What is rap? Meaning of the word

Today we will tell you what a rap is. This is a rhythmic recitative, which is usually read by a beat. Performers of this genre are called rappers, respectively. The more general term "em-si"

Brief information

If we talk about what rap is, we should consider this phenomenon as the main element of the style of hip-hop music. It is for this reason that these concepts in everyday communication often act as synonyms. However, rap as a recitative is also used in a number of other genres. Many performers of drum-n-bass music use elements of this phenomenon. If you are interested in rap about love, this issue should be discussed separately. As a rule, such compositions go beyond this direction. They are often referred to as the genre of pop-rap. This phenomenon occurs in rock music. Performers of RnB often use rap in compositions.

Value

Now consider what rap is from the point of view of the origin of this concept. The word originated from the English term rap, which can be translated as "blow", "knock" or "talk". Later, erroneous theories appeared, on the basis of which rap was considered an abbreviation. However, rap is not written in English in capital letters. In addition, the term has a number of single root words. Basically, such erroneous theories arise in non-English-speaking countries. Decodings are offered the most different, but they are all wrong.

History

To fully understand what rap is, you should know that it originated in the Bronx area, among African Americans, and it happened in the seventies. This direction takes its roots from visiting Jamaican DJs. In particular, one of the founders of rap is Kool Herc. We read rap initially for purposes far from commercial. Did it for fun, mostly DJs. It was about simple rhymed verses addressed to the audience.

The distribution of rap was facilitated by amateur black radio, which reproduced music, especially in demand among blacks, so the young genre quickly picked up. The term itself is firmly entrenched in style largely due to the composition of Rapper's Delight. Jack Gibson was among the first performers, who were called "rappers". In everyday life he was a radio broadcaster.

Reading rhymed speeches on the streets and today remains a tradition in black neighborhoods. Rap battle or battle is also not uncommon in such places. In this case, we are talking about verbal fights, in which two rappers "quarreled", while maintaining rhythm and rhyme. Battles are not always a variant of the scandal, they can also be in the form of submitting a rhymed text on a given topic.

The term "hip-hop" arose in the eighties. His introduction is often attributed to Grandmaster Flush and Africa Bambate. The culture and genre of hip-hop reached the peak of its popularity in the nineties. It should be noted that this phenomenon had a serious impact on R'n'B.

Hip-hop

The music of this genre is quite diverse. It is usually simple, but melodic. The main role in this case is the bit, in other words, the rhythm of the song. Most often, every second bar is complemented by an accent - a single sound, similar to cotton. This is a short and clear blow to the lead drum. For backbiting, percussion is often used. An important element is the bass drum. If we talk about the party of musical instruments, in this case it is quite diverse. Its constituent elements can be keyboards, winds and numerous computer sounds.

Interesting Facts

Speaking of what rap is, it should be noted that long before the genre originated, the composition in this style arose in the repertoire of Adriano Celentano - a well-known Italian actor and singer. In the seventies he came up with a musical number called Prisencolinensinainciusol. In it, the singer pronounced a recitative phrase that was written in a fictional language. It sounded like a mixture of Italian and English. Only ten years later, the "new rap" migrated to the US. Sam Celentano stated that through this number, he tried to convey the idea of non-communication of individual people.

The Eiffel Tower

French rap appeared in the early eighties. The rise of this phenomenon occurs in the 1990s. Further we will discuss the French collectives, which have achieved special success in this genre.

IAM is a band from Marseilles. It was formed in 1989. The name IAM received several interpretations, in particular, "Invasion of Mars". Under the metaphorical name of the planet in the songs of the band is to understand Marcel. The first mixtape of the band appeared in 1989 and was named IAM Concept. It was released one year after the recording. The group signed a contract with Virgin Records. Soon her debut album was released. He won widespread recognition. In 1993, the next album appeared. He significantly influenced the growth of the popularity of the collective. At the same time, a real breakthrough happened in 1997. It was then that another record was released. It took only two days to get the status of "gold", and later it was recognized as "platinum". More than a million copies were sold.

This work has brought the team international fame. In addition, after this, the general interest to French rap has increased. After the success of 1997, the musicians created the soundtrack for Luc Besson's film "Taxi". The members of the team engaged in solo careers, but the project did not fall apart.

Another French group from Marseilles, on which it is worth paying special attention, is called Fonky Family. It includes four rappers. The first appearance on the scene occurred in 1994. The band's debut album appeared in 1997. Soon it was called golden.

Appearance in our country

Russian rap appeared in the USSR and continued active development in modern Russia. For the first time we learned about this direction in 1984. It was then that the DJ of the student disco, Alexander Astrov, together with the band "Hour Peak" created a 25-minute program. Soon she dispersed around the country as a magnetoalbum "Rap". This work was created under the influence of the works of Captain Sensible, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five.

If you are looking for the best rap, created by all the canons of the genre in our country, you should pay special attention to the team of DMJ. It's about the cult old school team and the discoverer of the genre. Future members of the team met in the Russian capital. It happened in 1985. The band's first album was called Rap Of Power. It was released in 1993.

In full, Russian rap began to develop in the nineties. It was then that the band "The Bachelor Party" announced itself. Soon the first tours of rap artists began. In 1994, Mr. Maloy released a hit, which was accompanied by a video clip. This work is called "I'll Be Young". The composition is successfully demonstrated on the air of TV channels, as well as radio stations of the country. Also to the number of popular performers of this period should be attributed Bogdan Titomir. He is the author of the expression "People hawala", which became legendary.

Modernity

The "Casta" group gained wide popularity in Russia and abroad in 1999, after having won a festival called Rap Music. The strongest surge in her activity was noted in 2002, after the album "Louder than water, above the grass" was released. In 2000, a project was created that had no analogues in the Russian Federation.

In the recording of the album Descem called "Who are you?" Was attended by many famous rappers. This made the performer incredibly popular, however only for a short time.

In 2004, the album of the rapper Smoky Mo was released under the name "Kara-Te". Even greater popularity was achieved by the band Krec, which released the record "No magic". In 2013, the main rapper of the country was Basta, according to the magazine "Afisha".

In the Urals appeared the collective "AK-47". In 2006, these rappers achieved incredible success in the entire Urals region and became the most popular band in their homeland for several years.

Themes

At the moment, rap has become a successful trend in Russian music, which goes beyond the country and spreads throughout the CIS. Creativity of the first rappers in the Russian Federation did not have a socio-political color. At first, popularity was gained by "positive musicians", for example, Bogdan Titomir. A little later came the group "Bachelor Party" with its very specific themes.

One of the iconic rappers should be called Dolphin. Socio-political themes are inherent in particular, the "Casta" group. Creativity of the team bears a protest context. The representative of the genre is also the performer Bianca - a Russian and Belarusian singer. Hip-hop was also performed by Marousia.

Merger with rock

We should pay special attention to the growing popularity of alternative rap music in Russia and other CIS countries. It arose after the merger of this genre with rock. The first musician, who can be called the star of rapkor is Noize MC. His songs are firmly on the air of famous radio stations. Rap clips of this musician are rotated on TV channels.

The second in this row is the Anacondaz group. The songs of the project regularly appear on the radio and on the television. Concerts are held full-time.

The EVA team's success story is quite unusual. This group was created in 2013. Originally it was conceived as an Internet project. At the same time, regular creative activity and live performances were not planned. However, the team took as a basis for music a mixture of alternative hip-hop and psychedelic rock. This brought the project an unexpected, but very impressive fame among the youth. At the same time, it is amazing that, with its popularity, the band did not play any full-fledged concert.

Phenomenal demand for these teams can be explained by several factors: stable and traditional popularity of rock, fashion for rap, informal and youth texts. Often, these groups touch on political and socio-economic issues in their compositions.