Is Rap Music...Not Music? Here's Why It Is
/Rap music is complex, unique and gets your head bopping. However, some believe rap is the lowest form of music. Ben Shapiro, an enthusiast of extreme right-wing ideologies, even qualified rap as not music at all. What a shame. We lose a rich genre when we classify rap as non-music. It is sonically unique and studded with complex literary devices. It doesn’t deserve slander nor the branding.
Rap as Non-Music
Photo: SOlomon Leonard by erin Koo
Shapiro is the poster child for classifying rap as non-music. In Yes, Rap is Music, he echoes a theory from his father that music must have melody, harmony and rhythm. He thinks rap only has one of these components: rhythm. Because it doesn’t have all three, it can’t be considered music. Rap does sound different than most genres, but it doesn’t mean it’s not music at all. Melody and harmony come in all forms, and a less regulated sound doesn’t mean rap lacks these components. Shapiro is not well-versed in the genre. He even said himself—he is only parroting his father, a music theorist. So, although his comments on rap went viral, they hold no merit.
Solomon Leonard of the Oberlin Review expands on Shapiro’s baseless thinking. “Music is not that much different from life. Music is just like any art form, whether it’s visual art or film or dance. It’s a reflection of our lives. And the only requirement is that it has to reflect something about reality.” It is an art form—open to scrutiny, but not dismissal altogether.
History of Hip-Hop
A conversation about rap’s “invalidity” can’t come without a conversation about racism. DJ Kool Herc of Brooklyn, New York is credited with rap’s inception. After DJ’ing for a dance party, other DJs were inspired by his innovation and wanted to outdo him. The rest is history, which you can read here. Unfortunately, prejudices surrounding Black people can contribute to believing rap is not music.
Racism and the Grammys
Photo: interscope records
A pivotal moment highlighting this discrepancy was during the 2014 Grammys, when Macklemore’s album The Heist beat the critically acclaimed good kid, m.A.A.d city from Kendrick Lamar. This was a decisive moment. Lamar is of high profile in the rap world. Macklemore, although talented, does not have the impact that Lamar has. Macklemore himself agreed race played a part, saying in this article, “I do think we have benefited from being white…A song like ‘Thrift Shop’ was safe enough for the kids…and even though I’m cussing…in that song, the fact that I’m a white guy, parents feel safe…And would that success have been the same if I would have been a black dude? I think the answer is ‘No.’” So, Macklemore won because he’s more palatable to mainstream audiences as a white person. As an artist, he simply does not have the elevated writing skill to create vivid rap songs.
Literary Devices in Rap
Rap artists have long made use of literary and narrative devices in their songs, such as double entendres and imagery. Jay-Z has many double and even triple entendres in his song. They are a difficult device to understand, let alone write in a rhythmic fashion. An example is, “survive the drought, I wish you well,” in Jay-Z’s song, “American Dreamin.’” Clever, as it wishes the recipient a fond farewell and plays on the word drought, as in a water well.
Imagery is used in rap music, too. A searing example is Kendrick Lamar’s song, “Fear.” In it, he raps a vivid scene of lower-class black childhood. “I beat yo’ ass keep talking back, I beat yo' ass, who bought you that?...That pizza better not be wasted, you eat it all, that TV better not be loud if you got it on, them Jordans better not get dirty when I just bought 'em, better not hear 'bout you humpin’ on Keisha's daughter.” These lyrics paint an intense scene of Lamar’s childhood. To boot, it also rhymes and flows with striking severity. Rhyme and flow are a signature of rap. Most importantly, they’re a signature of music in general.
Rap as Music
Music spans many genres and sounds and should absolutely make space for rap. Anyone who believes otherwise is simply ignorant. A unique sound played on the backdrop of rich Black culture, it doesn’t deserve to be overlooked as a genre of music. Funk, soul and jazz music might get your body moving, but it’s rap that will keep your head bopping, too. Don’t let prejudices and misunderstandings keep you from dismissing a great genre of music.
https://thefederalist.com/2019/09/18/yes-rap-is-music/
https://oberlinreview.org/26012/opinions/debates-around-rap-musics-validity-rooted-in-racism/
Lashanda Forsberg is a student of Professional Writing at Algonquin College. When she isn’t curled up with a book or going down a YouTube rabbit hole, she has music playing. From r&b to reggae to rap, music is an important part of Lashanda’s life. Coming from a musical family chock full of guitarists and songwriters helps Lashanda relate to and appreciate music. Find her other blog writings at lashandaforsberg.com or read her poetry on instagram @writingsfromsaturn.
