Rap Lyrics Review Restricted

Considering all circumstances we decided to close existing rap forum and open new test one. Moderators there will be shaadow and SBU, and occasionally any of Moderating Team may visit to see how things go there.

About censorship. Of course, rap battle means battle, it can't be all nice and beautiful. But we want to see this part of forum not a junk yard, where cursing and sexual harassment flies from verse to verse. I've read several pieces here which were about politics, war and peace, money and globalism etc. They were sharp and in same time not offensive. Think about giving your verses to read to your mom or younger sister before posting. I can't think about another good criteria, but may be you can find it yourself.

and can I ask why am I not a moderator for this part of the forum? Heh. Almost offensive if you'd say!

Thanks Tania, I appreciate the decision to reopen this section in a cleaner form.

I take it that battle content can still be pseudo-hostile, playfully insulting one's opponent.. so long as conduct is respectful in discussion outside of verse..?

I'd be happy to accept the role of a mod of this section, provided that you find my interpretation of the rules to be acceptable. if ever you feel that things are becoming too offensive in your opinion, please let me know and hopefully we can avoid another closure.

Originally Posted by HomeGrownProduction

and can I ask why am I not a moderator for this part of the forum? Heh. Almost offensive if you'd say!

I decided that 2-3 moderators were enough for one subforum. If community wants more moderators - suggest it to existing mods. You may make a poll and select the wisest.

Originally Posted by _SBU

I take it that battle content can still be pseudo-hostile, playfully insulting one's opponent.. so long as conduct is respectful in discussion outside of verse..?

Yes, only we'd like to see the improved quality of these insults - not merely abusing and swearing, till half of the post turns to *** - such content makes neither sense nor honor for the forum.

and you have rookies as seniors members? wtffff. West G Y.M.C.M.B is not a senior.

Originally Posted by HomeGrownProduction

and you have rookies as seniors members? wtffff. West G Y.M.C.M.B is not a senior.

Submitting 100 posts makes your title "Senior Member" WesT G BwoY Y.M.C.M.B has made 104 posts.

Weakkkkkkkkk.

@Tania ATL - really appreciate that you've decided to re-open this section. I was here as CheesyBacon before and I've missed this place since it went down.

Dear Tania or Moderators,

We need help from the Rap section for our international group in the General Discussions area.
Who would you suggest from the Rap section to lay out the basic styles of music that have descended from R&B?
We'd like to be brought up-to-date and have brief, accurate information about the genre.

All that would be needed would be to name the styles, if possible, as they developed historically/chronologically. If music videos could be provided for the major categories (rap, hip-hop, funk, etc.) this would be very educational!

OR . . . If there is a link that names these music styles as they've developed, that would be fine too--as long as it is clear, direct, and easy to understand. Not everyone is easily fluent in English, so the text could not be too detailed. I have been unable to locate such a link on my own.

Personally, I would love to be educated on this. I think I could tell the difference between rap and hip-hop, but then again . . . maybe not! A question came up on a casual thread (General Discussion), indicating other members seemed a little confused too.

I think most of us understand the roots of R&B in general: African Music > Field Music/Work Songs > Old Gospel > Blues > R&B > Soul > Motown. The major categories from there on up to the present time are what we need to know, as they developed (by name) up to present day.

Do you know of someone who would like to help--someone with a love of R&B/Soul and wanting to help others with basic education?

Please educate us in a simple, direct, succinct way, using PG or PG-13 choice of music videos!

I hope this is not too much to ask . . . I couldn't find where to appropriately post my request. The Rap section seemed for posting lyrics only.

Hi Frankie.
I'm not really well placed to answer your question properly as I'm no expert on R&B and I'm not very interested in genre classification, I'd suggest this as a possible continuation of your timeline though..
motown > hip hop > trip hop
motown > hip hop > contemporary r&b > garage > crunk > grime > dubstep.

Hopefully someone else will improve on that and provide examples and brief descriptions, if not then I'll see if I can find a decent link. I think it'd have to be a tree instead of a single timeline. also I think R&B probably influenced dancehall and those which come after it, although obviously they mostly grew out of reggae.

Thank you much for your continuing timeline.

Yes, more would need to be added because Rap itself as a spin-off or separate genre would be a major player in the mix.

Perhaps I am viewing it more from an American point-of-view, because I consider reggae and Bahamian music as separate from the historical line I was thinking of. Yes, indeed, including other areas of the world where African music was taken along and new music types developed, that WOULD MAKE A TREE!!!

Perhaps for the sake of this particular request, we could limit it to African > African-American music > Field/Work music > Old Gospel, etc.

you're welcome. sorry I can't be more help.
debateably 'rap' could be included as well as hip hop, personally I wouldnt do that though.

to my knowledge, the term 'rap' is either synonymous with 'hip hop' or a distinction is made with 'rap' being the linguistic aspect of the genre 'hip hop' and not a seperate equivalent genre (although it's easy to see how that difference could be perceived as musically biased or well rounded 'hiphop' genre and vocally biased 'rap' genre.)
some sources would cite rap as being the musical genre within the wider cultural setting 'hiphop' which incorporates graffiti art, breakdance and uprock, parkour etc.) others would use rap as a demeaning term for more commercial or less 'real', less grounded or less passionate hip hop. personally I do not see that difference as constituting seperate and distinct genres.

Thank you for your input _SBU. I think you said it best when you referred to African (and probably many types of music) as feathering out more into a "tree" than a mere "branch"! Very well said! The answers are probably more complex and more debateable than I ever realized. I was expecting it could be broken down simply for the average person (like me)! I've done a little personal research on the earlier original forms of African-American music descent, but not including the past 60 years or so. (Although I have had the pleasure of enjoying all the "descendent" music types, I'm not well educated about the sub-genres--only broadly, such as R&B, soul, funk, rap, etc.!)

Unless someone has a simple, easy, "lineage" (that wouldn't develop into a big tree! Ha! love that symbolism ), perhaps I should let sleeping dogs lie, without interruption! I can see that the "answer" is not as easy as I had imagined; I would not want a debate to develop or for it to become so technical that members would be bored.

Your input and your response is very much appreciated! The things you related above help me to realize that so much more is involved than lyrics & music--that dance and other cultural things (e.g., graffiti art) are also involved. Again, this involves more cultural complexity than I ever dreamed of. Thank you very much for expressing yourself, throwing more light onto the richness/complexity of music forms as they developed from original African roots.

Originally Posted by Frankie Jasmine

Thank you for your input _SBU. I think you said it best when you referred to African (and probably many types of music) as feathering out more into a "tree" than a mere "branch"! Very well said! The answers are probably more complex and more debateable than I ever realized. I was expecting it could be broken down simply for the average person (like me)! I've done a little personal research on the earlier original forms of African-American music descent, but not including the past 60 years or so. (Although I have had the pleasure of enjoying all the "descendent" music types, I'm not well educated about the sub-genres--only broadly, such as R&B, soul, funk, rap, etc.!)

Unless someone has a simple, easy, "lineage" (that wouldn't develop into a big tree! Ha! love that symbolism ), perhaps I should let sleeping dogs lie, without interruption! I can see that the "answer" is not as easy as I had imagined; I would not want a debate to develop or for it to become so technical that members would be bored.

Your input and your response is very much appreciated! The things you related above help me to realize that so much more is involved than lyrics & music--that dance and other cultural things (e.g., graffiti art) are also involved. Again, this involves more cultural complexity than I ever dreamed of. Thank you very much for expressing yourself, throwing more light onto the richness/complexity of music forms as they developed from original African roots.

As well as the African-American roots of the music, one cannot forget that rap/hip-hop is primarily recognizable by the vocal rhythms produced by the lyrics. So, as well as having the background of the music to which one raps to; you also have the background of the vocals which are rapped over the "beats" or "instrumentals". Such lyrical roots are actually traceable from classic poetry. For example, the rhythmic meters that poems are written to emphasize the 'stressing' of particular syllables, just as rappers will do in their lyrics to bring attention to rhyme schemes or particular phrases. This is, of course, most noticeable in poems that follow certain metric scales closely as opposed to post-1900 works, which tend to move more into abstraction and away from poetical 'rules'.

Also, in early "old skool" rap you can see an influence from nursery rhyme.. this is best expressed with an example from Fatback Band's 1979 song "King Tim III (Personality Jock)". See if you can recognize the "Row, row, row your boat" rhythm:

Roll, roll, roll your joint.
Twist it at the ends.
You light it up, you take a puff,
And then you pass it to your friends.

Venomology: Thank you for speaking in terms I can comprehend. Your words add to my knowledge and give me something relateable. You're absolutely right about poetry--I can see that now. The voice itself (in rap) becomes rather a percussion/musical instrument---like a piano! to take center stage. Interesting thought about nursery rhymes; that had never occurred to me because I'd never thought of rap as simplistic. It sounds as though (perhaps) in its beginnings it could have been in some cases; yet I feel the ethnic (musical heritage, or whatever) component is also there, giving rap some depth in its musicality too.

I do not disagree with you at all; I'm "adding to." And making observations.

Thanks so much for your input--it enlightened me.

I play piano
I think of 'rap' lyrics a tad more masculine though, resembling a bass instrument

SMOOTHTUNG: Yeah, I agree about the bass being a good percussion/musical instrument to represent rap. Sharp of you to come up with. It especially resonates the male voice.

Now I offer for your edification and Venomology's a piano version, just to save face:


[X3i9fw2emyw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3i9fw2emyw&list=UUmoObV0lN8d4OWM--3HAAyA&index=18&feature=plcp[/video]

Thank you Frankie that's awsome ^ ill be writing to that beat in my head for the next day or two. Just for curiosity Is there any chance you can find one in a major key? I'd obviously have to be an up-beat, beat (no pun intended)

Smoothtung, there are lots. Follow tha link to You Tube main channel--lots to choose from. (I was trying to find one sounding more masculine, and this one did to me!). But this guy has much to choose from, with variety mixes, not all piano:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Inhalati?feature=watch