From DJ Kool Herc dropping the needle on a record at a party in the Bronx more than fifty years ago and then experimenting with mixing beats and scratching records, worldwide legions of rappers, dancers, street artists, and deejays constantly reinvent what is arguably the most American of inventions, hip-hop.

While even the most casual followers can identify the five elements of the culture: rapping, deejaying, graffiti art, breakdancing, and beatboxing — now on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, which falls on Oct. 10 — it’s time to recognize and amplify a sixth element focusing on health and healing at a time when the Black and Latino neighborhoods from which hip hop originated need it the most.

Non-Hispanic Black Americans have the highest incidence of stroke, heart disease, and

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