The Musical Characteristics of Rap

Musical characteristics of Rap

Tonality

Rap typically uses minor tonalities to create a serious sound which can make songs sound gritty because the lyrical theming can often be serious.

Harmony

There can often be vocal harmonies in the chorus' , because rap can often blend singing with their rapping to make a more catchy song.

Extensions

Rap typically uses 7th, 9th and 11th chords, this is more typical in the jazzier raps with it having a more soulful sound.

Scales

The most typical scale in rap is a minor scale, more specifically natural and harmonic minor scales, this makes songs sound moody and sad.

Riffs

What rap music can typically do is take already existing riff samples from other songs and use it in their own song adding a certain familiarity to it.

Rhythms

Rap music typically has a 4/4 beat but it also can include off-beats for syncopation to create a funkier groovy sound.

Melody

Rap music's melody isn't known for being too complex, there is an emphasis on pitch change, usually it raises at the end of phrases to build intensity. 

Instruments 

Rap music often uses drum machines, turn tables, synthesizers and samplers, these are often paired with sampled sounds. The voice is the most prominent sound in rap music though and rap can even be played with live instruments like guitars, drum and bass.

Textures

The most common texture in Rap music is homophonic because the voice is the most prominent element along with an instrument accompaniment. There can also be a lot of call and response because of rapper's audience interaction specifically made for a crowd to do the response.

Lyrics

Rap music lyrics can tell a story, the main focus on the lyrics is how well they flow, it uses more slang than typical music lyrics and the lyrics are more likely to rhyme. 

Instrumental Techniques

The most common instrumental technique is drum programming to keep the drum beat consistent and powerful, this is usually synthesized. 

Improvisation 

Rap has a whole other genre for improvisation which is called "Free-style", this type of rap means the vocalist will just think of their lyrics and sing them with no planning. They typically have a synthesized drum beat in the background to keep them in time.

Important Notation

< Lyrics to No Sleep Til' Brooklyn

3 Subgenres of Rap

-3 different subgenres of Rap include : "Gangsta" rap, rock rap and UK garage. 

-They are all similar because they all come from hip hop influence, using certain techniques like sampling and being beat-focused. All 3 of the subgenres really show the fusion between different styles like rock rap with rock/metal influences and UK garage with influences from house and UK drill.

-Gangsta rap originated in the late 1980's from the West Coast USA. It has a slow-medium tempo and it has a lot of influences from funk music, the genre is known for being more rhythmically charged and the theming is more socially aware.

-Rock rap originated in the mid 1980's-early 90's in the USA. Its a fusion of rock and rap so it takes influences from the rock genre such as the instruments. It is more energetic that Gangsta rap and it tends to have themes of rebellion. Rock rap is usually played with live instruments rather than a pre recorded track.

-UK garage originated in the early 1990's in the United Kingdom evolving from UK dace music like drill and house music. It typically has quite a minimalistic upbeat sound, UK garage unlike the others in more intended for dance settings. There's more of a focus of looped grooves and fast tempos.

Opinions on Subgenres 

-My personal favourite between the 3 subgenres would probably Rock rap because I don'[t particularly like rap music in general however I like the instrumentation is Rock Rap.

Famous Musician in each subgenre

- A famous Gangsta rapper is Tupac Shakur, he manages to combine hardcore rap with addressing real-word issues particularly to do with issues urban areas face. He is most famous for his song "Hit em' up" and "Dear Mama" which solidified his status as a gangsta rapper. 2pac ft. Dr.Dre - California Love [HQ]

- A famous Rock Rapper is Mike Shinoda, known as the lead vocalist in the band Linkin Park, he combines rap verses with rock styled sound. His music helped bring this subgenre to light and gain a larger audience to this sound. He is known for songs like "In the End" and "Numb". Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff (Official Music Video)

- A famous UK garage rapper group called "So Solid Crew" started in the early 2000's , they a large group of DJ's , rappers and MC's. They are based in London, they became famous after their track "21 Seconds" which reached number 1 in the UK charts. The group is known for combining UK garage with grime styled music which influenced a whole new generation of rappers. Dj Luck & Mc Neat - With A Little Bit Of Luck

Evolution of Rap

- Rap music originated in the 1970's from the African-American, Latino youth as a way of self-expression. It incorporated poetry elements in the lyricism to keep the rhythm flowing smoothly. The golden age of rap is considered the mid 1980's-1990's, this is when sampling was introduced as a new technique, this was also the time new subgenre's of rap was introduced. In the 2000's rap became a global sensation with artists like Eminem and Jay Z rising to fame gaining more recognition in music award shows.

What does Rap have in common with other styles

- Rap lyrics have many things in common with other genre's because it can often feature a story telling aspect, we also see this in genre's like country and blues.