Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Genres of Music

The genre of music I will be focusing on for my coursework is Rap.

Rap music, more broadly known as hip-hop originated in New York City during the 1970s when street (or 'block') parties where prominent. It was called the 'voice' for the African-American youth in the lower classes in America with the music said to be reflective of the trouble in their lives involving money, society and the government.

A rap song usually consists of the artist speaks lyrically (with their 'flow' being the rhythm and rhymes heard on their delivery of their lines) over a 4/4 beat. The beat is usually sampled and synthesisers or drum machines can be used.

The examples of rap artists out there is very vast, with various sub-genres spinning off. Here are some examples:

Dr. Dre, Tupac, N.W.A. are all classic examples of West Coast hip-hop, with East Coast hip-hop artists being the likes of Jay-Z, Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan.


 The most popular Rap magazine is XXL with other popular ones being Vibe and The Source.

Here is a music video of a modern rap song from 2012


Mercy - Kanye West (feat. Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz)

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