Rap: Style
The Musical Characteristics of Rap
Rap often makes use of minor keys, as well as blues notes, which creates tension in the music. Chord sequences are often simple and repetitive, focusing more on the rhythmic cadences of the vocals, keeping the harmony simple. 7th and 9th are sometimes used to make a song feel more jazzy, either soulful or dreamy, adding more emotion to the backing of the songs. Natural and harmonic minor scales are most common in rap, laying the foundations for the more aggressive tone of the vocals and rhythms. Guitar and synth riffs are common in rap, often being very repetitive or even sampled from other songs. 4/4 time signatures are common in rap, with most rhythm sections being looped, allowing for the vocal rhythms to be the main focus. Some genres of rap mix the traditional flow of rap and hip hop with melodic, autotuned vocals, often to create emotional or catchy tracks. Drum machines, as well as other electronic instruments, like synths and electric guitars, are common in rap, more so than more acoustic instruments. Rap textures are often dense and rhythmic, with each section having sections of drums and harmony, with the vocals on top adding to the rhythms to make the textures more complex. Lyrics in rap music are extremely rhythmic, and often covering topics of personal storytelling, politics, and everyday struggles. Sampling and chopping are common in a lot of rap, taking existing songs to form the basis of a new song, often chopping up and repeating certain sections of the original song. Freestyle rap is also common, which entails the rapper improvising their rhythms and lyrics during a performance.
Notation of Important Riffs, Melodies and Rhythms
Below is the notation for the A minor harmonic scale, which is commonly used in rap as it has a darker, moodier sound. The harmonic scale is created by taking a natural minor, and raising the 7th note by one degree, for example, the 7th note in the A natural minor scale is G, so in the A harmonic minor scale this become G#.
Harmonic minor scale with solfege notation on screen:
Three Subgenres of Rap and their Similarities/Differences
Hip hop, rap rock, and UK garage are three genres of rap. Hip hop has heavy focus on rhythms, with the structure of most song being beat-driven. The subgenre has roots in African American culture, often focusing on themes of social commentary and struggles of the time. Rap rock takes its focus on rhythm from general rap music, yet combines it with the heavy electric guitar riffs of rock, and sometimes metal. Rap rock ultimately formed the genre Nu Metal in the 90s, forming a new trend of electric guitars with aggressive vocals. UK garage is described as having a more shuffle-based rhythm, different to the classic straight rhythms of most rap. The genre is mainly characterised by its deep, rolling basslines, which lay the foundations for the groove of the tracks. Overall, all three genres feature the heavy reliance on rhythm that general rap does, but all feature different elements of instrumentation throughout the accompaniment.
My Opinions on the Rap Subgenres
I love rap for the most part, yet genres like UK garage are not quite for me. I do, however, really love rap rock and nu metal, as bands from these genres are what my parents would listen to in my childhood, which laid the foundations for my music taste today.
Examples of Famous Musicians from Rap Subgenres
Tupac is an influencial artist in the hip hop genre, being credited as having blended intense street stories with emotional vulnerability through his music. He ultimately influence many artists in the modern day to be more emotional in their lyricism. Limp Bizkit are influencial to the rap rock genre. They helped bridge the gap between hip hop styles and rock/metal in the 90s, bringing hip hop attitudes to the rock mainstream, ultimately fostering the nu metal genre. Craig David is often credited as having brought UK garage's 2-step sound to the mainstream, helping popularise the genre amongst the general public.
Ghetto Gospel by Tupac, who influenced rap and hip hop:
Take A Look Around by Limp Bizkit, pioneers of the nu metal genre, a combination of rap, hip hop and rock/metal:
Limp Bizkit - Take A Look Around (Official Music Video) / Mission: Impossible 2 Theme [Upscale 4K]
How did Rap Evolve?
Hip hop was the first evolution towards the rap genre, with hip hop culture breaking out in the US in response to urban poverty, often in black communities. Hip hop ultimately developed in many ways, becoming more modern with its use of electronic instrumentation, ultimately splitting off into various other genres with influence from other genres and cultures.
What does Rap have in Common with Other Styles
Rap developed from the rhythmic, storytelling nature of jazz and blues, especially in African American communities, which lead rap to share these elements. On top of this, genres like rock and pop have been heavily influenced by rap styles, with a lot of pop and rock songs having rap sections or even just being inspired by rap characteristics.
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