rap music
Spoken rhythmic verses
Rap music is a genre built on rhythmic, rhyming speech delivered over beats.
Emerging from hip-hop culture in 1970s New York, it features MCs (rappers) performing verses that range from boastful to political to introspective.
The term covers everything from party tracks to conscious rap to gangsta rap: She listens to rap music on her commute.
Often shortened to just rap.
Unbroken forward movement
- freestyleWithout prescribed technique
- rhymesMatching word endings
- barsRods, taverns, or measures
- spittingOral fluid ejection
wordplay · punchlines · metaphors · similes · storytelling · delivery · cadence · verses
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- cadenceRhythmic pulse or pattern
- tempoRate of musical performance
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
groove · percussion · timing · drumbeat · breakbeat · pattern · loop · bars
Rhythmic spoken-word music genre
- graffitiIllegal surface markings
- streetwearSkate and hip-hop clothing
- breakdancingAcrobatic hip-hop dance form
- mixtapeInformal song compilation
turntablism · cypher · beatboxing · DJing · sneakers · boombox · underground · b-boy
Pulses or defeats
- samplingExtracting subset for study
- 808sClassic drum synthesizer
- producerOne who makes things
- loopCurve closing on itself
drum machine · turntables · scratching · mixing · layering · chopping · interpolation · hooks
Public expression of disapproval
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
social commentary · inequality · police brutality · systemic racism · struggle · liberation · justice · Kendrick Lamar
flow
Unbroken forward movement
spitting · wordplay · punchlines · metaphors · similes · storytelling · delivery · cadence · verses · emceeing
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
syncopation · groove · percussion · timing · drumbeat · breakbeat · pattern · loop · bars · measure
hiphop
Rhythmic spoken-word music genre
- graffitiIllegal surface markings
- streetwearSkate and hip-hop clothing
- breakdancingAcrobatic hip-hop dance form
mixtape · turntablism · cypher · beatboxing · DJing · sneakers · boombox · underground · b-boy · MCing
beats
Pulses or defeats
loop · drum machine · turntables · scratching · mixing · layering · chopping · interpolation · hooks · instrumentals
protest
Public expression of disapproval
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- empowermentGaining authority or confidence
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
awareness · social commentary · inequality · police brutality · systemic racism · struggle · liberation · justice · Kendrick Lamar · N.W.A.
- street culturehip hop, streetwear, street fashion, graffiti, tagging
- Black CinemaDo the Right Thing, Moonlight, Black Panther, Coming to America, Friday
- Black MediaBET, Ebony, Essence, Black Twitter, Soul Train
- protest artprotest art, protest sign, protest songs, protest posters, political posters
- BanlieuesSaint-Denis, Paris suburbs, cite, cites, barre
- city lifecity, urban life, traffic noise, downtown, metropolis
rap musicopera
Theatrical art combining song
bel canto · ballads · crooning · choral music · torch songs
rap musiccountry music
Rural Southern folk-pop genre
bluegrass · classical music · easy listening · chamber music · elevator music
rap musicchildren's music
Songs composed for youngsters
lullabies · nursery rhymes · easy listening · soft rock · elevator music