Rappers use various styles to express themselves musically. Some utilize beats reminiscent of funk or drum and bass while others may rely on lyricism and storytelling as means to do so.
Hip-hop’s advent in the 1970s revolutionized longstanding African-American musical traditions, as artists such as Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, N.W.A and Public Enemy created personas which could range from ultra-smooth to tough gangland toughness.
Definition
Rap music consists of original poetry recited with rhythm and rhyme over prerecorded instrumental tracks. It emerged alongside hip-hop culture, which originated in New York City as an expression of resistance against poverty, urban renewal and violence experienced by Black and Latinx youth. Early hip-hop performers included MCs (master of ceremonies), DJs, break dancers and graffiti writers.
Rappers frequently cite jazz music as an influential influence on their art form, while spoken word artists like the Last Poets of Harlem and Watts Prophets combined political poetry with improvisational jazz in the late 1960s. Later, hip hop was the first popular form of music to incorporate various styles within one song – from reggae-influenced flows by early Run DMC and Ice Cube to jazzy tones by Mos Def and Talib Kweli – with each genre contributing unique qualities to create hip hop’s distinctive sound.
In the 1990s, rap became increasingly popular across America and its musical style began evolving into distinct regional genres. Local rappers started creating independent albums and record labels to release independent releases with Latin-influenced percussion as well as scratching effects from turntables such as scratching. Call-and-response chants were often interspersed between lyrics sung in rhymed couplets; this genre inspired such artists as Diddy, Snoop Dogg and OutKast.
Gangsta rap became more violent, glorifying drugs and gang violence while sparking controversy due to its misogynist content and offensive language; more “conscious” hip-hop artists responded with backlash.
Kanye West and Eminem revolutionized hip-hop in the 2000s through their innovative lyrical content and production style, shifting away from gangsta rap towards more substantive topics like middle-class upbringing, anti-black racism and corporate indifference.
Origins
Rap music emerged alongside hip-hop culture and was intended to extend longstanding African American musical traditions in new directions. Its early performers included MCs (short for master of ceremonies or emcees) and DJs who used prerecorded instrumental tracks as tools; early rappers, like Sugar Hill Gang’s 1979 hit “Rapper’s Delight,” would recite rhymed poetry over repetitive dance records. Prior to this emergence of rap, black artists such as Lightnin’ Hopkins and Lightnin’ Louie had created talking blues – country/folk music that featured rhythmic speech or near-speech with free melody but strict rhythm.
Grandmaster Flash and his Furious Five, Kurtis Blow and the Cold Crush Brothers combined their talents to form an entire genre known as rhymed poetry rap music that blended rhyming poetry with music from different musical sources, including jazz, reggae and rock music. Furthermore, these rappers often addressed issues related to social and economic injustice through their lyrics.
As rap became increasingly popular during the 1980s and 90s, more artists from across the nation joined its popularity, using music to address local and national problems while invoking change. Gangsta rap became particularly controversial as its focus on urban violence and drugs was met with much criticism – artists such as Schoolly D criticized rather than glorified violence as part of an unhealthy lifestyle that it fostered.
More recently, rap has expanded into several subgenres that cater to various tastes and experiences. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar employ thought-provoking lyricism to address social concerns while others, like Future, utilize catchy melodies with autotuned vocals for maximum audience impact. Furthermore, its revival has inspired discussions regarding race, sexuality, politics and technology’s place within society.
Styles
Rappers use various styles to communicate meaning. Some rely on rhyme and rhythm to express romance, while others employ staccato and harsh vocals to show anger or conflict. Which style they employ depends on both cultural experiences as well as what message they want to send across.
Rap’s roots can be traced to the hip-hop cultural movement that emerged in South Bronx during the early 1970s. DJs like Kool Herc began isolating and exaggerating funk and soul percussion breaks to extend them, with MCs who introduced and encouraged audience participation speaking and singing over these beats.
Hip-hop’s rise in popularity saw both national and regional expansion of its popularity, thanks to black-run magazines such as The Source, Vibe and XXL as well as shows such as Yo! MTV Raps and BET’s Rap City. Additionally, regional rappers such as Cleveland-based Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia helped shape its sound beyond New York and California.
Gangsta rap has quickly become one of the most influential styles. Combining elements from both hip hop and hardcore punk rock music genres, its artists often convey messages addressing crime, gang violence and other social injustices through these tracks – often breaking through censorship barriers to encourage audiences to speak out against injustices themselves.
Old school is the original form of rap music, dating back to its origins in the 1970s to 1990s. This style primarily emphasizes beat and structure – usually two beats to a bar – as its primary characteristics. At this time, artists used samples for drum patterns, which could later be remixed and remixed to fit different musical genres and styles. Old school rappers would also often change vocal patterns or speed up delivery to add drama.
Influences
Rap music embodies the culture of hip-hop, an influential cultural movement that gained widespread attention during the late 1980s and 1990s. Early pioneers, such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Kurtis Blow, Kool Keith, A Tribe Called Quest, drew inspiration from longstanding African American musical traditions to compose songs with different sampling and vocal delivery techniques while criticizing artists they perceived to lack cultural authenticity – prompting debates that eventually resulted in musical rating systems and parental advisory warnings being placed on some rap albums.
Rap musicians draw upon their lyrics to express the feelings and experiences of urban African American youth – an audience often left out of mainstream media coverage. Rap musicians address daily life experiences like dreams and discontents in an approachable yet poetic language that makes rap popular with many audiences, leading some critics to call it “the CNN of the black world”.
Although some rappers have used their fame as a platform for political activism, most remain focused on depicting life in ghetto neighborhoods. Some rap songs featuring themes of violence or drug dealing have caused debate; nonetheless, its impact has been felt across society: from clothing brands and movies influenced by it to dance moves becoming part of everyday vocabulary for young adults.
Rappers have long been seen as the voice of working-class African Americans. Hip hop culture has spread far beyond New York, with similar movements appearing across the US and internationally. Rappers represent strength, creativity, and uninhibited self-expression – qualities we see reflected in their cultural icons like Kanye West.
Artists
Rap music is an expansive musical genre with various subgenres. Influenced by other genres like rock, R&B and jazz music genres; best-known for its use of digital sampling and beats; with vocal deliveries that range from monotone of early rappers such as Run DMC to various inflections seen with Mos Def, Q-Tip or A Tribe Called Quest’s inflections or A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip; lyrics can often contain personal narratives as well as boasts, insults against rivals or wordplay such as double entendres or double entendres!
Rap is the result of hip hop culture’s birth in New York City during the 1970s. This movement gave birth to such cornerstones of society as graffiti art, DJing and MCing (leading ultimately to rap). Early pioneers in hip hop such as Grandmaster Flash, The Sugarhill Gang and Public Enemy leveraged African-American musical traditions including field hollers and blues while sampling, scratching, drumming to form this new genre that empowered underprivileged communities while having a profound effect on mainstream society.
Wu-Tang Clan, LL Cool J and Public Enemy pioneered an influential form of conscious rap in the form of Wu-Tang Rap. These artists criticized mainstream artists’ violent lyrics and materialism while creating a sense of community among blacks living in urban areas. This genre continues to influence society today by sparking conversations around electoral politics, gender/sexuality issues, crime prevention/incarceration rates and police presence/deficiencies.
Rap music has taken root worldwide and continues to thrive thanks to globalisation, giving rise to numerous artists and sounds. While contemporary rap can be traced back to artists like Lil Nas X and the Beastie Boys, its influence can extend across genres; examples being the funk-inspired sound of moombahton, high voltage energy of rap rock, country trap which draws from Atlanta hip hop drumming styles as well as Nashville country trap. Furthermore it has even crossed cultures: Iraqi rapper Narcy uses Arabic poetry paired with musical medleys inspired by rap-inspired musical medleys to build bridges between two very distinct cultures.