AMERICAN POP MUSIC:
RAP & HIP-HOP

RAP & HIP-HOP: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

You may have heard the terms Rap and Hip-Hop used interchangeably with one another in casual conversation and even how the music of this genre is marketed. In general, the two terms can essentially be described as follows:

RAP is a type of spoken word expression delivered in a rhythmic style and most often set to a regular, musical beat. HIP-HOP is a broader cultural term not referring only to music that umbrellas four artistic expressions: Rap, DJ-ing, graffiti, and breakdancing. As the term Hip-Hop includes the DJ-ing element popular in much of this music genre, the term Hip-Hop does encompass more of the music classified in this genre than the more specific term Rap. While the terms may be used interchangeably throughout this page, it is a good idea to have a sense of the nuance between the ways these music styles might be classified.¹

Rap and Hip-Hop are considered to be some of America’s youngest music genres with a history that spans just the last 50 years. Prior to the emergence of Rap and Hip-Hop culture, the Black American music scene was pushing further into dance music including Funk, Soul, Disco, and early Techno in the 1970’s. In these music genres, the lyrics and singing were often downplayed and instrumentals or songs with extended instrumental breaks were more prized because of their danceability.

THE 1970’s: THE DEBUT OF THE MC & DJ

The early 1970’s saw the arrival of the first DJs in New York. DJs (or Disc Jockeys) are musicians who manipulate prerecorded music in a live setting - most often one or more vinyl records on a turntable system. DJs are known for having their own stylistic expressions and flare in how they manipulate these records in a live setting but the goal is generally to create a highly danceable and exciting mix of music for party-goers and dancers. An early DJ, DJ KOOL HERK, made history in 1973 when he was noted to be the first DJ to spin two discs at one time - both discs of the same record - where he was able to isolate the extended instrumental/percussion breaks of the song and stretch them out for more dancing in the crowd.²

In the late 1970’s, the Black communities of New York City had developed the cultural activity known as the BLOCK PARTY, a community event that centered around music, food, and sharing of community values and culture. During these times, early DJs were supported by MCs (or EMCEEs) who would be in charge of keeping the crowd entertained while the DJ played pre-recorded music for the party. The term “MC” is an abbreviation for MASTER OF CEREMONIES and is applied to the host of the event. This term goes back as far as the 5th century but has most commonly been used in modern culture to describe the person at an event who serves as announcer, hype-person for the DJ or event, and the host in charge of making sure the event goes well and everyone knows what’s next.

At some point during the evolution of the DJ-MC relationship, MC’s began to make their announcements in rhythmic rhyme schemes over the beat the DJ produced. Eventually, this gimmick became a longer, more drawn out and intentional process to where the MCs had become full-on RAPPERS and were filling up whole DJ tracks with rhythmic and rhymed spoken word.³

At this time, DJ-ing was also developing into a highly complex and showy new music style with the development of scratching and needle dropping, effects in which DJs would turn the vinyl record in the opposite direction (essentially “rewinding” them) with an accompanying scratch sound, or dropping the needle in the middle of a record rather than starting it from the beginning of a track. While many DJs built popularity with these techniques, DJ GRANDWIZZARD THEODORE (Theodore Livingstone) from Harlem and South Bronx, NYC is credited with inventing both of these techniques - scratching in 1975 and the needle drop in 1977.⁴ DJ GRAND MASTER FLASH was another early adopter and is credited with the widespread popularity of the techniques.

By 1979, Rap and DJ-ing had begun to encounter more widespread success and the first Rap songs made their way out of the NYC block party scene and onto American airwaves. At this time, THE SUGARHILL GANG released their song, “Rapper’s Delight”. The song is interesting because it included three MCs rapping over the rhythm section break another original song (“Good Times” by Chic). In 1980, another smash success reached American audiences in the form of Kurtis Blow’s “The Breaks”.

THE 1980’s: GANGSTA IS THE NEW REALITY

The 1980’s came to be known as the Golden Age of Rap as the new music genre swept the nation and captivated American audiences. At this time, breakdancing was also coming onto the national scene. BREAKDANCING (also called B-Boying or Breaking) is a highly acrobatic style of street dance that includes elements of fast footwork, full body moves, and freezing where the dancer holds a seemingly impossible position, often with their body held at a gravity-defying angle.

Breakdancing was established in the Bronx of NYC around the time Rap was coming onto the scene. The music coincided perfectly with the new dance form as breakdancers would fill in and balance the energy of a Rap song by fitting complex and athletic moves in the percussive, rhythm section “breaks” between rapped verses.

In the mid-1980’s, Gangsta Rap began to emerge as the first subgenre to catch the nation’s ear. This subgenre evolved out of a broader idea of REALITY RAP where rappers shared experiences about the harsh and often dangerous lifestyles in some urban communities. GANGSTA RAP is a subgenre of Reality Rap that speaks to an image closely associated with the Crips and Bloods gangs that were a part of many urban areas of America - especially in LA and NYC. The Gangsta Rap style included rapping about the brutalities of urban life including violence, sex, and drugs. Gangsta rappers would often glorify this lifestyle and rap about violences committed in the first person, taking credit for offenses as a way of establishing street credibility. Rappers like ICE-T and groups like N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) and the BEASTIE BOYS exploded onto the scene with edgy hits in the mid- to late-80’s.

In somewhat of a contrast, rappers in the POLITICAL or CONSCIOUS GANGSTA RAP scene rapped about the same type of content, but instead of glorifying the violence, spoke out against it, considering themselves more warriors in the fight against brutality including police violence and systemic injustices against the Black community. Rappers of this subgenre included PUBLIC ENEMY, PARIS, and to an extent, TUPAC SHAKUR.⁵

THE 1990’s:

Gangsta Rap continued to influence the national scene through the 1990’s but other styles of Rap sprung up too including Hardcore Rap and G-Funk. HARDCORE RAP developed on the East Coast and was a very aggressive style of Rap that focused on the freestyling and RAP BATTLE aspect of the genre. A rap battle consists of two or more rappers freestyling against each other, both trying to outwit the other by playing off of the previous rapper’s rhymes and lyrical content until one is declared a “winner” of the battle. The content was often angry or boastful and the lyrics were often set over more R&B style songs (that often included singing) more than in earlier Rap subgenres. Hardcore rappers include THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., WU-TANG CLAN, and the early career of JAY-Z.⁶

On the West Coast, G-FUNK (or Gangsta-Funk) was captivating audiences with a combination of Rap and Funk that came out of LA and the San Francisco Bay Area (most notably, Oakland) during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. This genre was heavily influenced by funk bands like the PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC but included an intentionally slowed-down version of the classic funk sound along with layers of female vocals and psychedelic synthesizer tracks. The music tended to be more party-oriented and lighter than other subgenres with a focus on having a good time and a cannabis-consuming lifestyle. DR. DRE’s “The Chronic” (1992) is considered to be a pinnacle album of the G-Funk genre with other artists like SNOOP DOGG, TUPAC, and WARREN G also contributing to the craze.

In addition, the 90’s saw a greater development in sound production with advancements in sampling, DJ-ing, and drum machine equipment.

In 1995, COOLIO’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” became the first Rap song to hold the no. 1 spot on the chart as the year-end hottest hit. Since then, a Rap song has held the no. 1 slot for nine other years, beating out songs from the Pop, R&B, and Rock genres.

THE 2000’s: DIVESIFICATION

The 2000’s saw many new strides in Rap/Hip-Hop including the expansion of race and gender success in the genre and new innovations of style and technique. Detroit rapper, EMINEM, became a controversial subject as he debuted as one of the first white rap artists to garner major commercial success (following his breakout single “The Real Slim Shady” in 2000). While some have remarked that Eminem’s success is due to his cornering of the white market of the Rap/Hip-Hop consumer base, many critics point to his strong flow and ability to story-tell as proof of his sustained popularity.

Female rappers also began to make waves in the Rap/Hip-Hop scene for the first time starting in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s with artists like LAURYN HILL, LIL’ KIM, MARY J. BLIGE, and MISSY ELLIOTT. These artists owed their success to earlier artists such as QUEEN LATIFAH and T.L.C. who had produced a hybrid style of R&B and Hip-Hop in the early- to mid-90’s. Female rappers tended to have a more positive, motivational, empowering, and (not surprisingly) feminist vibe to their flows in comparison to their male counterparts. Female rappers of this time rarely spoke of the violence so prevalent in Gangsta Rap and instead focused on self, autonomy, and relationships in their lyrics.

KANYE WEST made headway with several new techniques he pioneered in Rap and Hip-Hop including the intentional and obvious use of AUTOTUNE in his song, “Love Lockdown” (2008). Auto-tuning is the act of modifying a pitch post-recording and results in an artificial sound that is usually more perfect, accurate, or more complex than what a human voice could deliver on its own. Prior to West’s use in “Love Lockdown”, the technique had been used in more subtle ways like Cher’s 1999 Pop hit, “Believe”, but Kanye’s use was the first to be so blatantly flamboyant in its presentation. Another fad of the 2000’s popularized by Kanye was the use of CHIPMUNK SOUL. In this technique, a piece of music was sampled at a very fast rate to the point where the voice would become sped up a la the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” effect used in the 1980’s TV show. In his song, “Through the Wire”, singer Chaka Khan’s voice on her 1984 “Through the Fire” can be heard sped up to an unrecognizable tempo and pitch.

The MIXTAPE also grew in popularity at this time. In a 2013 Vice Magazine article entitled “The Real Difference Between a Mixtape and an Album”, journalist Skinny Friedman explains that:

“The exact definition of a mixtape has grown and shifted over hip-hop’s several-decade history. They've come a long way from DJ-mixed compilations of hot tracks that complement radio and club play, over the years mutating into all-star line-ups of emcees spitting hot bars over familiar beats, then to a single crew spitting bars over familiar beats, then eventually to a single crew (or artist) spitting bars over unfamiliar beats. At that point, they became “street albums,” basically just full-length projects that didn’t go through standard record label vetting and distribution.”⁷

Mixtapes were a way for Rappers and Hip-Hop artists to release their music in an alternative way out from under the major record producers and labels who were often heavily influenced by a few powerful voices. The mixtape culture allowed for artists to gain attention in an urban area before expanding onto the national scene. Rappers who made it big after successfully launching early mixtape careers include 50 CENT, GUCCI MANE, CHANCE THE RAPPER, and THE WEEKND.

THE 2010’s AND THE PRESENT: ESTABLISHMENT & CONTROVERSIES

It seemed that by the 2010’s, Rap and Hip-Hop had finally come into their own as fully fleshed out and substantially vibrant American music genres that could no longer be ignored as a potential fad. By this time, Rap and Hip-Hop singles littered the Billboard Top 100 chart and sounds were continually maturing and diversifying at staggering speeds.

But the decade was not without its controversies. In 2015, KENDRICK LAMAR’s critically-acclaimed Rap album, To Pimp a Butterfly, had netted 15 Grammy nominations and was expected to take home Best Album of the Year but lost to Country Pop star Taylor Swift’s 1989 in a decision by the Grammy voting body that most felt were racially motivated. In a turn of events in 2018, Lamar would go on to win one of the most prestigious awards for American music - which often is only reserved for music of a Classical/academic nature - the PULITZER PRIZE for his 2017 album, Damn., which was lauded by the Pulitzer Prize board as:

“A virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”⁸

In 2018, CHILDISH GAMBINO (aka Donald Glover) delivered his shockingly powerful single “This is America”. In an article for Time Magazine, music history professor Guthrie Ramsey analyzes:

“The central message is about guns and violence in America and the fact that we deal with them and consume them as part of entertainment on one hand, and on the other hand, is a part of our national conversation. You’re not supposed to feel as if this is the standard fare opulence of the music industry. It’s about a counter-narrative and it really leaves you with chills.”⁹

Also in 2018, LIL NAS X released his Country-Rap collaboration with Country legend Billy Ray Cyrus which was also surrounded by controversy as to whether a Black, queer rapper had the right to make it in the Country music scene (we discussed this at length in the Country unit so we’ll leave this one here for now). Lil Nas X has continued to turn heads with other shocking singles such as “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and his recent collaboration with rapper Jack Harlow, “Industry Baby”.

In 2020, CARDI B and MEGAN THEE STALLION released their raunchy single “WAP” with a fully-censored version ready for airwaves complete with a “clean” music video. While many in the realm of music critique praised the piece as a humorous, fun, and empoweringly sex-positive piece of art, it did stir the vitriol of many social conservatives who called for the song to be banned from the airwaves. Of the controversy, Megan Thee Stallion was quoted to say in an interview with GQ Magazine:

“Some people just don’t know what to do when a woman is in control and taking ownership of her own body. I feel like for a long time men felt like they owned sex and now women are saying, “Hey, this is for me. I want pleasure. This is how I want it or don’t want it,” it freaks men the hell out. It just comes from a place of fear and insecurity, like why would anyone be mad about my WAP? It belongs to me.”¹⁰

If anything, the controversy only heightened the nation’s obsession with the song and kept it in the Billboard charts for 52 straight weeks.

As Rap and Hip-Hop progress into the 2020’s, they will likely to continue to be the genres baring the most soul, grit, and reflection on the American experience in the contemporary age.

MUSIC ELEMENTS OF RAP & HIP-HOP

An enormous generalization …

ACOUSTICNESS

Rap and Hip-Hop tend to be low-acoustic genres and more high electronic. This is due to the fact that most of the music laid on a Rap track are samples of pre-recorded songs and often from genres that are highly electronic to begin with (Funk, Disco, Soul, R&B, etc.). Oftentimes, the only acoustic element on a Rap track is the rapper themselves.

DANCEABILITY

Rap and Hip-Hop have always been highly danceable genres although not in a traditional sense. Rap developed alongside breakdancing which was invented to accompany the musical genre. While breakdancing goes hand-in-hand with Rap music (thus making Rap highly danceable), it is not necessarily easy to fit choreography for other styles of dance to Rap. Still, Rap tends to be highly rhythmic and steady, which promotes danceability at nearly any tempo.

ENERGY

The energy of Rap music is unmistakable. At any tempo, Rap tends to deliver high energy as the music comes from the flow and the personality/nature of the rapper rather than the music itself. While some tracks may intentionally deliver a more low-key vibe (as in recently popular subgenres such as Lofi Rap and Chill Hip-Hop), most songs tend to be higher on the energy scale.

INSTRUMENTALNESS

Due to the simplicity of a single (or a few rappers) flowing over a beat, instrumentalness is usually high in a typical Rap song. While the lyrics tend to hold the audience’s attention, there is not much in the way of vocal dexterity, multi-voice harmonies, or other effects that draw more energy from the 50/50 split of rap balancing with a background track.

LIVENESS

As the musical elements under Rap are almost entirely built on the DJ’s or producer’s manipulation of prerecorded music, Rap tends to have a very low liveness quality. However, this is counteracted by the fact that rappers are usually delivering a track in a single take or even freestyling (making up lyrics as they go along) which boosts the liveness of the track.

SPEECHINESS

One of the defining elements of Rap/Hip-Hop music is its high speechiness quotient. With most songs’ lyrics being delivered in spoken word rather than sung, this is the speechiest of all American music genres. It should be noted that a specifically Rap song will likely carry a higher speechiness factor than a Hip-Hop song that may also include sung elements (especially when rappers and singers collaborate on a track together).

TEMPO

Tempo for Rap and Hip-Hop music tends to be extremely regular in order to lay a foundation for the rapper to flow. Most tempos clock in at a medium to medium fast range though there are extreme examples of very slow and very fast Rap songs.

VALANCE

From a stereotypical view, Rap and Hip-Hop is often considered to be low valance as the music tends to focus on challenging topics such as violence, drugs, and systemic issues in the Black community. However, much of Rap and Hip-Hop celebrates Black excellence and success, the luxuries of Hip-Hop lifestyle, or sometimes even celebrates the violence as with Gangsta Rap, so these songs would be considered more high valance.

REFERENCES

1. “The Difference Between Rap & Hip-Hop.” (2013). Ebony Magazine. https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/the-difference-between-rap-hip-hop-798/
2. “Hip Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice.” The Kennedy Center. https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/hip-hop/hip-hop-a-culture-of-vision-and-voice/
3. Dye, David. “The Birth of Rap: A Look Back.” (2007). NPR Music: World Cafe. https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7550286
4. “Grand Wizzard Theodore.” Hip Hop History Museum. https://history.hiphop/grand-wizzard-theodore-theodore-livingstone/
5. “Gangsta Rap.” Hip Hop Music History. http://www.hiphopmusichistory.com/gangsta-rap/
6. “Hardcore Rap.” Hip Hop Music History. http://www.hiphopmusichistory.com/subgenres/hardcore-rap/
7. Friedman, Skinny. (2013). “The Real Difference Between a Mixtape and an Album.” Vice Magazine. https://www.vice.com/en/article/rmx446/the-real-difference-between-a-mixtape-and-an-album
8. “The 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Music.” (2018). The Pulitzer Prizes. https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/kendrick-lamar
9. Gajanan, Mahita. (2018). “An Expert's Take on the Symbolism in Childish Gambino’s Viral ‘This Is America’ Video.” Time Magazine. https://time.com/5267890/childish-gambino-this-is-america-meaning/
10. Heaf, Jonathan. (2020). “Megan Thee Stallion: ‘For a long time, men owned sex. Now women are saying, “I want pleasure”’. GQ Magazine. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/megan-thee-stallion-interview-2020