of Rap music and Its History

Author: Luke Thomsen

The world of music is unlimited and it extends beyond rhythm and

lyrics, to feel and momentum. The sign of good music is when it is
enjoyable or foot-tapping and the best for today’s generation is rap
music. Today’s rap songs have not only evolved but have also
changed the world of music and have become a dominating music
genre.

The history of rap music can be traced back

to the West African praise singing and
historical poetry by griots or djeli,
antecedents of contemporary rap music. It
became popular in US around 1970s but the
term originates in African American slang,
meaning to talk. The country performing
griots and the creation of drum sequences
with influences from Mexico, Cuba and other
regions helped to shape this music. Rap
music is vocal music that employs recitative, usually over a rhythmic
foundation. Lyrics may be improvised or composed, and are usually
topical, relating to contemporary events and social issues. Early rap
music was influenced by disco but developments with sampling
machines led to different music forms.

Rap music goes hand in hand with Hip hop; in fact, it can be said
that hip hop was earlier called disco rap, which developed from basic
rap music. As hip hop evolved, rap music
lost its individual identity and merged with
hip hop. Hip Hop magazines have a large
place in rap music history, the first ever
published Hip Hop publication The Hip Hop Hit
List, which contained the very first rap
music record chart ever. This magazine's
role was instrumental in the early commercial
success of rap music. Though, the subgenres of rap have developed to
a great extent. Pop rap, Ragga, Reggae ton, Rap opera, Rap rock,
Rap core, Rap metal, Underground rap, Conscious rap are many
of the music forms that evolved with new techniques of music coming
in. Pop rap is the earlier version of hip hop while Ragga, originally
Ragamuffin, shares its similarity with rap in the Sampling technique
which serves a prominent role for both of them. Reggae ton is
predominantly Latin urban music but it is also combined with rapping
as most artists recite their lyrics in a rap fashion.       

A rap opera is a series of rap songs in the form of an opera, inspired

by the concept of opera. Rap opera may be a purely auditory
experience, or it may be associated
with a musical, comic book, or other art
form. It is a relatively young,
spontaneous form, performed more by
amateurs and non-profit groups than
by professional emcees. In 2001, MTV
debuted a tele-film entitled Carmen: A
Hip Hopera, directed by Robert
Townsend and starring Beyoncé
Knowles and Mekhi Phifer. A Rap rock
is a cross genre fusion of elements of
hip hop with various forms of rock, which was introduced in early 90s
and gained popularity later in the decade; but it is often confused for
rap metal and rap core. Rap core is a sub-genre of rap rock fusing
elements of hip hop with punk rock or hardcore punk; often confused
with Rap Metal. Rap Metal is a combination of rap and heavy metal; it
seeks to fuse the most aggressive elements of hardcore rap and heavy
metal and became an extremely popular variation of alternative metal
during the late 90s.

Rap lyrics are sung with a flow with different rhyming techniques to a
musical accompaniment. Rap beats in rap music were initially drum
rhythms which gradually became hard percussive beats stressed as
required with different vocal and instrumental elements. While rap
lyrics can vary from dreams and themes to materialism and crime,
the Rhythm & Blues lyrics are very philosophical and music feels
somehow inevitable. Rhythm and Blues is black pop music, while is
softer than pop and rock. It is a mixture of jazz, gospel, soul and neo-
soul and the singers are emotionally engaged with the lyrics.

Underground rap is all about non-commercial music of small artists

with independent labels. This is a kind of alternative hip hop,
deviating from the conventional, with anti-commercial or socially
conscious or positive lyrics than the mainstream. Conscious rap is a
form of hip hop wherein the lyrics are based on social issues. It has
parallels with political hip hop and also encompasses the subjects like
religion, African American culture, everyday life and the state of Hip
Hop itself. This style is somewhat influenced by Jazz-rap and is often a
cause of controversy due to the subjects it deals with. The
development of music through technology and innovations is a fact,
but it was not mutually exchanged; rather battles took place on streets
to know who’s the best and that is how new stuff was presented by
challengers. Battle rap or battle rapping or battle rhyming is a kind of
rapping which includes bragging and dissing. The rappers are not
allowed to use profanities or sexually suggestive lyrics, punishable by
disqualification. Rappers rap with flowing lyrics that are relevant to the
present situation. The judges decide the winner of the battle as per
their flow. 

Rap music today has evolved like never before and has now blended
with hip hop. The sound of rap would never be the same with all the
technological advancements and also a blend of various cultures with
different music. Rap music has indeed transformed the world of
western music into culture’s melting pot.

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