggle, political anger and mainstream appeal in songs that still influence musicians today. Major record labels, recognising the genre's huge audience, invested heavily in hip hop, and it soon dominated the charts.
By the 2000s, hip hop had become the most commercially successful genre in the United States, shaping fashion, language and film as much as music. Critics still debate whether this commercial success changed hip hop's original message, but there is no doubt that a style once dismissed as a passing trend transformed the entire music industry.
1 Hip hop began in the in the early 1970s.
2 DJs at block parties experimented with extending the instrumental of funk and soul records.
3 Artists such as Public Enemy used rap to comment on in Black communities.
4 2Pac became one of the best-selling in the world.
5 Major record labels invested heavily in hip hop because they recognised its .
6 By the 2000s, hip hop had become the most genre in the United States.
Each sentence reports something an artist, journalist or producer originally said. Choose the correct reported form — remember the backshift of tenses and modal verbs.
1 "I want to change how people think about hip hop," 2Pac said. → He said that he to change how people think about hip hop.
2 "Do you write your own lyrics?" the journalist asked. → The journalist asked him if he his own lyrics.
3 "I have never forgotten where I came from," he said. → He said that he never forgotten where he came from.
4 "Will hip hop still be popular in ten years?" she asked. → She asked whether hip hop still be popular in ten years.
5 "I recorded this album last year," the rapper explained. → The rapper explained that he recorded that album the previous year.
6 "Where did you grow up?" the interviewer asked. → The interviewer asked him where he grown up.
7 "Don't forget your roots," his mother told him. → His mother told him forget his roots.
8 "We are working on a new project," the producers said. → The producers said that they working on a new project.
In mediation and summary tasks, the reporting verb you choose should match the speaker's intention — not just repeat "said". Choose the verb that best fits each quote.
1 "Hip hop gave me a voice," 2Pac said. → He that hip hop had given him a voice.
2 "I never meant to hurt anyone with my lyrics," he said, defending himself. → He that he had never meant to hurt anyone.
3 "Maybe we should look at the lyrics more carefully," the teacher said. → The teacher looking at the lyrics more carefully.
4 "I will always support young artists," the producer said. → The producer to always support young artists.
5 "I'm not responsible for how listeners interpret my songs," the rapper said. → The rapper responsibility for how listeners interpret his songs.
6 "Careful — this song contains explicit language," the label said. → The label listeners that the song contained explicit language.
7 "I made mistakes early in my career," he said. → He that he had made mistakes early in his career.
8 "Why do critics ignore the poetry in rap?" she wondered. → She why critics ignored the poetry in rap.
Imagine you interviewed a hip hop artist for your school newspaper. Below are your interview notes, written as direct quotes. Write a short summary (6–8 sentences, about 60–100 words) reporting what was said, using reported speech throughout.
Artist: "Hip hop started as a way for young people in the Bronx to express themselves."
Artist: "My family always supported my music, even when other people didn't understand it."
Artist: "I want my lyrics to tell the truth about difficult experiences."
Artist: "Success has changed a lot for me, but I have never forgotten where I came from."
You asked: "Do you think hip hop will change in the future?"
Artist answered: "Of course — every generation makes it their own."
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