Rap or rap music consists
of rhythmic vocals spoken loudly over musical accompaniment, usually electric
drum beats combined with samples (digitally isolated sound bytes) from
their musical recording.
The first rap recording was
made in 1979. Rap originated in the mid 1970's in the South Bronx
area of New York City.
Although rap originated within
the African- American community, the style gradually attracted white
musicians, for example, a white group from NY, the Beastie Boys.
A rap group consists of at least one rapper, a disk jockey, or two or more
rappers. The rap often uses a call and response format typical in
much African-American music. Rap vocals emphasize lyrics and word
play over melody and harmony. Lyric themes can be categorized under
three headings: Those that concern human relationships, those that concern
the so-called gangsta lifestyle in the inner cities America, and those
that deal with contemporary political issues or aspects of Black History.
1978, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore
introduced the technique of scratching to produce rhythmic patterns.
Since the mid-1980's, rap has greatly influenced both black and white culture
in North America. Much of the slang of Hip-hop culture have become a regular
part of the vocabulary of a great number of young people of many different
ethnic origins. Many rap enthusiasts feel that rap functions as a
voice for a community without access to the mainstream media. They
also feel that rap serves to create self pride, self help, and self improvement,
communicating a positive and fulfilling sense of black history that is
absent from other forms of other American institutions. People who
defend the gangsta rap argue that no matter who is listening to the music,
the rap's are justified because they accurately portray life in inner city
America
I chose rap music to write
about because it's one of my many favorite types of music. My favorite
rap artist is Will Smith because his songs are upbeat.
John Nieliwodski
