From Rock 'n' Roll to Hip-Hop: A Journey Through Popular Music

Imagine you are a teenager in 1955. There is no streaming, no playlist algorithm — just the radio. One evening, a new sound crackles through the speaker: electric guitar, a driving backbeat, and a singer who sounds like he is breaking every rule. Your parents hate it. You love it. That feeling — music as rebellion, as identity — is at the heart of almost every popular genre you will study today. Before you dive in, think about a song you love that feels different, urgent, or surprising. What makes it stand out from everything else you hear?