Is Rap Music Really Music?

[Jasper Jeffs]

People who have to ask themselves the thread question are fucking morons. Seriously, I don't go around saying all metal sounds the same because I respect other peoples music tastes.

<youtube=Vt6KS8bCPIc>

Holy shit, she sings and raps. Most people's knowledge of rap music on this site doesn't even go past mainstream artists like Kanye West, so please shut the fuck up and stop getting your opinions off Google.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

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.

No. I don't even like rap, and I can tell this post is wrong.

Lots of rap had melody, and rap is not "speaking quickly". Music is also not just melody. Music is the combination of vocal and instrumental sounds to express something, like emotion, or ideas, or even "how cool it is to be a criminal".

Gangsta rap is a subgenre of rap, not the entire genre. This is like saying all metal is screaming about Satan or all Tv shows are about douchebags living on the Jersey shore, you're taking a small sample and judging everything based on it.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

Yes it is music. No you aren't clever by saying it isn't. Can we please move on?

 

[TaboriHK]

If rap isn't considered music because there's no singing, then old country music isn't technically music either. Big Iron has exactly one line in it that is actually sung.

 

[Fightgarr]

Ugh... the one topic that really gets me upset at the vast majority of the population of the Escapist. I have to refrain from reading everyone's responses in order to not become seethingly angry.

You are actually half-correct:
Rap is a lyrical style commonly found in hip-hop music, it is not a musical genre in itself.
Hip-Hop is a post-colonial subculture which formed in the ghettos of the U.S. through the creation of Graffiti, Breakdancing, and Hip-Hop music, with Rap and Spoken word as a very important part of Hip-Hop music.

So no, rap isn't a musical genre. Hip-hop is.

People who have to ask themselves the thread question are fucking morons. Seriously, I don't go around saying all metal sounds the same because I respect other peoples music tastes.

<youtube=Vt6KS8bCPIc>

Holy shit, she sings and raps. Most people's knowledge of rap music on this site doesn't even go past mainstream artists like Kanye West, so please shut the fuck up and stop getting your opinions off Google.

You made me so happy by promoting Dessa just now. I just saw her live the other night. One of the most moving and powerful live performances I've ever witness. She was easily one of the nicest musical artists I ever got to talk to, and she actually signed my copy of her album with a "Thank You" because she was grateful that I actually bought it.

 

[C95J]

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.

ummm yes, of course rap music is real music. I don't even listen to it much myself.

Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't real music...

Have you actually listened to rap or are you just going purely on what stupid stereotypes say?

 

[Squidden]

Listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWhx-CtPmBU

And this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dRgYd5Mxs0

And this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0KpWMNxnM

That's music.

 

[pulse2]

A person's interpretation of music is what matters to you alone.

To say rap isn't music is pure ignorance because then I could consider most of the rubbish I hear today none music, music where lines are stolen from other popular artists or bands, or where the vocals and intrumentals are recycled, or in pop where the same verse is repeated over and over and over like as if it is some kind of new trend. Even the quality of some rock has gone down.

I believe there is crap rap, where females are inaccuratly represented and money is the topic of conversation, but there is also rap where the artist has taken an incredible amount of time considering what they want to put into thier lyrics, which could be hours or even days spent at a library. Kanye West for an example was like that, Nas was also like that, if anything, those two artist spent more time considering the actual meaning of literature than many artists today in ANY genre of music. There was more time spent thinking of the meaning of what they were rapping about then a lot of rock, country, pop and half the nonsense people consider to be music.

The very premise that you could say thier rap isn't music but the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry and several others either singing the same verse or singing about love and love problems (which is the most popular music theme since music was invented) is almost insulting.

The Roots for example have stepped beyond the boundaries and combined rap and hip hop elemnts with rock, thus appealing to both genres, but you will find they are much less popular or well known because they actually spend time making thier music.

Black Eyed Peas used to make very well thought out music, I absolutly loved it, now they make club nonsense that people today consider to be 'music'.

So when you talk about music, just what standards are you setting and in what way has Rap not fit into those standards other then a melody, which means nothing because people are attacted to different forms of melodies, if thats the case then most metal isn't music either because the melodies rarely attract me, if anything, they irritate my ears, but yet, I appreciate it as music and respect those who love it.

 

[Calico93]

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...

I write songs, I play guitar, I create my own art using instruments, paintbrushes, pencils etc, I am an aspiring young artist. (also I shouldve put IMO)
I can see that some rap songs talk about how bad life is in the ghetto or whatever, but they dont come off as appeals to help these areas or to discuss it, and young people (mainly chavs) aspire the be one of these gangsters living in a ghetto because it makes them look "baddass".
Dont get me wrong I think rap can be a great genre to work in, but the music as a whole that comes from gangster rap artists is quite bland, I can understand that some rapstars can mainly focus lyrics and what they want to say/express, which can lead to the actual melody and song structure to be weak. But that doesnt excuse the fact that the song as a whole can be repetitive, over produced, bland and uninspiring.
Some of the lyrics/poems that rapstars create can be an art form, a reflection on the world/different parts of the world and to tell people how bad it is, or a story of their lives.
Constantly talking about bling, whores, bitches, rides, guns, and making it sound "baddass" IMO isnt art.

 

[pulse2]

Ugh... the one topic that really gets me upset at the vast majority of the population of the Escapist. I have to refrain from reading everyone's responses in order to not become seethingly angry.

You are actually half-correct:
Rap is a lyrical style commonly found in hip-hop music, it is not a musical genre in itself.
Hip-Hop is a post-colonial subculture which formed in the ghettos of the U.S. through the creation of Graffiti, Breakdancing, and Hip-Hop music, with Rap and Spoken word as a very important part of Hip-Hop music.

So no, rap isn't a musical genre. Hip-hop is.

People who have to ask themselves the thread question are fucking morons. Seriously, I don't go around saying all metal sounds the same because I respect other peoples music tastes.

<youtube=Vt6KS8bCPIc>

Holy shit, she sings and raps. Most people's knowledge of rap music on this site doesn't even go past mainstream artists like Kanye West, so please shut the fuck up and stop getting your opinions off Google.

You made me so happy by promoting Dessa just now. I just saw her live the other night. One of the most moving and powerful live performances I've ever witness. She was easily one of the nicest musical artists I ever got to talk to, and she actually signed my copy of her album with a "Thank You" because she was grateful that I actually bought it.

Well actually, it is. It may not have been deemed so in the beginning of Hip Hop culture, but since then, it has seperated itself and become a genre of it's own. If you still don't believe it is, then that to me is delusional. I agree with the points made about Hip Hop background, but you have to take into account that times have changed and rap has diffrenciated itself into a genre of its own. Technically it is poetry, and any form of poetry can be classed as music.

Take Drum and Bass for example, since the early forms of drum and bass, several new genres have formed from it, liquid, house, dance, garage, dub steb, what you're saying would be like saying that none of these genres exist either, only drum and bass exist. If that's the case, I have to ask you, on what ground? Which rules state that music has to have a key feature in it for it to be classed as a particular genre.

Rap is rap, it isn't hip hop and it isn't R&B, I can tell the difference between a rap song and a Hip Hop song, Rap, no matter how you look at it is it's own genre now, whether you like it or not.

 

[Something Amyss]

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.

Speaking fast isn't a melody, but what about rappers like Bone Thugz n Harmony, who have a strong vocal melody, while rapping?

What about rappers who have strong instrumental melodies? even a lot of those guys you're talking about how cool it is to be a criminal do that. What about rap acts who play their own instruments?

 

[emeraldrafael]

I have to yes.

Music is someting that is different from culture to culture. You could say that tribal drum beatings and chanting arent music, but if its yours, then it is.

Granted, I personally dont care for New rap. I liked the older (80s/90s rap. You know, back when being a rapper usually meant you had a target on your head) more then this R&B/Rap abortion thing that Kanye West, Eminem, or any of the other popular artists today, but even thats still music. Its just something different. Dont be so insensitive.

 

[wolf92]

This topic is so old it's ridiculous...people whom do not listen to rap and are not familiar with the hip hop and rmb movement should just leave it alone because it has connections to black culture and identity...

Rapping, also referred to as MCing or emceeing, is a vocal style in which the artist speaks lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized beat. Beats, almost always in 4/4 time signature, can be created by sampling and/or sequencing portions of other songs by a producer.[2] They also incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and live bands. Rappers may write, memorize, or improvise their lyrics and perform their works a cappella or to a beat.

The roots of hip hop are found in African-American music and ultimately African music. The griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to that of rappers.[7] The African-American traditions of signifyin', the dozens, and jazz poetry are all descended from the griots. In addition, musical 'comedy' acts such as Rudy Ray Moore and Blowfly are considered by some to be the forefathers of rap.


take like three seconds to read some thing before you voice your opinion it makes you sound informed...

This. All of it

 

[katsumoto03]

Rap has the potential to be, and some artists can manage it.

Most of it isn't though, particularly the 'gangsta rap' genera.

 

[emusa]

no.

 

[Madskull]

I say yes. It's a special kind of music, music where so much is said in a small space of time which is directed by the length of the beat and the overall skill of the rapper.
Many rap songs tell stories of life, teaches the listener some valuable lessons that they can't learn in school.
Some rappers just amaze me by their talent in writing and rapping but nowadays, shit is at the top while real talents lie under all that shit, so I understand how most of people think that the entire rap industry is bad.
All I have to say now is: at least give it a chance.

 

[crunchieman]

Yes it is.
EDIT: Embedding failure, go listen to q-tip.