Simone Monasebian: Rap’s Path from Street Culture to Mainstream Recognition

Rap’s rise to mainstream prominence reflects an evolution that parallels the career and early journalism background of Simone Monasebian, who was among the first national reporters to cover hip-hop through her work with the syndicated program Radioscope. Now a legal and human-rights leader with more than 30 years of experience, Monasebian serves as the first Chief Program Officer of Sanctuary for Families in New York City. Her career spans roles as a criminal defense attorney, UN prosecutor, principal defender for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in New York, and on-air legal analyst for Court TV. Before her global legal work, she reported on emerging musical movements, including the formative years of rap culture. Her combined background in journalism, international law, and advocacy reflects a lifelong engagement with societal shifts, including those expressed through the evolution of hip-hop into a dominant cultural force.

Rap’s Path from Street Culture to Mainstream Recognition

People often use the terms “hip-hop” and “rap” interchangeably. However, hip-hop is a much broader term that describes a culture, including the musical genre of rap. Breakdancing and MCing, for example, are also key elements of hip-hop culture. Rap itself comprises numerous subgenres, such as gangsta rap, boom-bap, trap, and rap rock, among others, as well as freestyle rap.

The origins of hip-hop culture and rap music extend back centuries, but more recent developments began in the early 1970s in the Bronx, New York. Early rap, as well as many modern iterations of the genre, generally consisted of the interplay between two key contributors: an MC, usually short for “master of ceremonies” but in this case referring to the person or people rapping, and a DJ, a person manipulating prerecorded tracks to provide musical accompaniment to the rap.

DJ Kool Herc invented the b-beat, often considered the first hip-hop beat. Initially, rappers performed on the streets, in parks, or at private parties, but within a few years, local club and venue owners saw the commercial potential and started booking MCs and DJs. Sugarhill Records producer Sylvia Robinson recorded the Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979, often viewed as the first commercially successful rap recording.

Individuals can easily track the growth of rap music by looking at record sales in the United States by decade. In the 1980s, rap records did not rank among the top 100-selling albums of the decade. The following decade, numerous rap and hip-hop records sold millions of copies, led by Lauryn Hill’s debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Hill had provided vocals to the hip-hop band Fugees and continued to explore soul, R&B, and rap on her own; The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has sold approximately 20 million copies, No. 23 for the 1990s.

MC Hammer enjoyed considerable commercial success as a mainstream hip-hop artist. His third studio album, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, sold 18 million copies, No. 38 for the decade. Album sales derived largely from Hammer’s smash hit, “U Can’t Touch This.”

Many other 1990s albums featured rap and other hip-hop elements, including TLC’s Crazysexycool, The Score by Fugees, and Big Willie Style. Dr. Dre released the top-selling “pure rap” record of the decade, with sales approaching 11 million copies.

Rap’s ascension to the top of all album charts occurred the very next year with The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminmen. With 32 million records sold, it ranks as the No. 1 album of the 2000s, edging out 1 by The Beatles. Eminem’s 2002 follow-up, The Eminem Show, sold nearly 21 million copies, No. 6 for the decade.

According to ChartMasters.org, at least 30 rappers have sold more than 30 million records during their careers, all of whom rose to prominence in the late 1990s, 2000s, or 2010s. Along with Eminem, top-selling rappers include Jay-Z, 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg.

About Simone Monasebian

Simone Monasebian is an accomplished legal professional and global human-rights advocate whose career spans criminal defense, international prosecution, and senior leadership within the United Nations. Before entering law, she was an early national journalist covering the emerging hip-hop movement. She later served as a trial attorney for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and as principal defender for the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Monasebian spent 14 years with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, ultimately directing its New York Office, and now serves as Chief Program Officer at Sanctuary for Families. She holds degrees from New York University and Syracuse University College of Law.