Rap is a popular genre of U.S. black origin in which words are recited rapidly and rhythmically over a prerecorded, typically electronic instrumental backing. The word rap can also be an acronym for rhythm and poetry. Rap has been around since the late 1970s and originated from Bronx, New York. Many don’t know that rap is part of the Hip-Hop genre however; rap is a specific genre of music. Hip-hop is a broad genre which contains four main elements: the MC, DJ, graffiti, and break-dancer. When people think of rappers, they think of black or of African decent people like Tupac, Lil Wayne, or Ice Cube. However, rappers aren’t just a group of African Americans, they can come from different races like Eminem, Pitbull, and Rytmus. In addition, there …show more content…
When Rap was first created, rappers were mostly male instead of female. More women are becoming popular like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, and Iggy Azalea. Although female artists are rising to the top alongside male artists, rappers turned a creative tactic to express oneself, to something too simple. This type of genre is mainly focused on the lyrics, choice of words, the rhyme, and flow. With these factors put into play, many modern rappers today fail to show the true characteristics of rap. For example, when comparing the song This is Why I’m Hot by MIMS, “This is why I’m hot/I’m hot cuz I’m fly/You ain’t cuz you not,” to the song I Know You Got Soul by Rakim, “I start to think, and then I sink/Into the paper like I was ink/When I’m writing, I’m trapped in between the lines/I escape when I finish the rhyme.” The difference between these two lines is Rakim’s creative process with poetry is on a much higher level than MIMS. Anyone can easily come up with those lines by MIMS because of the simplicity and lack of creativity. Present day rap developed more into drugs, money, women, and sex as to in the past, rap was about politics and sending a message to people through their music. With the incoming rappers who are becoming more popular, rap transformed into meaningless words and the main focus …show more content…
Lastly, there is a misinterpretation that only black people are rappers and the listeners of rap. Many would be surprised when they discover how many rappers in the music industry who are a different race other than black. For example, one of the most popular and talented rapper in the rap industry is white and goes by the name Eminem. When he first tried to put himself in the music industry, many labels refused to take him in because of his race; back in the 1990s, many record labels accepted only black rappers. Therefore, Eminem struggled to get his name into the music industry. On the other hand, many believe those who rap or listen to rap are "ghetto." The word ghetto means (n.) a part of a city, especially in a slum area, occupied by a minority group or groups or (v.) to put in or restrict to an isolated group or area. Even the richest adolescents or adults with a healthy lifestyle can listen to rap, but they wouldn 't call themselves ghetto. Calling a rapper or rap itself ghetto music is degrading true talent. Some of these rappers are only ghetto because of the hardships they went through to get to where they are right now. For example, Eminem raps about his life and how he got to become who he is today by going through dropping out of high school, taking drugs, overdosing, getting married, having kids, and parental issues. This music genre isn 't ghetto, it is a way of skillfully telling a story whether its personal or not. One of the reason rap is considered ghetto is