CHAPTER 1 Background WHAT IS RAP? Rap music is a style of hip hop known for its urban slang and its pref- erence not for singing but rapping, a syncopated or rhythmic version of rhymed talking similar to talk singing or the patter song, both of which were used by singers in some stage and film musicals previous to rap’s birth, as well as in some rock songs. While rap owes its vocal- ization theory to these two genres (i.e., musicals and rock), it owes its lyrical content and concerns to spoken-word jazz poetry (directly) and to the West African tradition of the griot (indirectly). Rappers refer to their vocals by various names, including rhyming, spitting, and emcee- ing (almost always represented as “MC’ing”). Rap can be performed a cappella, with a second person beatboxing, or against instrumentation, normally featuring a strong beat and samples of previously recorded songs (a practice called “sampling”) or turntable scratching done by a DJ (also known as a “turntablist”). Rapping can be either scripted (a typical practice with recorded songs) or fully or partially improvised, a practice used in what are called “rap freestyle battles,” where rappers compete head-to-head to determine who can extemporize best. Freestyle skill is judged by the rapper’s mastery of rhymes, lyric content, and vocal delivery (i.e., flow). Rappers, both free- style and recorded, are judged on their style, which can range from fast- paced and aggressive to laid-back and chant-like, as well as their flow, which can range from the sing-song rhythms of schoolyard chants, child- hood taunts, jump rope rhymes, and clapping games to complex melodic lines with varying cadences and surprising enjambment. The ability to create complex rhymes within a rap song’s typical 4/4 beat also factor
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