Humble beginnings

Nowadays, you only have to turn on the television or radio to hear a rap song. Pop songs often include a rap, usually in the bridge of the song, after the second chorus. Young pop artists, such as Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson, attempt to gain credibility by featuring a well-respected rapper in their songs. It is hard to believe that rap was once the voice of those who were on the fringes of society.

In this blog I examine the origins, ideologies and purposes of rap music, and how it's place in society has changed over the years. I also talk about a prominent figure in the British music scene, Plan B, and how his music reflects the spirit of protest found in early rap.

What exactly is rap?

The terms 'rap' and 'hip hop' are often used interchangeably. According to the website Ebony, hip-hop is a cultural movement which is made up of four main elements. Rap is one of these elements, along with break-dancing, DJing, and graffiti. Rap is generally defined as a musical style in which 'rhythmic and/or rhyming speech is chanted (rapped) to a musical accompaniment' (Merriam-Webster.com). Rap music has a strong, rhythmic beat, and generally uses 4/4 timing. Raps are usually in 16 bar measures, with instrumentals in between the speech. While a strong beat is important, a rapper's skill is shown through the lyrics. Rappers use the beat of the song to put emphasis on certain words and phrases. This is known as a rappers 'flow' and distinguishes a pro from an amateur. According to Krims (2000), the elements which make a good rapper are creativity and placement of rhyme, and the use of striking imagery and unusual juxtapositions.

What influenced rap music?

Rap music is believed to be influenced by West African story-tellers, known as Griots. These story-tellers travelled between villages, sharing knowledge about history, events, births, deaths, and wars. The importance of the spoken word in West African culture, originates with the idea of Nommo. In Malian Dogon cosmology, Nommo's are believed to be the first creations of the supreme deity, Amma. They were associated with the generative power of the spoken word, and 'the ability of words to act upon objects, giving life' (Blanchard, 1999).

Vid 1- A Jamaican toast

Another major influence was the Jamaican tradition of toasting. Blues dances were often held, in community halls or slum yards, where disk jockeys would talk over pre-recorded r 'n b songs. They would do toasts to celebrate different occasions, and would sometimes battle each other, the winner being the one with the loudest system and the most original technique. Just as the Jamaican DJs used heavy beats to support their vocals, American rap often uses hard funk beats. Also, many types of rap songs are similar to toasts, such as boast raps, insult raps, news raps, celebration raps, party raps and nonsense raps (Rhodes, 2014). Kool DJ Herc, one of the pioneers of American rap, emigrated from Jamaica to New York in the 1960's. He bought with him a knowledge of toasting and the Jamaican music style, and was one of the pivotal figures in developing the rap scene in New York. However, rap did not start gaining a large following until the 1970s.

Vid 2- DJ Kool Herc, one of the pioneers of rap