RAP VS HIP-HOP
From the topic “Rap VS Hip-Hop” so many things must be running through your head. Things like “Are they not the same?”, “Rap is definitely Hip-Hop”, “This article is a big joke” and so on.
Just last week, I had an argument on the internet with a certain rapper over this issue. He kept saying “Rap is Hip-Hop and Hip-Hop is Rap” but failed to back it up with real proof just like everyone else I’ve come across with the same opinion as him. I simply maintained my stand on “Rap is part of Hip-Hop bigtime but Rap is not Hip-Hop”. Confusing but true.
They say “Knowledge is power and Information is king”. Inspired by his ignorance I quickly put together some similarities and ofcourse differences between ‘Rap’ and ‘Hip-Hop’.
According to the ‘Blastmaster, Teacha and one of the most influential MCs ever “KRS-One” he said “Rap is what we do but Hip-Hop is what we live.”
DEFINITIONS
Hip-Hop is a lifestyle and cultural movement, whereas rap is portrayed more as a musical act that falls in part within the Hip-Hop movement. Hip-hop is defined as more of an urban culture, one that is closely linked with rap music, as well as with the style (both fashion and cultural) of African-Americans in the inner-city. Rap, meanwhile is defined more so as a slang term meaning to talk over the beat of rap music. Hip-Hop is a term that describes our “independent collective consciousness”.
SHORT HISTORY
Both Hip-Hop and Rap have the same origins. They originated in the Bronx in the 1970s and are believed to have been first used by a Jamaican DJ, “Kool Herc” who repeated rhymes over instrumental music at parties at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. The movement spread through the borough, taking inspiration from the rapping used by folk poets in West Africa. Hip-Hop kulture including graffiti and rapping was adopted by street gangs in the Bronx as a new form of competition and one-upmanship.
In the early 1980s, Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force released an electro-funk track called “Planet Rock”, which used electronic sounds and synthesizers. These grew to become common elements of the genre. The music movement spread to minority populations through the US, and with the advent of music videos, the culture spread to Europe and beyond.
Rapper Keith ‘Cowboy’ Wiggins coined the term “Hip-Hop” in 1978 when he was joking with a friend who had just enlisted into the American army. He sang the words ‘hip/hop/hip/hop’ as mimicry of marching soldiers. Later, Wiggins included the cadence into his stage performance and that’s how the term took off inspiring an entire culture of dance and music.
ELEMENTS
Hip-Hop has 9 elements which is
*Breaking
*Emceeing
*DJ-ing
*Graffiti-Art
*Beat-Boxing
*Street Fashion
*Street Language
*Street Knowledge
*Street Enterpreneurialism
Rap is NOT a kulture/lifestyle, in other words it has no elements. Its simply the combination of rhyme and poetry to a musical beat. It has a background in improvisational poetry.
FACTS AND CONCLUSION
“According to noted Hip-Hop historian Davey D, some view rap as a more disposable form of Hip-Hop. “That’s a false definition,” he told Rap News. “One is part of a whole. Rap is part of a larger entity we call Hip-Hop, which is a kulture”
It has been established that “HIP-HOP IS NOT RAP BUT RAP IS PART OF HIP-HOP”. For example, When a Hip-Hop beat is played below the performance, rap then becomes part of Hip-Hop music. Whether the rap is conscious or dope enough to be tagged as ‘Hip-Hop’ is a debate for another day. When rap is performed over a heavy metal beat for instance, it ceases to be Hip-Hop.
“In Nigeria, a P-Square or D’Banj song can’t be called ‘Hip-Hop’ just because it featured M.I or Modenine on it. Neither P-Square or D’Banj does Hip-Hop so rap been applied to there songs by these rappers doesn’t automatically make such songs Hip-Hop.”
Rap is a genre of music that can be borrowed by other genres such as Pop, Heavy metal etc without applying the consciousness of Hip-Hop but Hip-Hop on the other hand is a kulture and lifestyle thus a Hip-Hop performance can be given without Rap been involved. A perfect example is ‘Breaking’ which is one of the elements of Hip-Hop. A B-boy simply needs an Hip-Hop beat to perform his art. Rap doesn’t necessarily have to be involved.
NOTE
(1) Rap is just a vocal part of an entire Hip-Hop performance.
(2) Hip-Hop is a kulture, Rap is not.
(3) The art of Rap been applied on a song doesn’t automatically make the song Hip-Hop.
(4) Hip-Hop(kulture) is not Rap(genre)
Furthermore, if you say Rap is Hip-Hop it simply means you view ‘Rap as a kulture/lifestyle’ but trust me fam you won’t hear anybody say “I LIVE RAP or I AM RAP’ its always gonna be ‘I LIVE HIP-HOP or I AM HIP-HOP”.
Conclusively, Its safe to simply say “RAP IS PART OF HIP-HOP”.
I’ll be back next time to shed light on another topic. “Stay positive and stay out of trouble.”
For questions on this article email me – mcskillthapreacha@gmail.com OR hola on twitter – @McThaPreacha
References
*Blog Critics
*Diffen
*eHow
*Rap News