Is Rap Music Really Music?

[James Sullivan]

Speaking quickly is somehow less valid than elongating words, is it?

Of course it's music. It has a rhythm and it's lyric-based.

You just described beat poetry which like rap is also not really music. Most would define music as something with rhythm and melody most rap songs have plenty of rhythm but tend to be sparse on the melody save for the hook in the song (hell sometimes that's even just a catchier beat)much like adding a few notes from a flute in the middle of a Ginsberg reading in order to sound more pretentious than necessary. And no, adding sirens does not count as melody. (I am so looking at you Busta)

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

Speaking quickly is somehow less valid than elongating words, is it?

Of course it's music. It has a rhythm and it's lyric-based.

You just described beat poetry which like rap is also not really music. Most would define music as something with rhythm and melody most rap songs have plenty of rhythm but tend to be sparse on the melody save for the hook in the song (hell sometimes that's even just a catchier beat)much like adding a few notes from a flute in the middle of a Ginsberg reading in order to sound more pretentious than necessary. And no, adding sirens does not count as melody. (I am so looking at you Busta)

Actually most would define music by the actual definition which by all means includes rap...

See:

Music: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

 

[joemegson94]

It is music, but it's not one of my favourite genres.
However...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE4zF36dPxE
Awesome.

 

[Boletes Net]

I say no. I define music very simply as something having a musical melody. Sung, played, strummed, doesn't matter, as long as it's present. Speaking quickly does not a melody make. Thus rap isn't music.

Which is not to say there's no rap out there worth listening to; on the contrary, some is both worthwhile and socially relevant. However, when the vast majority of it is about how cool it is to be a criminal, or to have hot bitches and big TVs, I think society as a whole can do without that.

Listen to dr dre's 2001 album...i was sceptical but it really is one of the best albums ever made.

 

[Mr.Squishy]

It's music. Music I don't like, but still music.

 

[ethaninja]

Although I do enjoy a good rap bashing from time to time, I kind of have to disagree with you.

What you are doing is generalizing. I think you are talking of Gangster Rap. Now that is no talent douche shit.

Some rap, especially the more older ones, did tend to use vocal toning (no I'm not talking about autotune bull shit >.<) and SOME skill was put into them.

This however is coming from a Classic Metal fan, so, to turn back to my original self: I don't like rap.

 

[James Sullivan]

Speaking quickly is somehow less valid than elongating words, is it?

Of course it's music. It has a rhythm and it's lyric-based.

You just described beat poetry which like rap is also not really music. Most would define music as something with rhythm and melody most rap songs have plenty of rhythm but tend to be sparse on the melody save for the hook in the song (hell sometimes that's even just a catchier beat)much like adding a few notes from a flute in the middle of a Ginsberg reading in order to sound more pretentious than necessary. And no, adding sirens does not count as melody. (I am so looking at you Busta)

Actually most would define music by the actual definition which by all means includes rap...

See:

Music: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

No by that definition what's going on behind a rap song is music. What many of todays rappers do over it is not music, just bad poetry because there is a lot of weak flow out there that is not really conveyed in a "structured and continuous manner" unless you count the continuous use of the word yeah and uh huh as lyrics. Rap was music until they decided that the true original style of rap music should instead now be referred to as hip hop. I will concede that hip hop is music but not what they have bastardized into the category of "rap".

 

[Me55enger]

Rap is to music what a week old dead carcass of a walrus is to the appetite:

Good if you're desperate.

 

[TiefBlau]

Melody, huh? Percussion piece.

Oh, what's that? GG.

Rap's not my taste, but if you can listen to it and be entertained, it's music to someone's ears. We aren't exactly looking for strict guidelines here; this is art and entertainment we're talking about.

There's always going to be someone criticizing new forms of entertainment and calling it crude. Elvis Presley doing pelvic thrusts comes to mind. In any case, you're not of a higher echelon of society for disliking hip-hop, despite what your friends tell you. This applies to pop, metal, and any other genre of music you feel obligated by the internet to insult.

 

[Jewrean]

I personally hate rap. But that's just my opinion. I recognize that Rap that is considered as 'high quality' does exist and I respect that however you won't catch me listening to it.

 

[monkey jesus]

Not this shit again, I give up. There's no point defending the beauty in hip-hop any more when no will listen.

Yeah so fuck them in the ear its their loss.

Most rap in the chart is bumwash but its no worse than Lady Gaga or any of the other souless shite.

Obligatory link to decent hip-hop/rap song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6-wjxeaTOY


In closing the original argument that it ain't music because it doesn't fit my narrow definition is utter utter bullshit.

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

Speaking quickly is somehow less valid than elongating words, is it?

Of course it's music. It has a rhythm and it's lyric-based.

You just described beat poetry which like rap is also not really music. Most would define music as something with rhythm and melody most rap songs have plenty of rhythm but tend to be sparse on the melody save for the hook in the song (hell sometimes that's even just a catchier beat)much like adding a few notes from a flute in the middle of a Ginsberg reading in order to sound more pretentious than necessary. And no, adding sirens does not count as melody. (I am so looking at you Busta)

Actually most would define music by the actual definition which by all means includes rap...

See:

Music: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

No by that definition what's going on behind a rap song is music. What many of todays rappers do over it is not music, just bad poetry because there is a lot of weak flow out there that is not really conveyed in a "structured and continuous manner" unless you count the continuous use of the word yeah and uh huh as lyrics. Rap was music until they decided that the true original style of rap music should instead now be referred to as hip hop. I will concede that hip hop is music but not what they have bastardized into the category of "rap".

Old school rap is not hip hop. Hip hop is a deviation of rap.

Also, when you make a blanket statement that "rap is not music", you can't be era specific. If any rap song was ever music, then rap is music.

See, the main difference between rap and poetry (other than the beat) is that literally all rap consists of vocal tones. Otherwise it is beat poetry (Like Lil' Wayne's horrible horrible song "I feel like dying".) I dare you to find me a rap song which you feel doesn't have vocal tones, because I assure you it does. They don't have to be on key to be tones... Like I said before, metal and punk are both perfect examples of off key vocals fitting well with music. The speed at which they are presented doesn't change anything.

As for being structured and continuous... Any rhyming pattern is structured, so that's a check. And rappers love to push out original continuously flowing rhythmic patterns (not unlike the greatest songwriter of all time, Bob Dylan).

But it's whatever...

Metal is just screaming over a cool backing track, so it's not really music.

Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild side is just talking with a cool backing track, so it's not music.

 

[Kurokami]

I say no. I define music very simply as something having a musical melody. Sung, played, strummed, doesn't matter, as long as it's present. Speaking quickly does not a melody make. Thus rap isn't music.

Which is not to say there's no rap out there worth listening to; on the contrary, some is both worthwhile and socially relevant. However, when the vast majority of it is about how cool it is to be a criminal, or to have hot bitches and big TVs, I think society as a whole can do without that.

Wrap tends to have a melody going via beat, or whatever. Admitedly I don't like most rap, but I don't think its fair to reject it from the category of music.

 

[k-ossuburb]

To me, music is an artistic/creative expression of emotions, ideas and/or ideologies that uses sound to communicate its message instead of conceptualizing it like art, acting it out like theatre or writing it down like literature. Tapping your fingers on a desk can be considered music, if the only emotion you're conveying is boredom.

I listen to a lot of music that either spans multiple genres or completely defies any method to be placed in any particular "brand". Aphex Twin is a good example of this, although he can be placed in a particular genre in some cases, it's impossible to label his complete works all under one genre since he such a broad scope within his styles and more often than not is spanning multiple sub-genres within one track.

Rap is music, since it adheres to a few of the basic staples found in music like rhythm, lyric structure and choruses. Music doesn't have to adhere to even these basic items, however, same as art doesn't have to be a painting and theatre doesn't have to take place on a stage.

Yes, a large percentage of it is utter egotistical tosh, but name me a genre, artist or decade where there hasn't been complete garbage being made. For every "Gangsters Paradise" there's going to be hundreds of "Like a G6". For every "Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke" there's going to be a thousand Sonic The Hedgehog fan arts. For every "Catch 22" there's going to be a million "My Immortals".

That's my view, anyway. Anyone is free to disagree if they so wish, all I can do is try to see it from their point-of-view and try to understand their position. However, agreeing with that position is another thing entirely.

 

[DiMono]

Dollars to donuts the OP is a metal head.

Experience has taught me the majority of music snobs are. (not saying all are)

Actually I'm eclectic: I like things that sound good, including some rap. I think my original point seems to have been lost through poor wording on my part in my original post though: I'm not trying to put down rap as bad or not worth listening to, I'm saying if it lacks a melody then music isn't the right word for it, in the same way that a printed dictionary isn't a story: it's bound, it has words, and it's worth looking into, but it lacks narrative and as such isn't a story.

 

[Calico93]

Rap is music.
Most mainstream rap nowadays is utter shite, but still music. Most of it doesnt require talent, and sounds all the same or is just bitching about bitches and guns, which leads most ASBO kids to act like utter douchebags.

The early rap was really good, funky and soulful, like sugarhill gang, grandmaster flash and to an extent the red hot chili peppers.
The only rap I like nowadays is Rage Against The Machine, as they actually have something to say (about politics, wars, society etc) and is played in a funky yet hard style, so is awesome.

Majority of rap nowadays is just shite, consisting of bitches, bitches and guns, and bling ... and bitches, and the occasional girl singer doing the chorus which will sound catchy because its the same song thats been done a bazillion times, and is a cash cow

As much as I hate to say it, the genre rap is music, whether it is art is a different thing, and music should be art. Gangster bullshit douchebag "music" is not art.

 

[AvitaDeva]

people just because you don't like what a few rappers are doing does not mean you have to say rap now a days is shit i doubt you even look for rappers you like and i if see some one else say some thing about Eminem being amazing i'm gonna kick the shit out of a dog. Just as there are many talented artist in other genres rap has a great many talented artists...and dissing rap because not every song has some deep underlying theme or meaning is ridiculous. Most punk songs have little to no life altering messages. I love the band AeroSmith and have for quite some time but i could not tell you how many of there songs had some deep meaning behind them. I only remember like one or two. Rap as a medium is valid it has a Flow and rhythm that some people can't get with but if you can't don't listen to it, just let us who do like rap hip hop and rmb have it to ourselves...just because rap does not have enough songs about cutting, hurting oneself, or feeling some deep imaginary pain it does not make it less valid than rock metal or punk...and emo is not a genre. people who don't understand the culture that breeds rappers could never fully understand or appreciate the reasons rap as what it has become today.

And Dimono being would likely give you sense of why rap is music but hey maybe your horizons are not quite as broad as you think they are.

 

[AvitaDeva]

Gangster bullshit douchebag "music" is not art.

who are you to define what is art have you ever been to the inner city and witnessed some of the things talked about in gangster rap...not likely who are you to pass judgment on the value of their work. Your culturally insensitive and a fool gain some world experience and then pass a value judgment...

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

Even though I'm not the biggest fan of rap music it is a form of music, abeit one with pretty horrible image at the moment.

Good music is good music ragardless of genre, same with awful music