RAPWHAT IS RAP?
This all depends on who you ask. If you ask me I'd say that Rap is a form of vocal/musical expression that uses different beats, rhymes, and forms of lyrics usually with a beat that is repetitive. If you look in the dictionary you'll find that it means, "To express freely with accompaniment of a form of musical beat." ~(American Heritage Dictionary, 1991) Some other factors to consider are the era in which you ask that question to. For instance, rap used to be a set of excuses a con artist used in order to deceive you. In the 70's a rap was words used to persuade others, especially a male seeking sexual favors from a female. Today the common definition is, "saying rhymes to the beat of music. ~Compufield Today Rap is one of the four major parts of hip hop culture.
RAP
Rapping was soon thereafter (early-late 80's) called emceeing, which was closely related to the world's definition of hip-hop. No one definitely knows as to who precisely "coined" the word Rap. It is said to have originated from the Sugar Hill Gang, but most believe that it was already being used in mainstream media. ~ Compufield A man by the name of H. Rap Brown, a black activist, wrote a book in which he describes playing a game called the dozens. The objective was to get the best reaction from the crowd by rhyming things that put down some of the other competitors. H. Rap Brown was considered one of the best in his community. In one of his raps that he published in his book he says, "I roam the world I'm known to wonder, and this .45 is where I get my Thunder..." ~ Compufield This is quite possibly the precursor to what is now known as Gangsta Rap.
The main origins of Rap stretch all the way back to African Oral Traditions. Through the ages Rap has transformed and diversified into many different things. The main categories are:
- Alternative Rap
- Bass Rap
- Crossover Rap
- East Coast Rap
- Funk
- Gangsta Rap
- Hardcore Rap
- Jazz Rap
- Old School Rap
- Underground Rap
- West Coast Rap
The Hip-Hop scene was off and running in full force with the 90's. Salt n' Pepa, Queen Latifah, and LL cool J were just some of the names that reigned at the top of the Hip-Hop wave. Now integrating Rap with Hip-Hop wasn't uncommon, many songs endured a plethora of both Hip-Hop as well as rap within the same song. For a while, and still today, classifying between Hip-Hop and some styles of rap were, and are, nothing short of impossible.