YOU HAVE LEARNT ABOUT URBAN TRIBES AND URBAN ART.
NOW, LET'S LEARN ABOUT MUSIC.
IS THERE ANYTHING MORE URBAN THAN RAP AND HIP-HOP? READ AND JUST GO WITH THE FLOW!
TASK 1- READ ABOUT THE HISTORY OF RAP MUSIC AND WRITE A SHORT GROUP SUMMARY (NO MORE THAN 5 LINES)
History of Rap Music
More than a century before rap exploded onto the American music scene, West African musicians were telling stories rhythmically, with just the beat of a drum for accompaniment. Meanwhile, folk artists from the Caribbean Islands were also telling stories in rhyme. Indeed, these singing poets from Africa and the Caribbean lay the foundation for modern-day American rap music.
Rapping essentially involves the speaking or chanting of rhyming lyrics, often set to a beat. The rhyming created by rappers is considered by many to be one of the most sophisticated styles of poetry. What’s more, these rhymes often address provocative subjects such as sex, violence and socio-political issues.
Rapping first gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1970s as a kind of street art, especially among African American teenagers. But it wasn’t until 1979, when the Sugarhill Gang released their breakaway hit, ‘Rapper’s Delight, that record producers took notice of this emerging musical genre. once they did, numerous rap acts, including Run-DMC and N.W.A., surfaced, and rap’s audience began to swell. It wasn’t just African American male rappers getting in on the act, either: By the 1980s, white rap bands such as the Beastie Boys and female rap bands such as Salt-n-Pepa were reaching the top of the charts.
By the 1990s, rap matured from an old-school-style – which was based on relatively simple lyrics – to a new-school-style, which was louder and included more complex lyrics. Artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg and Tupac ruled the charts during this time, as did Eminem – one of the most popular white rappers of all time.
Rap has stood the test of time and its popularity rages on with today’s artists such as 50 Cent, Ludacris and Jay-Z churning out hit after thought-provoking hit. The beat truly does go on.
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TASK 2- RHYME AND RHYTHM Rap is rhythm, rap is rhyming, rap can be poetry. Watch a video of JAY-Z explaining about rap and poetry, then watch the PPT presentation to learn the basics about how to rhyme. Next, watch the three videos we have uploaded. (Check out the attached document with the lyrics for the parts that are hard to understand). In the first one, you have Will Smith's rap 'The fresh prince of Bel Air'. Do you think you could sing the song?Try it. In the second one, you have Alicia Keys' and Jay Z's song 'Empire State of mind'. The third video is the trailer of the film "8 miles" starred by the rapper Eminen and placed in the city of Detroit. In the three videos the singers talk about their lives in their cities. We hope the songs have inspired you because...it is your turn now to write your own rap/hip-hop song about your city. Each member should write at least one paragraph of the song and... rap it. 1. Write the lyrics on the document with the rest of the activities. 2. Record your rap AT HOME. We will watch your wonderful performances in class. Here you have a very good webpage which will help you with your rhymes and your rhythms. www.flocabulary.com/hiphopmetaphors/ |
rap.pptx | |
File Size: | 1650 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
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the_fresth_prince_of_bel_air_lyrics.rtf | |
File Size: | 312 kb |
File Type: | rtf |
empire_state_of_mind_lyrics.rtf | |
File Size: | 1255 kb |
File Type: | rtf |
If you have time and need more inspiration, wath this video about the evolution of hip- Hop