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For information on "rap music", see hip hop music. For the English folk dance, see rapper sword.

Rapping, the rhythmic delivery of rhymes, is one of the central elements of hip hop culture and music. It can be delivered over a beat or a cappella — without accompaniment. Rap cannot be classified as talking, poetry, or singing; it occupies a gray area between all three.

Derived from African, Jamaican, and American roots, it has developed both inside and outside of hip hop since the early 1970's. A skilled rapper is able to deliver a flowing, rhythmic rap, often with complex rhymes and wordplay. To showcase their skills rappers often compete in freestyle battles, in which they make fun of their opponent through improvised rhymes. Although rap has spread throughout the world thanks to hip hop culture and music, issues concerning racial, class, and sexual identity remain.

Semantics

The definition of rap in the hip hop sense originates from its earlier meaning— "to discuss or debate informally"—a usage well established among African-Americans by the 1960s. The first rappers in hip hop were the DJs, who rapped from behind the turntables. With the popularization of hip hop, words like rap and chill took on new meanings outside of the African-American community.

A fact often unrecognized outside of hip hop culture is that not all rappers are MCs. While the former includes anyone who raps, the latter requires that one performs for crowds. Coke La Rock, a member of Kool Herc's Herculoids, is often cited as the first MC that wasn't a DJ.

Though it began as a rebellious way of expression against corruption and black prosecution in the United States, rap now has turned into a much more shallow voice. The modern rap (along with Hip Hop, R&B and several other Pop music) have become much more interested in sex, drugs and alcohol as can be seen in several of their lyrics. To be fair some hip hop artists have good beats and can make original tunes like Outkast etc.. but it seems that the majority of the singers talk about shallow self centered materialism i.e. "Iz da bomb wit ma bling bling".. Furthermore, a majority of popular hardcore rappers promote infidelity, crime, and ignorance. Perhaps, a reasonable life is too boring and some humans need destructive music to make their lives more entertaining. After all, rap does remind us of our primal urges and lower levels of awareness. Maybe rap is their only way of feeling meaningful in a world that looks down on them.

History

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Rapping in hip hop music can be traced back in many ways to its African roots. Centuries before the United States existed, the griots (folk poets) of West Africa were rhythmically delivering stories over drums and sparse instrumentation. Because of the time that has passed since the griots of old, the connections between rap and the African griots are widely recognized, but not clear-cut. However, such connections have been acknowledged by rappers, modern day "griots", spoken-word artists, mainstream news sources, and academics.

Blues music, rooted in the work songs and spirituals of slavery, was created by Blacks (and some Whites) in the Mississippi Delta region of the United States around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. According to several musical historians, the blues were being rapped as early as the 1920s. In fact, Grammy-winning blues musician/historian Elijah Wald has referred to hip hop as "the living blues." Music critics and historians have observed similarities between the delivery and lyrical content of blues and modern rap lyrics.

Jazz, largely developed from the blues, originated around the beginning of the 20th century. Improvised jazz singing, called vocalese, is often compared by musicians and music critics to the freestyling of rappers within hip hop. Freestyling has also been said to derive from the art of improvising songs that often distinguishes jazz. Jazz has influenced hip hop greatly throughout its entire history; the scat singing of jazz could be heard in the seminal 1979 old school hip hop song "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang.

During the mid-20th century, the musical culture of Jamaica was constantly influenced by the concurrent changes in American music. In the 1950s, the descendants of Jamaican slaves were mixing their traditional folk music styles of calypso, mento, and soca with the jazz, soul, and rock music of America. This fusion led to the creation of ska and eventually reggae. As early as 1969, Deejays were toasting (an African tradition of "rapped out" tales of heroism) over dubbed Jamaican beats.

The dubbed dancehall toasts of Jamaica, as well as the disco-rapping and jazz-based spoken word beat poetry of the United States set the template for the rapping in hip hop music. One of the first rappers in hip hop was also hip hop's first DJ— Kool Herc. Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, started delivering simple raps at his parties in the early 1970s. As Herc would explain in a 1989 interview, "he whole chemistry came from Jamaica. I was listening to American music in Jamaica, and my favorite artist was James Brown. When I came over here I just had to put it in the American style"

By the end of the 70's, hip hop had spread throughout New York, and was even getting some radio play. Rappers were increasingly writing songs that fit pop music structures and featured continuous rhymes. Melle Mel (of The Furious Five) stands out as one of the earliest rap innovators. From the 70's to the early 80's, Melle Mel set the way for future rappers through his sociopolitical content as well as his creative wordplay.

Hip hop lyricism saw its biggest change with the popularity of Run-DMC's Raising Hell in the mid-80's. This album helped set the tone of toughness and lyrical prowess in hip hop; Run-DMC were almost yelling their aggressive lyrics. Run-DMC exterted an enormous influence throughout the greatly experimental golden age of hip hop, which would last until 1993. In golden age rap, internal rhyme schemes and varying cadences were commonplace. Rhyme styles continue to develop throughout the world to this day.

The importance of rhyme

Aside from a rhythmic delivery the only other central element of rapping is rhyme. In classical poetry, rhymes that span many syllables are often considered whimsical, but in hip hop the ability to construct raps with large sets of rhyming syllables is welcomed. However, rhyming in hip hop is similar to rhyming in classical poetry in that creative, unexpected rhymes are encouraged. Rapping can contain any and all forms of rhyme found in classical poetry such as consonance, assonance, half rhyme, or internal rhyme.

Rappers are known for their style of rhyming. Juelz Santana, for example, often avoids full rhymes in favor of assonance, consonance, half rhymes, and internal rhymes. Eminem, on the other hand, often focuses on complex and lengthy rhyme schemes. According to gangsta rapper South Park Mexican, the best rhymes use multiple words and syllables. In addition to rhyme, though, there are several other techniques that distinguish a rapper's style and ability.

Delivery

Rap delivery, or flow is defined by prosody, cadence, and speed. Cadence deals with the dynamics and patterns of the rhythm. In addition to rubato (changes in tempo for the purpose of expression), cadence can also serve to reinforce song structure through ritardando (the gradual slowing down of tempo). Old school rappers generally maintained a simple cadence, without much deviation, while golden age rappers such as Rakim experimented extensively with cadence. Present-day popular rapper Snoop Dogg is considered to have a versatile cadence, because of his ability to rap over disparate beats equally well.

Prosody, which exists in classical poetry as well, refers to a rap's meter and foot. The hardcore rapping style pioneered by Run-DMC and KRS-ONE is an inverse of iambic pentameter, in other words, trochaic pentameter. Iambic pentameter, which was Shakespeare's meter of choice, is known for its resemblance to natural, conversational speech. For this reason, rapping often often sounds like talking "turned upside down."

Some hip hop fans regard speed as an important sign of skill while others regard it as irrelevant. In certain hip hop subgenres such as chopped and screwed, slow-paced rapping is often considered optimal. Midwestern rap, on the other hand, is represented by fast rhymers such as Twista and Tech N9ne. The current record for fastest rapper is held by MC Ricky Brown, who rapped 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds (14.1 syllables per second) on his track "No Clue" at B&G Studios on January 15, 2005.

To successfully deliver a nicely flowing rap, a rapper must also develop vocal presence, enunciation, and breath control. Vocal presence refers to the distinctiveness of a rapper's voice on record. Enunciation is also important, and some rappers exaggerate it for comic and/or artistic effect. Breath control is an important skill for a rapper to master, so that he or she can take in air without interrupting their delivery. A rapper with proficient breath control can deliver difficult verses without making unintentional pauses. Breath control is intertwined with a rapper's flow, and is thus especially important for live performances.

Raps are sometimes delivered with melody. West-coast rapper Egyptian Lover was the first notable MC to deliver "sing-raps." Popular rappers such as 50 Cent add a slight melody to their otherwise purely percussive raps. Some rappers, such as Cee-Lo, are able to harmonize their raps with the beat.

Synchronization is common among rap groups. Synchronization refers to the organization of several rappers into one song either by overlapping or through call and response. Grandmaster Flash's MC's, the Furious Five, were the first to make five rappers sound as one through synchronization. Some rappers take the role of two different characters that are talking to each other in the song. Examples include "Warning" by Notorious BIG and "Stan" by Eminem.

Writing

Literary devices

Rappers use double entendres, alliteration, and all other variations of wordplay that are found in classical poetry. Similes and metaphors are used extensively in rap lyrics; rappers such as Paul Wall have written entire songs wherein every line contains a simile or metaphor.

Hip hop lyrics often make passing references to popular culture and other topics. Such allusions serve to illustrate or exaggerate a song's message. Some of these reference are overtly political, while others simply acknowledge, credit, or show dismay about some aspect of the rapper's culture and life.

Subject matter

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• Braggadocio. Bragging raps about one's skills, popularity, and wealth existed before hip hop; for example, in the 1960s Mohammed Ali was rapping about how good of a fighter he was as he fought his opponents. There are no popular rappers who do not brag in one way or another. (Example: 50 Cent brags on "Hustler's Ambition": "I'm like the east coast number one playboy, B / Hugh Hef will tell you he ain't got shit on me")
• Comedy. Many rap verses are intended primarily to entertain and/or amuse. Comedy raps, most popular during the 1980s, were first popularized by Biz Markie of the Juice Crew. (Example: On "Just a Friend", Biz Markie raps: "I asked her her name, she said blah-blah-blah / She had 9/10 pants and a very big bra.")
• Crime. Schooly D was the first notable MC to rap about crime. Several years later, he would go on to influence Ice-T, who had more overtly "gangsta" lyrics. Gangsta rap, made popular largely because of NWA and "proto-gangsta rapper" KRS-ONE, focuses on crime. Crime-raps are currently central to the lexicon of mainstream hip hop music. (Example: Schooly D, on what was arguably the first notable gangsta rap song, "PSK": "Got to the place, and who did I see / A sucker-ass nigga tryin to sound like me / Put my pistol up against his head / I said, 'Sucker-ass nigga, I should shoot you dead'")
• Diss raps. Diss raps have roots in the dozens, an African-American oral tradition of ribald trash-talking. The goal of a diss rap is to ridicule one's opponent, often by making fun of their appearance, raps, intelligence, personality, or identity. Diss raps are usually performed live in rap battles, but can also appear on "diss tracks." Sometimes, "diss tracks" can create rivalries that result in verbal attacks or even physical violence. (Example: Jay-Z insulted Mobb Deep on "Takeover": "When I was pushin weight, back in eighty-eight / You was a ballerina I got your pictures I seen ya / Then you dropped "Shook Ones," switch your demeanor / Well - we don't believe you, you need more people")
• Drugs. Marijuana occupies an important place in the subject matter of modern hip hop. West-coast rappers such as Snoop Dogg and Cypress Hill helped popularize drug-related songs in the early 90's. After crack cocaine was invented, songs about selling crack became popular, such as The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ten Crack Commandments." (Example: On "Hits from the Bong" by Cypress Hill: Still it, goes down smooth when I get a clean hit / Of the skunky funky smelly green shit / Sing my song, puff all night long / As I take Hits from the bong)

• Love and sex. The first notable rapper to focus on love and sex was Spoonie Gee of the Treacherous Three. Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D, and LL Cool J made raps about love and sex raps popular in the golden age of hip hop. 2 Live Crew, a Miami bass group, were the first hip hop act to be temporarily banned in the United States for the overtly sexual and profane content of their raps.
• Party rhymes. Party lyrics are meant to pump up the crowd at a party: "Clap your hands everybody / If you got what it takes / Cause I'm Kurtis Blow and I want you to know / That these are the breaks." With the exception of The Furious Five, early hip hop focused solely on party lyrics. Party rap remains a staple of hip hop music to this day.
• Religion and spirituality. A number of hip hop songs have a spiritual or religious focus. Christian rap is currently the most commercially successful form of religious rap. Aside from Christianity, the The Nation of Gods and Earths, a gnostic religious/spiritual group, has been represented more than any religious group in popular hip hop.
• Sociopolitical commentary. The roots of sociopolitical raps are in the beat poetry of The Last Poets and Gil Scott Heron. "The Message", a concept rap written by Melle Mel and performed by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, pioneered the inclusion of political content in hip hop rhymes, expanding their focus beyond personal issues and partying. One element that has always existed in rapped rhymes, dating back to hip hop's inception, is "the struggle". This struggle was originally financial or personal in nature; getting a girlfriend, or paying the rent. With "The Message", the idea of "the struggle" was put in another context: the hardships shared of the ghetto. In the golden age of hip hop, Public Enemy emerged, with a focus on political and social issues. Modern East Coast hip hop artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Nas, and Dead Prez are known for their sociopolitical subject matter.
• Storytelling. Storytelling in rap has roots in the toasting of Jamaica. The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, and Slick Rick are often regarded as excellent storytellers in the hip hop community.

Word choice and slang

Many hip hop listeners believe that a rapper's lyrics are enhanced by a complex vocabulary. Kool Moe Dee claims that he appealed to older audiences by using a complex vocabulary in his raps. Rap is famous, however, for having its own vocabulary— from international hip hop slang to local/regional slang. Some artists, like the Wu-Tang Clan, develop their own slang terms. African American Vernacular English has always had a significant effect on hip hop slang, and vice-versa. Certain regions have introduced their unique regional slang to hip hop vocabulary, such as the Bay Area (E-40), Atlanta (OutKast, Lil Jon), and Kentucky (Nappy Roots). The Nation of Gods and Earths, a religious/spiritual group spun off from the Nation of Islam, has influenced mainstream hip hop slang with the introduction of phrases such as "word is bond" that have since lost much of their original spiritual meaning.

Freestyling and battle rapping

Freestyle rapping

Freestyle rap is the improvisation of rapped lyrics. When freestyling, some rappers inadvertently reuse old lines, or "cheat" by preparing segments or even entire verses. Therefore, freestyles with proven spontaneity are valued above generic, always usable lines. Rappers will often reference relevant persons, places, or objects in their immediate setting to prove their authenticity and originality.

Battle rapping

Battle rapping, which can be freestyled, is the competition between two or more rappers in front of an audience. The winner of a battle is decided by the crowd and/or preselected judges. According to Kool Moe Dee, a successful battle rap focuses on an opponents weaknesses, rather than one's own strengths. Television shows such as BET's 106 and Park and MTV's DFX host weekly freestyle battles live on the air. Battle rapping gained widespread public recognition outside of the African-American community with Eminem's movie, 8 Mile.

Identity

By the United States 2000 Census, three-fourths of the United States' population is white, while one-eighth is black. According to musicologist Arthur Kempton, 70 percent of hip hop listeners are white. Mainstream artists such as Eminem sometimes have a larger percentage of black concert-goers than their underground counterparts . According to political rapper Zion it's because "So many Black people don't want to hear it. They want that thug shit." In addition to Zion, several other underground rappers, such as Boots Riley of The Coup, report nearly all-white audiences.

Despite so many hip hop fans being white, most popular rappers are not. Many believe this is a good thing; popular rapper Kanye West has said: "I hate music where white people are trying to sound black. The white music I like white."

Unlike Kanye West, who came from an economically privileged background, the majority of popular American rappers to date have come from a poor, often inner-city life. Eminem, when questioned about his race, replied "I'm poor. I've always been poor." Vanilla Ice, a white pop-rapper, went so far as to lie about his place of origin, claiming that he came from a poorer area than he did. According to a recent study by Teenage Research Unlimited, living in or near a city increases the likelihood that one listens to hip hop. The Beastie Boys, an exception to all of these patterns, are notable for being a white, suburban, middle-class rap group that was able to gain street credibility despite the race and class stigma involved.

Almost all popular rappers identify themselves as heterosexual. Homophobia is both prevalent and blatant throughout hip hop culture, although a small number of MCs have explored GLBT issues. Queen Pen, an openly bisexual female MC, emphasizes her sexuality in her music, as does Caushun, an openly gay male rapper.

Derivatives and influence

Throughout hip hop's history, new musical styles and genres have developed that contain rapping. Entire genres, such as rapcore (rock/metal/punk with rapped vocals) and hip house have resulted from the fusion of rap and other styles. All popular music genres with a focus on percussion have contained rapping at some point— be it disco (DJ Hollywood), jazz (Gangstarr), new wave (Blondie), funk (Fatback Band), contemporary R&B (Mary J. Blige), reggaeton (Daddy Yankee), or even Japanese dance music. UK garage music has begun to focus increasingly on rappers in a new subgenre called grime, pioneered and popularized by the MC, Dizzee Rascal.

See also

• List of rappers
• Scrypt
• Diss song
• Posse cut

Similar lyrical traditions

• Mor lam in Laos
• Chastushka in Russia
• Rhapsody in Ancient Greece
• Kuai ban in China
• Limerick in Ireland
• Griots in West Africa

Notes and references

1. The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition.
2. ^ Kool Moe Dee (2003). There's a God on the Mic. Ernie Paniccioli (Photographer). Thunder's Mouth Press. p. 224. ISBN 1560255331. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
3. A search on Google News results in 9,760 hits for rapper and only 2,980 hits for MC. URL's accessed on December 25, 2005.
4. "BBC NEWS: Africa". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
5. "About.com: Rap". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. "PBS lesson plan on the blues". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
7. "Yale University Teachers Association". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
8. ^ "Hip Hop and Blues". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
9. "The Roots of Rap". Retrieved December 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
10. "Davey D's Hip-Hop Corner". Retrieved December 20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
11. "allmusic". Retrieved December 22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. "Guinness World Records". Retrieved December 17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
13. ^ The History of Rap by Kurtis Blow.
14. "Village Voice editorial". Retrieved February 2. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
15. According to Vanilla Ice, he was encouraged to lie by his record company, to increase their profits.

• Alan Light (1999). The Vibe History of Hip Hop. Three Rivers Press. p. 432. ISBN 0609805037. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
• Sacha Jenkins (1999). Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 352. ISBN 0312242980. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

External links

• HoodStars.net - A hip-hop and urban website with news, reviews, interviews, etc.
• Davey D's Hip-Hop corner - A hiphop news/editorial website with rapper interviews and news.
• Hiphop Scenes.Com - A hiphop website covering all aspects of hiphop
• Hiphop Emcees.Com - A hiphop website dedicated to rapper
• Allmusic.com: Rap - Extensive information on genres of rap/hip hop, divided by subject matter.
• The BBC's wiki on rapping - The British Broadcasting Company runs a wiki on rapping.
• A rap oriented lesson plan for teachers
• Advice on a rap career by South Park Mexican
• Rahzel A hiphop and MC legend. One of the best at beatboxing.

• Rapping