Hip hop and rap music is an ideology - a national movement that has shaped society and inspired thousands of artists; it has grown to be a worldwide phenomenon. Although the two terms are often used interchangeably, they are actually quite different.
The distinction between rap music and hip hop can help us to understand and respect the rich history and cultural meaning behind each. In this blog, we explore the history of rap music and hip hop, their cultural significance, and some of the best hip hop and rap music artists of all time.
Rap music and hip hop originated in the mid-to-late 1970s in the Bronx, New York. Hip hop arose as an artistic answer to the social and economic challenges of the African American and Latino communities. It wasn’t only about the music; it was a lifestyle featuring four main ingredients: MCing (rapping), DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art. These would serve as the foundations of the hip hop and rap music culture we see today.
Rap music is part of hip hop culture, characterized by rhythmic speech set to beats. The origins of rap music lie with DJs like DJ Kool Herc, who used two turntables to extend the instrumental breaks of popular songs so that MCs could rap over them. Herc’s innovation was instrumental in shaping rap music as it exists today.
As hip hop and rap spread through block parties and urban gatherings, artists such as Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and The Sugarhill Gang began to gain fame. This is a significant leap in the history of rap music, hip hop - when The Sugarhill Gang put out the first commercially viable rap song in 1979 with ’Rapper’s Delight.’ This was when rap music went from underground spaces to mainstream radio.
While hip hop and rap music are often used interchangeably, the two terms describe different components within a larger cultural movement. So then, what’s the difference between rap music and hip hop?
Hip hop: Hip hop is a culture that involves more than music. It is composed of DJing, breakdancing, graffiti art, and fashion. It is a lifestyle, a form of self-expression, and a platform for underrepresented communities to tell their stories and experiences. Although music is one of the fundamental aspects of hip hop, it’s just a piece of the culture.
Rap music: Unlike everyone else, rap is a musical style part of hip hop culture. It refers specifically to the vocal delivery style of rapping, which is abrasive, rhymed verses over a beat. All rap music falls under the hip hop umbrella, but not all hip hop includes rapping.
At its heart, hip hop is a culture, while rap music is one means of expression. Grasping the distinction between rap music and hip hop can help elucidate their influence on pop culture over the decades.
Well, when it comes to hip-hop or rap, it's always evolving.
Following its roots in the Bronx onto the world stage, the transformation of hip hop and rap music reflects its lasting strength and significance. Over the decades, the genre has expanded, branched into sub-genres, and crossed borders to influence global music and culture.
The Golden Age of Hip Hop is considered to be in the 1980s when the genre gained a mainstream audience. Artists like Run-D. Yet performers like M.C., LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and N.W.A. took hip hop and rap music out of the underground and brought it into the mainstream, each one adding a new-whipped cream on the topping. Rap music started to split into sub-genres during this time, including conscious rap, gangsta rap, and party rap.
Other artists who used rap as a form of social commentary include Public Enemy, who tackled social and political issues affecting African American communities, and N.W.A., who focused on the realities of life in South Central Los Angeles. This was also the era of women being introduced into rap, with Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah making their mark.
Hip hop and rap music had grown to dominate the charts, with gangsta rap taking over during the '90s. Artists such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg became household names, and their music not only mirrored the harshness of inner-city life but also catapulted hip hop into a billion-dollar industry.
It was during this time that the distinction between rap music and hip hop became increasingly pronounced amongst some artists, those promoting rap's lyrical aspects and those better known for their hip hop cultural influences, including fashion, graffiti, and street art.
The East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry, which was largely defined by the feud between Tupac and Biggie, shaped a lot of the ‘90s hip hop landscape and gave us some of the most memorable albums in hip hop history. Few understandings of hip hop can be contained in the following sense of two competing or contrasting realities related to such an eclectic genre: hip hop’s globalization and rap music's global injustices.
The spread of hip hop and rap music internationally, starting in the 2000s. Hip hop, and rap music started to spread around from culture to culture, region to region, and from Europe to Asia to Africa.
In fact, genre dabbing, pop on steroids, rap on chrome heart songs with huge hooks started to feel like a genre, thanks to Jay-Z, Eminem, Missy Elliott, Kanye West, and others who married rap to pop, rock, electronica, and whatever else in the name of pushing things forward. Hip hop and rap music, by this point, had conquered pop culture around the globe, influencing fashion, language, and lifestyle everywhere.
Hip hop is now a worldwide phenomenon. Taking that as a base, artists around the world have infused their regional sounds and cultures into hip hop, resulting in sub-genres like British grime, Korean K-hip hop, and Afrobeat rap from Nigeria. Hip hop or rap music has come a long way, and its history is still being written as we speak as artists delimit boundaries.
When it comes to the best hip hop and rap music, there are a few names that have made groundbreaking contributions to the genre. These artists have not only defined the sound of rap music but have also helped shape the overall landscape of hip hop culture.
An important historical figure in hip hop and rap music history, Tupac remains an icon. Tupac is celebrated for his poetic lyricism and his talent for capturing the realities of life in African American communities, speaking to the themes of poverty, violence, and social justice. Albums like All Eyez on Me and Me Against the World show that he's one of the best in the game.
Another hit of rap icon, Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls. In fact, he is regarded as one of the top hip hop and rap music artists due to his smooth flow, clever wordplay, and storytelling aspects. His debut album, Ready to Die, is a landmark title in East Coast hip hop.
Jay-Z is one of the most commercially successful and longest-serving artists in hip hop and rap music, with a career of over three decades. Recognized as a lyrical genius and savvy businessman, Jay-Z has remained authentic to his origins while continuously rebranding himself.
Kendrick Lamar is an artist who has received near-unanimous critical acclaim in the world of contemporary hip hop and rap music. His albums, like the early good kid and the more recent To Pimp a Butterfly, are steeped in personal narrative and sharp social commentary, marking him as a voice of his generation.
Hip hop and rap music are no longer just music, to put it some way in the world. As the generations move ahead pop culture continues to progress, including how musicians experiment with sound. Independent artists have also benefited from streaming platforms and social media, further diversifying the genre.
While the difference between rap music and hip hop remains obvious, their interdependence continues driving whimsy even years into the feature. Rap is the musical art of lyrical infusion, but hip hop is the cultural movement that informs fashion, dance, social protest.
From a small beginning in the Bronx, hip hop and rap music have evolved into a worldwide cultural colossus. By recognizing the distinction between rap music and hip hop, we can better appreciate the full range of this cultural phenomenon, from the streets that birthed it to its impact on contemporary culture.
From its inception as a niche underground movement to becoming a global phenomenon, the story of rap music and hip hop is one of survival and innovation. Hip hop and rap music have a rich history of truth-to-power activism and art. The best hip hop and rap music artists, past and present, have used their platforms to speak truth to power, inspire change, and create art with wide-reaching impact.
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