Rap music holds an interesting position in our culture in terms of artistic and popular criticism. For many intellectuals, rap music is either perplexing, idiotic, or both. There are a number of reasons for this, many generational, sociological, or psychological. I’d like to draw out a few of my thoughts on what rap music is and what it means. It wouldn’t surprise me if many of these ideas have been discussed before, but I must plead ignorance to most writings on rap music criticism.
Rap music, unlike other music genres, is inextricably tied to the artist’s real identity. And while pop and rock groups often cultivate artificial identities (see Lady Gaga, Motley Crue), any indication that a rapper has misrepresented who he is decreases the quality of his music. For instance, if it turned out Jay-Z was not from the Marcy Projects, and instead from a wealthy suburb, virtually all of his music would immediately be rendered terrible. In juxtaposition, a variation in the biography of virtually every rock or classical musician I listen to would have little or no effect on my enjoyment of their music. This is not a criticism of rap music, but an example to point out the unique way in which identity informs aesthetic quality in rap music. In pop music, we understand that Britney Spears or The Backstreet Boys are cultivating a false identity – we accept it as the nature of the genre. In classical music, the music almost completely stands alone and is rarely informed by indirect information.
Now, what is the nature of identity as it applies to rap music? Generally, the better the rapper, the more we know about who they are, how they think, and how they’ve evolved. The average rap fan knows everything about where Jay-Z’s from, Eminem’s family, Tupac’s social struggles, etc. Once we as fans understand their identity, we understand their music. We see where every shift in perspective fits into their big-picture development as a human being. That’s why it is so difficult for non-rap fans to even understand what is going on in much of rap – without a certain amount of understanding of the history of rap, the socio-cultural dynamics between rap individuals, and an artist’s underlying motivations, numerous songs are virtually unintelligible or without meaning.
What is the rap identity? The rap identity is the modern version of the American dream: rags to riches, overcoming adversity, the triumph of the individual over his circumstances. The experience for the listener is two-fold: (1) they view the artist as an object of admiration (the underdog overachieving) and (2) they view themselves as the artist and experience what it is like to be in their position.
This is why rap has certain unique features that rarely, if ever, take place in other genres: rap “dis tracks” and constant guest performances on one another’s records. Rap “dis tracks” are essentially the clash of identities between two rappers. They are going to use music as a way to express why their identity is more genuine and actualized while their opponent is not legitimately representing who they are. Guest performances, which rarely make sense in rock music, are commonplace in rap because it gives each artist a chance to present variations on their identity through the overall theme of the song.
Granted, most of this discussion only applies to rappers who are consistently popular and influential throughout their rap career i.e. good rappers. One-hit wonders of rap come and go because they haven’t understood these concepts. Their songs are not an expression of their identity but instead capture an external feeling. This can work in the short-term, but they will not have long-term success because the listener has not connected with them individually – they have connected with a rhythm and theme that exists outside of the nature of the rapper.
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