RAP vs HIP HOP... WHO WINS THE BATTLE?
by LINQUEMUSIC
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 20, 2007
From what I can recollect, people were so afraid of blacks. They shunned away from us when we were in their neighborhoods. They couldn’t help but to clutch their purses and brace themselves as we walked passed them. Our representation on the tube and in motion pictures was a direct reflection of how different races considered us ignorant and dangerous. Even when it came to music, we still didn’t get our props. I remember hearing from my father about how black recording artists, back in the days, had to enter the venues through the backdoor. It felt as though black people were considered less than. It was a very unsettling time for our race.
Music was my solace. It catapulted me out of my everyday situations and brought me to this heaven where I was serenaded by the Choir of Angels. I loved it… I loved all of it, from R&B to funk, and from reggae to Rock. Hell, I even liked this Country song named “Elvira.” DJs were bringing you that heat constantly. The playlists were lengthy and pumping with big names as well as unknown artist. DJs consistently fed you the new joints. They always kept it fresh and new.
Then one day I heard something on the radio that was so different from all the other stuff I was hearing. It was great. People named “emcees” were flowing on beats like water. What really pulled me in was that these emcees looked and dressed like me and people that I knew. They were rhyming about things that I could relate to. They spoke about issues that were never expressed from our point of view. Hip Hop hit the streets the way crack did back in the days. It was the new craze. To me, in the beginning, Hip Hop and Rap were interchangeable. Due to the fact that record execs didn’t really understand Hip Hop, they signed what they thought was hot. This opened the doors to various types of styles. We had Dougie Fresh and Slick Rick, Dana Dane, Salt & Pepper, Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, Tribe Called Quest, Kool G Rap, LL Cool J, Run DMC and Jam Master Jay, MC Lyte, Brand Nubians, EPMD, Queen Latifah, Fresh Prince, etc. We even had Luke Skywalker to sex you out. Being different and establishing your own style was very important then.
So my question is… what happened? I think that Hip Hop going multi-platinum was very good and necessary, but I also think that the culture suffered because of it. All of a sudden, the record execs felt like they finally had the formula. It’s been pretty foolproof ever since. They just sign “an act” that sounds just like one that is already selling. It doesn’t seem to matter if “the act” blatantly steals another’s style. In fact, they are rewarded for it with millions of record sales. This, to me, marked the split between Hip Hop and Rap Music. Hip Hop is about the culture, the emcee, the lyricism, the innovators. Rap Music is about saying what you need to say to make money. Although, I’ve been known to move my ass to some Rap Music, I’m head over heels in love with Hip Hop. It is what it is. What bothers me the most is that there are far too many people that don’t know the difference. They can’t really tell who is an “emcee” and who is a “rapper.” It’s getting so bad that they can’t even tell who got skills and who doesn’t. Many are blinded by the bling and forget about that thing called talent. Unfortunately, you very seldom have artists that are lyricists who also possess the marketability for millions of record sales. That only comes around every once and a while so true Hip Hop heads are starving for some food for thought. Is it just a case of preference? Is it a generation thing? Is it pure ignorance? Is it about money? It’s RAP vs. HIP HOP and it’s the end of the twelfth round. Who do you think will win the battle?
-Written by LIN QUE. LIN QUE is one of Hip Hop’s Pioneers. You might remember her as ISIS when she was down with X Clan and The Blackwatch Movement. For more information on LIN QUE or her music, you can check out her MySpace at www.myspace.com/linquemusic
COMMENTS
hip hop will foreva be around....do u kno why?...like u sed its culture....its break dancin its the turntables its the one mic....and bein able to control a crowd...its not adlibs and gimmicks....its bein lyrical and creative......hiphop wins by tko
HIP-HOP 4 eva !!!!!
Hip Hop 4 Lyfe nucca
matt6288@hotmail.co.uk
abuse him
idk i think shes wrong on the emcee and rapper definition. alot of people would say emcee is someone who writes their music for a cause. a rapper is someone who reflects on experiences. emcee to me is slick rick, and rapper would be eazy-e. krs-one just said on the nike track emcee's write music to uplift their people rappers write lyrics that are illegal. something like that. theres nothing illegal about stuff like walk it out or lean with it rock with it. i wouldn't consider rap music in the definition she used. anyone saying what they need to say to get money is a pop artist to me. all pop artist make music thats just hit making. i think theres needs to be more labels of what people are.
i agree with her on her message and purpose tho.
2Pac/Biggie/Big L/Eazy E. Gangster Rap/Rap is the shit
i think we will see what happens with papoose who is a true lyricist with no gimmicks if he can sell records, im thinkin after he comes out all these dumb rappers will be out of buisness
I'm tired of hearing people say that Hip-Hop is simply about who can make words rhyme better. Just because somebody can make two words rhymes better than somebody else makes them a Hip-Hop legend? I honestly believe that Hip-Hop should focus on the impact artists' words have. If it were simply up to rhyming, 2PAC, NWA, SNOOP, and several others would not have a place in Hip-Hop. Focus on the meaning that artists words have in your life, not if they could rhyme one stupid word with another. Remember how lyrical Canibus was? Did he really have an impact on your life?
Rap and HIp-hop is the shit hip-hop made RAP
Lupe Fiasco is Hip-Hop
Hip Hop is the father of Rap. Biggie is Hip Hop, 50 Cent is rap. Hip Hop has lost it a little for one reason, this generation. This generation has corrupted it self and hip hop to form rap. Rap isn't really that hot, it just has better more catchy beats. Hip Hop has soul and realness. To me Hip Hop won in the first round, but rap has found its way to cheat and make its way to twelth round. Hip Hop isn't dead, its just taking a nap.
ReDef.
i think its the hoes thats got me........cause its not the money or lyrics
Hip hop is the culture. It's wat u wear, how u talk , how u act, etc.. Rap is just an little piece of Hip-Hop. Nas shouldn't of said Hip Hop is dead, he should of said rap is dead.
mjof go home never come back again motherfucker
Having grown up with hip hop, its amazing to see its transformations & effects it has on our everyday lives.Unfortunatly I think the disconnect w/hip hop & rap, comes from the condition we live in today. When hip hop first started, we all were broke, in the ghetto,just struggling to get by. So the music had a common reflection we all could relate too. Then when those that could moved out of the city & went to the suburbs and hip hop changed to express the new things life presented us with. But today I think the gap between the haves & have nots has grown so much that its causing the same division of rap vs. hip hop. Rap is still "ghetto music"-reflecting the struggles of such & "hip hop"-is the art of story telling,intraspective thoughts & rationalizations. You can't have one with out the other. Everything has its seasons & reasons, and right now rap sells, & hip hop is slowly but surely making a comeback..hell even Jay-Z is trying to rap about something other than bling. Hip hop will always have a place in our lives, it is our lives...
its a sad day when we have to distinguish the diffrence between hip hop n rap
drazilistic shut the fuck up u fake ass philospher... suck a dick with aids on the tip
^^^^^^Why dipset niggas quoteing Beanie Segal:"eat a dick with aids on the tip". Get ur own fuckin lyrics. O my bad yall whack ass niggas ain't got no lyrics.
Gelshino hop off my dick nigga. WAT THE FUCK IS A GELSHINO? SMACK THE SHIT OUT UR MOM FOR NAMIN U THAT. Nigga's name sound like a Pokemon.
^^^^ nigga wont u get of hov dick he say he the mic jordan of... n u wanna name ur self mjofthemic.... u the shawn bradely of the mic nigga
Ya dumb mothafuckas...hip-hop has 4 sides...MCing(rap),breakdance,turntablism and graffiti
Rap is inside Hip-hop DAMN...so hip-hop doesn't raps capiche
Byrd Gang? Come on my dude. I can't take you serious wit a name like that. The name makes sense though, YALL A GANG OF BIRD ASS NIGGAS. LMFAO
get off my dick mj
U ain't nobody important nigga, im not on your dick. U a lil nigga, i ain't wastin my time on you.
dipset is the biggest set of swagger jackers ever in the rap even more than jay z and ja rule put to together and the niggaz wear pink and purple and the there leader ran and the second in command got beat up and on there own block so byrd gang back down lil nigga you cant defiend no matter wat you say.
u already kno its dat hip hop
byrd head, I mean byrd gang get off these nuts. Don't be mad cuz you don't know who your daddy is, you pigeon.
SEEMS TO ME IF YOU TURN ON TV RAP IS WINNING BY A LAND SLIDE
DIPSET RUN DIS SHIT NIGGAZ WE GET DAT GUAP IN HARLEM KILLA DA DON NIGGAZ NICE ON DA MIC NIGGAZ WE GOT DA STREETZ ON LOCK YA DIG HARLEM ALL FUCKIN DAY FUCK THE ROC MY BAD THE COCK AND TRU WIFE AND GAY Z AND MEMPHIS WEAK, DIPSET ALL DAY
ISN'T RAP AND R AND B LIKE MEMBERS OF HIP HOP
God Damnit Pookie74- why u a lways gotta show up with all that dipset bullshit- them dudes "my bad" them pussies aint about shit- Cam trash Jimmy trash Hell Rell trash JR a bitch.... its the same for that WHOLE camp or so called "gang"- thay all trash- Y u think Nas aint waste his time dissin them kids? they aint worth the time- Dipset talkin shit bout someone is like a little kid calling u a bitch- it dont mean shit because they're that much smaller than u- its nothin but a cry for attention- JUST LIKE UR COMENTS-
It is sad to say, but hip hop is not dead yet, but it is on its way out. Once rappers started making millions, they started talking about money, cars, and jewelry. And that is what started the death of hip hop. The average rap listener does not make anywhere close to what these rappers are making, so therefore, we can't relate to the music. Hip hop is all about relating to the people, and as soon as that connection was lost, hip hop begins to deteriorate. Fortunately, we still have rappers like Jay - Z, Nas, Snoop, Quik, etc., that continuously make and sale music due to the fact that they don't only brag about how much money they have. Don't get me wrong, the rappers that I mentioned do have a lot of doe, and they do talk about it from time to time. But the only difference is that they also talk about a wide range of other topics. They also give the listener game on how to make themselves successful. To be honest hip hop is not dead yet, but it's these new rappers coming in the game with their bull shit one hit wonders who are saturating the game.
Keep It Crackin Entertainment LLC.
P.S.
You people can say what you want to say and think what you want but we know that their are only two rappers that are farley new to the industry as far as solo artist that deserve respect due their hard work and lyricism. I shouldn’t have to mention their names because all of you know who they are. (The Game & Lil Wayne) And if you disagree, your opinion is not valid.
I usually ignore most stupidity here (as I have better things to be doing) but that last statement by Kingnation is some of the most inane garbage I have ever seen.
Only The Game and Lil Wayne are the only new artists to be respected? Where do some of you get this shit? Hard work and lyricism? What?
The Game literally raps about nothing but California, Dr.Dre, 1964 Chevy Impalas, and other classic rappers (Ice Cube, Tupac, B.I.G) 95% of the time.
Whereas we haven't even confirmed that Lil Wayne hasn't had a ghostwriter for the past 2 years.(which coincidentally, are the two years he became hot and well-known)
He says some of the stupidest, basic things in his rhymes, and for some reason, people like you think it's hot.
Also... Lil Wayne has been signed since he was 11 YEARS OLD. He isn't "fairly new" to ANYTHING. He's just fairly new to YOU, because you weren't paying any attention to him for his FIRST FIVE albums.
The Game as well has been around since 1999. You need some knowledge, son. Why is it that you only know about these mainstream cornballs, but nothing about
Kidz In the Hall
Little Brother
Naledge
Termanology
? Eh?
You BET watching Hip-Hop fans KILL me.
haha, the directly above post is hilarious... i love it!!
Full metal!
I knew an idiot would make a comment like that. When I said fairly new to the industry, I meant it in terms of notoriety. Yes, true listeners like me and you new they were signed and had albums but the average listener didn't, dumb ass. And since you don't agree that they are the new artist that should be respected ("in terms of notoriety") what new artists in the game do you think deserve respect. Probably Jeezy, T.I., lupe, or B.G., like all of these other losers.
^ I just taught you everything you know.
i felt this article2a T cuz thats basically how i feel. waaaaaay2much rap n not enough hip hop. there is sum hip hop that manages2make it thru the mainstream crack, but as soon as people realize wha's happenin, they shove niggas like lupe n talib right back in2that underground basement they've been in. hip hop has gotta come back. 4the sake of everything ill
Why does every forum turn into an Anti-Dipset rally? Totally straying from the topic at hand... Anyway, I agree with this article... Word.
Why you ask? Simply because some idiot comes in and says something along the lines of:
"FUCK UR FAV RAP GROUP,DIPSET BYRDGANG ALL DAY BALLLINN!"
Yeah, that's usually why.
Dumb ass niggaz these dayz, anywayz hip to da hop all dey ROC bitches fuck pookie and da byrd gang
from the beginning hiphop always had a commercial side to it.going back to sugar hill versus underground cats like cold crush treacherous three etc.The problem is we as black people let others define to us whats poppin in every facet of life.The clothes,jewelry,car etc.Until we take control of our lives and destiny it will always be like that.There will always be poverty pimps and corporate vultures and until the many millionaire blacks start pooling their monies togther and start developing their own radio stations newspapers,tv shows etc. then it will always be like that power respects power and black people dont exhibit any unified power too busy flossing.
yo hip hop is cool, but hip hop is the past, music now is about bangin beats and flo, rap is the shit!!! RAP OVER HIP-HOP!!!! most niggas who do hip hop is broke!!!
RAP is #1
This is for "thatboydope" list of broke hip hop artist are as follow.
Nas,Common,and i shouldn't have to go on to prove my point.These are just two of hip hops best artist that are far from broke.As for this story i feel that hip hop is never going to be able to make a come back because these kids nowadays don't have a understanding of life.Most of them don't go to school anyway they stand out on corners and watch there lives go right by them.They can only relate to artist that sound just like them and thats sad.Hip hop artist are to deep for them to understand where there coming from words are to big so it just goes over there heads.Just look at cd sales now who is saling good most likely its the artist that sounds like he has never been to school a day in his life.Age doesn't have anything to do with who's hot and who's not.Me myself i rather listen to a artist that can tell me something different on every track other then someone that talks about there car and rims and how many gold teeth they have.The way the music is going today there will not be any classic cds 10 years from now.10 years from now if you hear a jeezy song on the radio it will not be something you say "yo that nigga was fire back then"And same goes for 50.Music has changed and its not for the better and thats bad.It's almost like where going back into time these artist are fuckin up everything that was good about hip hop.We came along way from the white people looking at us as just stupid black people that just kill eachother and sale drugs.But the way things are going now there looking at us that way all over again.And the reason is because we have all these artist beefin when theres more then enough to go around.Its going to come to a point one day where you will not see rap or hip hop any where it will be gone one day because these music companys are going to stop investing there money into the music.When you have all kind of artist rapping about the same bullshit on every song they get on thats bad marketing.And thats what rap music is right now there's no one artist that really sticks out from the rest,Everyone is rapping the same song the only different is they might change the flow or change one or two words but they all sound the same and talk about the same thing.So with that i also say hip hop is dead but rap has come up but for how long,Idiot music can't last that long i think and then where will we be.
For "Fullmetal"
Thanxs for that one there,I was thinking maybe i was lost.Game and Lil wayne homie has a real bad case of sleeping ears.How could he say some shit like that.But you hit it on the head with your comment about game and lil wayne.
rap is in the south and hip hop iz in the mid west yaw jus dont no it
it seems lyke ne one can b a hip hop star, makin dumb songs!!!
no disrespect to ne one, but people can make songz bout ne thing theze dayz!!!
i preferably think rap iz better
LUPE FIASCO IS HIP-HOP'S SAVIOR
OH AND LITTLE BROTHER!
Without hip hop there would be no rap.
Peace Family
Hip Hop vs. Rap? No contest.
Definitions:
- MC: One who is a Mic Controller or a Master of Ceremonies and has the ability to rock a live crowd while rhyming over beats, typically laid down by a DJ. An MC expresses one of the four basic elements of Hip Hop Culture (DJing, MCing, Breaking and Writing(Grafitti).
- Rapper: One who talks in a syncopated fashion.
An MC is, by default, a rapper. A rapper is not necessarily an MC.
Now, Hip Hop Culture and the Rap Music Industry are not the same. The MC thrives in his or her culture. The rapper thrives in the industry. Asking these two very different entities to battle is like asking Muhammad Ali to do battle with The Rock. Ali thrived in the sweet science of boxing because of his spiritual connectedness and his willingness to allow God to work through him in and out of the ring. The Rock thrived in the manufactured and micro-managed world of entertainment Wrestling because of industry directives and brilliant marketing schemes. If these two actually had gotten in the boxing ring, Ali would destroy The Rock. If you stage a corny "wrestling" match with all the staged production, then The Rock would have the advantage.
My point is, the Rap Music Industry promotes a bastardized version of one element of Hip Hop Culture. Look at the history of popular music. Commercial country music is nothing like the reality-based hard times music of the poor Southerner. Commercial Jazz is nothing like the great works generated by Be-Bop's practitioners, i.e. Charlie Parker. Commercial R&B is nothing like the original. See a pattern here?
Side note: Even "professional" wrestling is a bastardized version of real high-school and college wrestling.
When rap first appeared on MTV and BET, they didn't call it Hip Hop or MCing. They called it Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City. Over time, the industry co-opted the name "Hip Hop" to refer to their assembly-line rappers.
The grand difference with Hip Hop Culture is that all over the world, the YOUTH are thirsting for and practicing the four basic elements of Hip Hop Culture, which means that the culture has a solid foundation. I predict that the Rap Music Industry will be INTENTIONALLY destroyed in order to make way for a new bastardization, which leaves us with what we already had. Our own Hip Hop Culture.
Hip Hop was and always will be The Champ.
Peace.
A-tone, the Hip Hop Historian
Classic Hip Hop Radio
http://www.classichiphopllc.com/radio.html
866-832-2756 (requests/drops)
Too be honest, I have love for both sides of the industry.
I don't know how yall can hate on these guys for making money.
They doin their thing and making music for their fans.
If you don't enjoy it, don't cop it. Easy.
What people should be focused on is pushing the music with a message to the forefront of the industry and gettin artists who deserve recognition, the due they deserve.
IT JUST NEW YORK, HATING BECAUSE THE SOUTH HAS CHANGE THE GAME, HIP HOP DEAD IS NOT DEAD IT JUST WANTED TO LIVE IN THE SOUTH AND TAKE A WEST COAST VACATION, DID WE CRY I MEAN THE SOUTH, WHEN OUTKAST GOT BOOED AT THE SOURCE AWARDS, NO WE KEPT GRIDING WE MAKE MORE MONEY IN THE SOUTH, BY STAYING AS ONE, WHEN WE COULD NOT GET THE EAST COAST TO PLAY OUR SHIT, OR BET TO PLAY OUR VIDEOS, WE JUST KEEP IT SOUTHERN GOT IT THE INDY WAY, NOW LOOK AT THE RAP GAME EAST COAST NIGGAZ WANNA GO THE INDY ROTE NOW, GET SOUTHERN NIGGAZ ON THERE SONGS AND SHIT, SNEAK DISSIN, STEALING OUR MUSIC, LIKE THAT MIMS BULL SHIT, THATS A DIRTY SOUTH SONG, EVEN EAST COAST CATS DONT LIKE DAT SONG, NOW THATS STEALING FORM UNDER THE TABLE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY BLAME IT ON DFL, DFB AND FOR KILLING HIP HOP, NAW JUST KILLING EAST COAST SALES, JAY-Z THE KING OF NEW YORK, AND HE FUCKS WITH THE SOUTH JUST LOOK AT HIS GIRL SHE IS FROM THE SOUTH, EVEN HE KNOW THAT NEW YORK RECORDS SALES ARE WASH UP, WHEN WAS YALL LAST PLATINUM PARTY, 2005 OR 04 BESIDE JAY-Z, AND 50 CENT, THATS WHY YALL WHAT TO GO BACK TO THE 80'S WHERE GOING GOLD WAS THE SHIT, HA-HA, HATE IT OR LOVE IT THE SOUTH AND THE WEST COAST IS ON TOP, OR SHOULD I SAY NEW-FLOP, SON... PS GET IN THAT CHIPER CIRCLE AND SAY "YO SON, WE CANT SALE SON, U FEEL ME DON, JUST FACE IT NEW YORK BETTER YET NEW FLOP IS DONE," HA-HA,
now i aint be hatin but u all niggas be trippen if ya think dat hip hop is better den rap cuz rap iz da SHIT mutha fuka an i mean dat on sum real cut throat shit!
matador hero. yo canibus was and still is ILL. fuck wat u thought
ok ok i say just keep rap and hip hop in two categories like rock n punk
hip hop is not going no were what the fuck
yes hip-hop is diffrent then rap but hip hop isent exactly how she put it isent like R&B hip hop is in beetween Rap and R&B when u really think about it i dont know about all of u but its true and if u agree witt me say so