RAP

Introduction

Rapping, also known as rhyming, refers to “spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics with a strong rhythmic accompaniment. The art form can be broken down into three different components: content, flow and delivery. Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that is it performed in time to the beat of the music.

What are the characteristics of your type of music?

One of the most moving characteristics of rap music is rhythm.  Rhythm deals with sound in time, long and short sounds combined to create a well-balanced rhythmical effect (Stewart, 1998).  Rhythm includes aspects such as beat, which is simply a division of a measure marked by a beat; meter, which is a grouping of beats; accent, which is a stress on a beat; and tempo, which determines how fast or slow the selection moves. Harmony is a musical combination of tones or chords (Stewart, 1998).  This style is not found in a lot of rap music. Another aspect of music heavily observed in rap music is form.  Form includes components such as repetition, contrast, variation, and some others.

When did your music genre begin and what were its influences?

Rapping started in the African region. The West Africans were delivering stories rhythmically, over drums and sparse instrumentation. Such connections have been acknowledged by many modern artists, modern day “griots”, spoken word artists, mainstream news sources, and academics. Rapping was started due to the West African music traditions and the music was liked by everyone because of rhyming and good beats.