Hip hop (or hip-hop), also known as rap and formerly known as disco rap, is a genre of popular music that was originated in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1970s by Afro-Americans, having existed for several years prior to mainstream discovery. This music genre originated as an anti-drug and anti-violence genre, while consisting of stylized rhythmic music (usually built around drum beats) that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted, in addition to other musical elements used, such as beatboxing, DJism, synthesizers and others.