Is Rap Music Really Music?

[newuseforvintage]

I answer your question with another:

"Are video games art?"

Music is one of those subjective things, related to personal taste. You could make an argument against any form:
"Rap isn't music, it's just talking fast"
"Metal isn't music, it's just some guy yelling"
"Electronica isn't music, it doesn't have real instruments"

 

[Hosker]

It really depends on what you define music as. Even though I don't like it, I'd still consider it music.

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

It is music, the only difference is they're not singing with or to the melody.

Nor are they singing at all for that matter.

OT: I would say it's music by technicality, sort of
in the same way
I could type
in this manner
and it could technically
be considered poetry.

 

[Swarley]

Dollars to donuts the OP is a metal head.

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

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

I had a hard time grasping rap stylistically, but so long as any notes or beats are intentionally made it is pretty much music by definition.

As of late, I've been judging rap in 3 different fields.

Lyrics: The quality of the story or message the song is trying to portray.

Flow: Vocabulary and the rhythm in which words are presented.

Beats: What makes rap awesome IMO (when used with legitimately good lyrics.) When I hear most popular rap songs today, I end up wishing the rapper would shut the fuck up so I can hear the (usually) bad-ass backing track.

A good example of what I think is a reallly good rap song is Peruvian Cocaine by Immortal Technique. The beat is really original and the story is presented in a cool way. It follows the path of cocaine from the fields to the small time dealers and tells the story of the people who are affected by it along the way.


Edit: As for the argument that rap isn't music because of the lack of vocal precision, that's retarded. Metal and punk are both perfect examples that people with good ears can sing their vocals WAY off key while still sounding great. Also if you listen closely, the flow of almost any rapper will have subtle melodies to it (most of Eminem) and I think that is commendable in and of itself.

 

[ClassicJokester]

I define music very simply as something having a musical melody.

Then I guess it isn't music to you. Unfortunately, it is still music as defined by the Elements of Music.

You may not like it, but that doesn't mean it isn't music.
Same for people that deny video games as a viable art form (don't want to talk about this right now, just sayin').

I try not to get my opinions mixed up with my definitions of things, so here are the 8 elements that define music. If a piece contains any of these, it can be called music. Maybe not music that you like, but music nonetheless.

1. Melody - the main idea in a piece of music. Ex: Raiders of the Lost Ark. Are you thinking of the trumpet line? That's the melody.
2. Dynamic - the volume of the music at a given time.
Harmony - two or more notes being played at the same time.
Instruments (Texture) - the number of discrete parts being played. A 4-man rock band would have (you guessed it) 4 parts.
Meter - the beat or pulse of the music.
Rhythm - how the music moves through the time.
Tempo - how fast or slow the music is played.
Timbre - the way a given insturment sounds. It's the warm sound from violins, and the "brassy-ness" of trumpets.

This is an extra, but it's sometimes used to define music.

Aesthetics - the "feel" of the music. Does it make you happy? Sad? Do you want to headbang? That sort of thing.

Hope that helps. Here's the source I used.
Elements of Music [http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/arts/music/elements/elemofmusic/main.htm]

Edit: Listen to Flobots. Rap that has great instrumentation behind the lyrics.

 

[senorfatso]

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

 

[Captain Pancake]

Yes, anything with a beat is music. Some of the deepest lyrics I've heard have been rap, such as;

"Maybe we can speed up the process
Kill me in my thirties in the name of progress
Put me in the dirt and then change the topic
Some time it seems like the only way to stop it
Contemplate my departure date
Doesn't take a lot to get a lot of us to talk this way
Take a shot at me that's all i'm obligated for
Apparently my only guarantee is a walk away"

 

[Lusty]

Message aside though, if the lead voice (be it vocal or instrumental) isn't melodic, then it's not music, it's words being spoken with musical backing.

That's just your definition and your opinion. There's no official definition of music, and any attempt to create one is destined to fail. It means different things to different people.

Your definition is quite narrow though and writes off a hell of a lot of genres. Huge potions of punk, metal, grunge, dance, DnB etc are not music now because the lead vocals or instruments are not melodic. A drum solo is still music. An Aborigine playing a digeredoo is music. Melody does not equal music.

 

[spazzattack]

Rap is music.
Here is my proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpq1oKOd9nE

 

[OniaPL]

I don't really listen to rap, but i thought your argumentation that society can do well without all the songs about "bitches", TV's and luxurious parties was a bit funny. If we start to do such generalizations, we can say that pop music (meaning Rihanna, etc.) is nothing bitching about love, and metal music is nothing else than constant screaming about power, death and suffering.

I agree that there is too much rap music that is all about how awesome the rapper is, or how misunderstood he is, but nobody can really go and say "this isn't music" or "that is just some incomprehensible noise".

If "being different" (in this case it means having no musical instruments) means that it doesn't belong in the group, we could rule a lot of movies and books out as trash if they have a strange writing structure or if it has been filmed in a strange way (Cloverfield).

 

[John the Gamer]

Well, sort of. I guess. Maybe. I just don't like it.

 

[ChaoticKraus]

​

Please give me a little more credit than that; of course I've listened to rap, otherwise I wouldn't have an opinion on it. Eminem's first two CDs were awesome (I haven't heard much of his work after them), I like Will Smith, and groups like Run DMC, Public Enemy and Beastie Boys are among my favoured in the genre. I'm also a huge fan of The Flobots' Handlebars, and I can't stress enough how important Tupac was.

That doesn't change my observation that in recent years, rap has generally abandoned the qualities and social messages that existed when Run DMC and the like were prominent. Tell me how "move *****, get out tha way" has a social message. Also Kesha (I refuse to use the dollar sign in a name) needs to die in a fire; "singing" about nothing but drinking and being a whore is no better.

Message aside though, if the lead voice (be it vocal or instrumental) isn't melodic, then it's not music, it's words being spoken with musical backing. There's a difference. Like I said, I'm not condemning rap as not being worth listening to, I'm just saying it's not music, it's something else.

Yes, it is music. You are true in the fact that much of the social messages have been lost. Whether or not that is a bad thing or not depends on what you want from music. But just the fact that it doesn't have a deep message doesn't mean its not music. Here's a very popular pop-rap song that i would argue is very good.


Now listen to how Kanye raps the first 8 bars of the first verse.

Cutie da bomb
Met her at a beauty salon
With a baby Louis Vuitton
Under her underarm
She said, I can tell you ROC
I can tell by ya charm
Far as girls you got a flock
I can tell by ya charm and ya arm

There's a clear melody in his voice, and coupled with the rhyming words it creates a very nice vocal piece that matches the instrumental very well. In fact i'd say his delivery fits better than Jamie Fox's singing parts but that is probably a matter of taste.

I could post more examples but i think i made my point. Pop-rap can be good music aswell. If you just stick your head in the sand and avoid everything popular you will miss a lot of good music. It might not be the most articulate and intellectual thing you ever heard, but it sounds good.

 

[Valkyrie101]

Yes, it is. Technically.

It may be an unpleasant and debased form of music, with equally unpleasant themes for the most part, but technically speaking it still is.

 

[imnot]

yes it it, is it good though, not in my opinion.

 

[SonicKoala]

Message aside though, if the lead voice (be it vocal or instrumental) isn't melodic, then it's not music, it's words being spoken with musical backing. There's a difference. Like I said, I'm not condemning rap as not being worth listening to, I'm just saying it's not music, it's something else.

Since when is that the definition of music?

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

THAT's the definition of music, and rap fits that description. Therefore, it's music. End of discussion.

 

[jebara]

i just call it noise

 

[Korolev]

Sure it is. It's not my type of music, but it is music. It has a melody, it has a tune, it has, well, it has instruments.

Again, I don't like 95% of Rap. Soul music, R&B and the occasional rap tune might tickle my fancy, but the gangsta rap and the Snoop Dog stuff and the 50 cent stuff, well, count me right out. But it's my understanding that a lot of rap enthusiasts dislike 50 cent and Snoop dog as well.

With rap, I get the idea that it's mostly the lyrics and the personalities that are attractive to the fans. I'm not hung up on lyrics - most of my music HAS no lyrics, AT ALL. And I dislike the "in-your-face" attitude of many rap stars. I can't quite understand why someone would actually want to watch a music clip of a man with gold teeth shoving his face in the camera flashing dollar bills and screaming about how big his ego is.

Not all rap is like that - far from it. But a lot of the popular rap is like that, and I can't stand it. Not one bit.

But again, Rap is a type of music. It can be bad or good. Right now, I'd say that I can't understand or relate to it in any way shape or form. That doesn't mean it's bad. It just means that it's not for me.

 

[NewYork_Comedian]

Is it music? In my opinion, yes. Is it shitty music? In my opinion, yes.

 

[fgdfgdgd]

Rap does bad things you say?

Spoiler: Oh hai there!

Most genres have their bad and their good, just accept it.