This year, the music industry and the artists within it are celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. While the exact anniversary isn't until later this year, music professionals everywhere have already begun honoring those before them.

As part of the festivities, Apple Music is releasing a new podcast series called "Hip-Hop DNA." Curated by Ebro Darden, this five-episode audio series is a deep dive into the world of hip-hop. Each episode analyzes the catalogs and influences of some of the biggest artists in the genre, exploring how inspiration and aesthetics are drawn from the early days of hip-hop.

The series is divided into four chapters, with the first chapter being "Origins" and spanning nine episodes. "Origins" explores how hip-hop emerged in different regions and how various artists defined the genre across the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, and South.

The remaining 10 episodes delve into the craft and evolution of MCing, production, and DJing, making for a total of 20 episodes in the series.

You can stream the first five episodes of "Hip-Hop DNA" on Apple Music now, with future episodes being aired weekly.

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