If you know me personally, then it may shock you to know I like rap. To say I’m an avid rap listener, however, would be an overstatement. I dabble. My interest in rap started December of 2019, furthering itself during summer of 2020, actually (quarantine was honestly a great time for my music taste). So you could say I’m newer to the genre, but I think I’ve found some amazing artists. I used to only think of rap as workout music, something to build your adrenaline. Truth is, you can enjoy the genre even when you’re not in the middle of a tough workout.
So like always, let’s start with some background. Rap is a genre of music that stems off Hip-Hop. People often link the two, however, think of Hip-Hop as more of the “culture” rather than the genre. That’s the largest difference between them. Rap can best be defined as a mix of rhyme and rhythmic speaking. It’s spoken poetry basically, like all songs are, but with nicer flow and less singing. However, artists have a wide range of what they consider speaking to singing. Artists such as Post Malone (although he himself does NOT like being called a “rap artist”), Future, and Drake definitely include vocals in their music, while artists such as 21 Savage and A$AP Rocky mainly stick to spoken flow.
Under the lyrics, is a beat, typically either from some sort of DJ, beat boxer, etc. It can honestly be whatever as long as there is a steady bass.
Songs I suggest you blast if you have good bass:
“Perry Aye” - A$AP Mob
“F**k Sleep” - A$AP Rocky
“FRANCHISE” - Travis Scott
“10 Freaky Girls” - Metro Boomin
“No Stylist” - French Montana
“MotorSport”- Migos
“Rockstar” -Post Malone (basically any song from him is fantastic in the car)
“Runnin” - 21 Savage
“Ric Flair Drip” - Offset
“GOSHA” $NOT
I can’t even express how important bass is. If I’m being honest, it’s probably why I got more into rap.
Anyway, now let’s talk about rap influence and themes. Rap is both very popular but also very unpopular. What I mean is that many people listen to rap, but many people also hate the genre and what it stands for. The commonly associated themes are a bit controversial, ranging in sensual topics, drug influence, explicit wording, money, etc. I can see how parents may not want their middle-schoolers listening to it. It’s my personal opinion that some rap should only be listened to by age appropriate audiences. That’s not to say these songs aren’t catchy, because they definitely are. Sometimes we just wanna listen to something with a good beat.
However, although a vast majority of rap may include these themes, there are many artists that choose to use their platform for more. A great example of this includes Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) and his song “This Is America.” Other themes include: growing up, death of a loved one, struggles in life, toxic society, conflict, life path, and more. Many themes of rap induce emotional and relatable feelings. It all depends on what artist or song you choose to listen to.
To wrap it up, go give rap a listen. I will be the first to say I used to have strong prejudice against the genre. But honestly, it has weirdly given me a sense of confidence and strength. So, use it for your workouts, or listen to it on your way to school, anything you want to do. I’ve discovered that having a wide variety of music in your life keeps things interesting.
I do need to apologize for my playlist though. It is heavily biased by my favorite artists. If you click on it, you’ll see what I mean.
Top tier in my book:
21 Savage
Metro Boomin
Travis Scott
Offset
A$AP Rocky (all the A$APs!)
Migos
Post Malone
Oh, and stream Savage Mode II. Morgan Freeman is on it.
Playlist: