Why is hip-hop categorized as "urban"?

Question

I find it offensive. To me it implies that every other music genre is some kind of retarded hillbilly crap. You are out of touch if you don't get into "urban" music, because it is "urban" like in the city where civilization lives. There are other genres of music that exist in large cities and that were even created in large cities, but are not called "urban". I just think it's BS.

So you mean people are ok with "urban" being a synonym for "black"? That seems kinda racist to me.

Answer 1

It's urban because that's where it's from. Plus, back in the day, Billboard magazine (who makes the official charts) had a Black chart. That fell out of favor during the PC wave (which is about the same time hip-hip came along), and so they changed it to Urban.

Answer 2

I think it's called "urban" because that's where it originated. Rap and hiphop started in the inner cities, as country & bluegrass ORIGINATED in the south and in the mountains. Like the "surfer" sound of the Beach Boys ORIGINATED in California. It doesn't mean that "every other music genre is some kind of retarded hillbilly crap". Quite frankly, that kind of assumption and terminology makes you seem like a backwards hillbilly yourself.

Answer 3

Because urban means "of the city."

It just means that hiphop music and culture are more prevalent in cities than in suburbs, exurbs, or east nowhere, Mississippi.

Urban is a term used in geography all the time. Get over it.

Answer 4

"Urban" is a politically correct way of saying "black".