East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in the New York City area during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in New York; East Coast hip hop only became a distinct subgenre after artists from other regions of the United States emerged with different styles. In contrast to other styles, East Coast hip hop music has prioritized complex lyrics for attentive listening rather than beats for dancing. The main components of hip hop culture from that time and still today are MC’ing, DJ’ing, break dancing, and graffiti.