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Real Music

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Submitted By curtvik20120
Words 1048
Pages 5
Tacoma Community College
Keanu Wong

Real Rap is Poetry

English 101- Essay 3
5/18/13

Money, girls, cars, drugs, and diamonds are all subjects that seem relative to the music artists known as rappers. Some people say rappers aren’t even artists, simply because rap music “celebrates the accumulation of status, and always has: chains, cars, and yes, women, who are treated like objects obtained through success” (Complex Magazine 2012). But maybe the rappers of today cannot avoid those subjects. After all, what good is the influence or subject of a song, if none of the content is true??? This method of song writing only seems fair to use if all of those materialistic subjects are a part of a rappers daily surroundings. The truth is that rap music has always been materialistic and subjective to drugs since it first became popular with the release of Sugarhill Gang’s song “Rapper’s Delight” in November of 1979. Big Bank Hank, just one of three members in Sugarhill Gang, made it very clear in Rapper’s Delight that he owned “a Lincoln continental and a sunroof Cadillac… and a color TV to watch the Knicks.” (Lyricsondemand.com) and that he was also “Feelin the highs.” (Lyricsondemand.com) Then another song released recently in 2013, named “Bugatti” by rapper Ace Hood, can easily be compared to the same idea behind the lyrics of Rapper’s Delight. In the first verse alone, Ace hood raps about “One hundred K, I spent that on my wrist. Two hundred dollars, spent that on your b****…copped me a chain your salary spent….woke up early morning, mind is telling me money paper, mula, pockets is fat as a tumor, millionaire n**** no rumor.” (azlyrics.com) Rappers Delight and Bugatti might not have the same concept, but the two songs relate in the subject of celebrating very materialistic possessions.
Just like the music genre R&B is an acronym for “Rhythm and Blues”, the term rap is actually an acronym too. Rap stands for “Rhythm and Poetry.” After reading lyrics from the majority of songs from the popular genre, most people would say that there is nothing poetic about those songs. Those people are correct. The best rap songs are the ones that actually consist of poetry. Unfortunately, rap music is a trending genre. Almost all of the songs consist of raunchy lyrics and a cool beat. Therefore, most rappers try to stick to that trend and get a hot radio hit. That method of song writing seems to create “false poetry.” There is no meaning or expression for the song, other than to make you dance. That is not a bad purpose for the song. But if all the song does is make you dance to a rhythm, then perhaps the genre should just be called “raw” (standing for just rhythm and words). Those “raw” songs tend to have another trend, they create artists that lose their fame pretty easily.
Every once in a while a music artist will release a rap song that contains both rhythm and poetry, and those songs tend to be the best. For example, after the extremely famous rapper that went by the name “The Notorious BIG” was shot and killed in shooting in 1997, Sean “Diddy” Combs (the best friend of BIG) wrote a rap song called “Missing You.” The song expressed his emotions, his thoughts, and his fears of living on without having his best friend in his life anymore. “Missing You” instantly became a hit on the radio, made its way into the Billboard Top 100 and is still played on many popular stations today. Not only is the so rhythmic that it will make your head bob, but the song is actually poetic. It has a meaning of trying to move on when someone dearly close to you passes away, and it is relatable to a bigger crowd of people through its expressions in the song.
Then more recently there is a rapper named Macklemore, who was not a well known rapper outside of the Seattle, Washington area. He wrote a song named “Same Love” in August of 2012. This song expresses his feeling towards gay relationships and gay marriage through lyrics that are rhythmic with a beat. The song almost sounds like spoken word, which is another form of poetry. As a rapper, he took a very bold move. Even though Macklemore isn’t a member of the gay community, he showed his support for the members of it through this song. Most people ask why he, as a rapper trying to make a name for himself, would write such a controversial song. Macklemore actually has two uncles that are gay and he has said in many interviews that the song was his way of fighting for his uncles “to be united by law” in marriage. The song grabbed national attention, and instantly put him in the spotlight. Giving him guest appearances on famous television shows like Ellen Degenerous. When gay marriage was also legalized in Washington state, after years of many reviews on bills for a law to be passed, people flooded the streets of Capitol Hill located in Seattle and they all started to sing the chorus of “Same Love” in celebration of being able marry their partners. Same Love still remains on the Billboard Hot 100 as of May 19, 2013 and will probably remain on there for more weeks after. Rap songs like “Missing You” and “Same Love” are very emotional, and expressive of feelings. Sure, at some point those songs will not be playing on the radio daily. But songs like that are the ones that will be remembered for forever in the music world simply because they contain the one important element of rap, poetry.

WORKS CITED
“25 Things Everyone Thinks About Hip Hop.” Complex Magazine. Complex Media. 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 15 May. <2013 http://www.complex.com/music/2012/11/25-things-everyone-thinks-about-hip-hop-but-nobody-will-say>
“Ace Hood Lyrics- Bugatti.” AZlyrics.com. 16 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 May 2013. < http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/acehood/bugatti.htm>
“Sugarhill Gang Rappers Delight Lyrics.” Lyricsondemand.com. 21 Sept. 2005. Web. 15 May. 2013. <http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/rappersdelightlyrics.html>

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