Those who are young or relatively new to the HipHop culture don't realize that Rap Music has many different genres:

East Coast: The East Coast, most notably New York City, was the genesis for rap music hitting the mainstream. Run-D.M.C. led the pack, with Rakim and Big Daddy Kane also breaking through to make rap emerge as a national phenomenon.

West Coast: While HipHop was cooking in the East, West Coast rap music gained national recognition in the mid-1980s with performers like Ice T and Too $hort.

Dirty South: While most of the music world's attention focused on rap coming from New York and Los Angeles, HipHop artists in the South were turning to independent music labels to release their work. Geographically, the Dirty South genre encompassed places as diverse as Houston, Birmingham, and Miami, and was greatly influenced by Ghetto Mafia in the mid-1990s. Musically, Dirty South rap is known for is danceabilty and rhythmic delivery.

Gangsta Rap: Some say Gangsta Rap first emerged on the West Coast with N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" release, while others credit Ice T with taking Gangsta Rap to national acclaim. Characterized by lyrics glamorizing elements of a criminal lifestyle, violence, promiscuity, misogyny, and materialism, Gangsta Rap's controversy came to a head with the murder of the West Coast Tupcac Shakur in 1996, and the subsequent murder of the East Coast's The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997.

Pop Rap: Known for its widespread, mainstream appeal, Pop Rap's first breakout star was LL Cool J. The Fresh Prince and MC Hammer quickly rose to the top of the Pop Rap scene and the music charts with lyrics that were less controversial than those of the Gangsta Rap genre, and thus were more likely to receive radio airplay.

Christian Rap: While HipHop was garnering a reputation for less than savory lyrics and artists for questionable activities, other artists were expressing their faith through HipHop. Christian Rap took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s with rap groups like P.I.D. and S.F.C.

Jazz Rap: Although Jazz Rap has never enjoyed mainstream commercial success, the genre often incorporates Afrocentric and political themes. Gang Starr and Gil Scott-Heron are often cited as two of the first Jazz rappers.

Conscious HipHop: Similar to Jazz Rap, Conscious HipHop has never enjoyed mass commercial success. With an emphasis on social issues, Conscious HipHop isn't overtly political, but rather deals with issues such as poverty and religion.

Electro HipHop: A combination of dance music and rap, Electro HipHop first emerged in the 1980s on the West Coast from artists like Arabian Prince and Egyptian Lover. By the mid-1990s, Electro HipHop had pretty much run its course.

The world moves fast these days, and sometimes its just plain hard to keep up with the latest news on our favorite music and releases from our favorite artists. New rap and R&B music comes out nearly every week, and for those with a busy schedule, it can to be a time consuming task just to find out what's new in the hip hop world. So here is a quick over view of what is happening in the hip hop culture today:

Kanye West continues to release chart topping hits such as Coldest Winter, Heartless and Robocop. Labels like GOOD Music and Def Jam Records continue to promote Kanye as one of the hottest names in new rap and R&B music. His latest album, 808s and Heartbreak, is scheduled for release on November 25th, 2008.

Another Def Jam Records artist that is scheduled for a new album release on November 25th is Ludacris. The new album, Theater of the Mind, contains hits like One More Drink featuring T. Pain. The video for One More Drink just became available on November 4th. Other tracks on the new album include What Them Girls Like, Call Up the Homies featuring The Game and Willy Northpole, and Wish You Would featuring T.I.

50 cent has a scheduled release date for his new album, Before I Self Destruct, of December 9th of 2008. Along with the release of the album comes the release of a coinciding movie. The current hit from the up and coming album, is Get Up, which is already available for purchase.

Releasing new rap and R&B music in November is Trick Trick, with his album, The Villian. The Villan is Trick Trick's second album, and contains a re-make of Run DMC's Together Forever, with special guests Kid Rock, Esham, and Proof. The album is scheduled to hit shelves on November 11th.

Jedi Mind Tricks also has a release date of November 11th for the new album, A History of Violence. Fans of this group are excited to see what the new album has to offer.

The Evidence will be releasing the album, The Layover EP, on November 25th. The hit single, For Whom The Bell Tolls, will grace the album and feature accompanying artists will.i.am, Phonte, and Blu.

November 4th brought about the release of Q-tip's latest album, The Renaissance. The album was Q-tip's first release in nearly ten years. Much of the album is based on the life of the hip hop culture, with some songs dedicated to friends that have passed away.

November is a big month for new rap and R&B music, with big name artists releasing long awaited albums. December seems to hold just as much anticipation for those who can't get enough of the hip hop culture.