R&B / Hip Hop Hip hop originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City. Hip Hop was later accompanied by rap and beat boxing, a vocal technique mainly used to imitate percussive elements of the music. Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music. Contemporary R&B (also known as simply R&B) is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and f unk.