1 Julie Watson

Rapper's delight: a billion-dollar industry.

2 Anakwenze U

Zuberi D Mental health and poverty in the inner city.

3 Travis Jr, R Rap music and the empowerment of today's youth: evidence in everyday music listening, music therapy and commercial rap music.

The global popularity of hip-hop has transformed the culture from the inner-city streets of New York City (NY, USA) into a multibillion-dollar industry within about 40 years.Hip-hop music is a worldwide platform for self-expression and unification. It has a unique capability to translate across cultures, languages, and socioeconomic boundaries. Hip-hop first emerged during the early 1970s out of the politically forsaken and socially neglected South Bronx area, New York. Toxic environmental factors such as poverty, illegal drug use, crime, and social segregation put those who lived in these areas at a high risk of developing mental health problems.However, for many, the conception of hip-hop also helped to positively transform their lives and achieve a formidable sense of empowerment, street knowledge, resilience, and self-healing.