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mtume ya salaam - aesthetics of rap lyrics

after reading many articles supposedly concerning rap music-about the social aspects of rap music, the criminal elements in rap music, the lawsuits caused by rap music, sampling in rap music, gossip concerning rap musicians, how other musicians feel about rap music, etc.-i realized that i had yet to read about the mtisic itself. in other words, i had not read about the “aesthetics” of rap, about the qualities which made particular examples of rap music good music-not necessarily good rap music, but simply good music

good art is distinguished because it possesses at least one and usually more than one-attribute such as sincerity, originality, honesty, or creativity. good art is usually emotionally involving and/or thought-provoking. these, i believe, are attributes that almost all “good” art shares. while many rap records possess these attributes, far more do not. this is true with most art forms, however. in general, unsuccessful artistic productions far outnumber successful ones

to discuss and critique any subject intelligently requires both adequate knowledge of that subject and the ability to ill-strate that knowledge. the ability to distinguish, qualitatively, between good and bad rap music requires sufficient knowledge about a variety of rap music, past and present, popular and less well known

the majority of articles regarding rap music are written by music critics, or-far too often-social or political personalities who are not knowledgeable enough to be involved in a serious discussion about rap music. rap music, it seems, is not considered worthy of serious, learned discussion. to those who actually understand the music, though, rap is a true art form-as much so as jazz, cl-ssical, rhythm and blues, or rock ‘n’ roll. i bought my first album, run-d.m.c.’s self-t-tled debut, in 1983, when i was 13 years old. i grew up in a household dominated
by the arts-most prominently, the art of recorded music. my father was a jazz and pop music critic by trade. i didn’t know it at the time, but my father’s job gave me the predilection for listening to music both casually and critically. even though i can now appreciate the breadth of my father’s mostly non-rap and seemingly endless lp collection, until approximately 1989 i listened to rap music almost exclusively. i saw jazz, r&b, reggae, and the other musical forms that my father enjoyed as his music; and until 1989 or so, i saw rap music as mine

around 1989, there was a significant and negative change in the artistic direction of rap music. the major record labels began to see the commercial potential for rap music and began signing rapper after rapper without regard to artistic integrity or originality. the music, of course, suffered from this lack of selectivity

rap music was first recorded on independent labels, and the independents did not, in general, sign unoriginal or otherwise inferior artists because they had a much smaller margin for error than did the major labels. the indies needed virtually every record they released, if not to become a huge hit, at least to sell well enough not to cost them money. one way the independents could ensure this, in the early days of rap, was simply to sign and record the best rappers they could find. at the time, the audience for rap music was such that quality, hard-core (i.e., non-commercial) material was generally more successful than less artistically inclined material

the second reason the indies avoided signing inferior rappers was that they depended on the quality of their artists’ recordings to establish their overall reputation. initially,a rap fan could buy any release from such independent rap labels as sleeping bag/fresh, def jam, cold chillin’, tuff city, tommy boy, next plateau, or profile and be -ssured of hearing a decent, if not always indispensable record. as a generalization, signing too many commercial or just plain bad rappers, by -ssociation, would slow the sales of all of that independent’s releases, and so the general quality of recorded rap music in the early and mid-’80s remained high

when the profit-oriented major labels entered the rap scene, however, this fertile breeding ground for good rappers disappeared. not only did the majors sign many rappers whose sk!lls weren’t up to par, the big labels also lured many of the best rappers from the indies with contracts that the indies couldn’t match. at the same time, many independents were bought out, either in whole or in part, by the majors. unlike the smaller companies, the big record companies could afford to release record after record of commercially inclined music without regard to artistic integrity. this practice drastically slowed the artistic development of rap music

adhering to the business ethic of most major labels often stunts a musician’s artistic-while encouraging his commercial-growth. big labels see artists who take chances musically as risks, since chance-taking necessarily produces at least as many commercial failures as successes. no major label will knowingly encourage the possibility commercial failure. therefore, the majors want little to do with the experimentation necessary to create quality art. why sign a potential, if not yet accomplished artist, the corporate way of thinking goes, when one can sign an entertainer-a person whose primary goal is monetary rather than artistic success?

this “business first” att-tude has contributed to (some would say created) what has become the single biggest threat to the continued development of rap music as an art form-the preoccupation by many rappers with s-x and violence. the explosion of s-xually and violently explicit lyrics, and the subgenre such lyrics create (i.e., “gangsta” rap), occurred soon after the major labels got into the rap business. the major labels created an environment in which a rapper’s main focus became money, not music, and what is the best way for a rapper to make money in a society in which s-x and violence sell? to rap about s-x and violence

not long ago, a rapper’s sk!lls and creativity dictated the direction of the music. the music didn’t change, the environment changed. as the music grew more popular, it became open to mainstream influences. other forms of american entertainment exemplify these influences. the number one movie in america is usually either a violent “shoot-em up” or a s-x-filled “love” story or thriller. the best-seller list is usually dominated by the same type of material. the majority of rap artists today are simply doing the same thing that mainstream movie stars, popular music stars, and novelists have been doing for years-giving the people what they have been conditioned to “want.”

most rap artists who flourished in the early and mid-’80s (all of whom recorded for independent labels-for example, run-d.m.c., mantronix, ultramagnetic m.c.’s, and, a little later, eric b. & rakim) rarely, if ever, depended on s-xually explicit or violent lyrics to succeed commercially, although such lyrics sometimes appeared in rap before the advent of the major labels’ influence. artists such as schoolly-d, too short, ice-t, and n.w.a. all started out on independent labels, and all included s-xually or violently explicit lyrics on their recordings. the difference between the above rappers and today’s scores of “gangsta” rappers, however, is that the earlier rappers were also original and inventive. there was a level of creativity in the earlier rap music that is lacking in almost all of today’s “gangsta” rap recordings. the vast majority of today’s “gangsta” rappers are, at the systemic urging of record companies big and small, simply copying copies-repeating and re-repeating the same tired words and themes heard countless times before

i do not mean to imply that there is anything necessarily bad about art that is s-xually or violently explicit. what is bad is commerce masquerading as art. it is unfortunate that in our profit-driven society, entertainers are almost always more visible and influential than artists. nevertheless, if one is to judge an art form accurately, one must judge the form as created by the artist, not by the all-too-prevalent entertainer

for rap music to develop any further, the artists themselves must accept the responsibility to create and record with artistic quality as their primary motivation. no amount of outside coercion or legislation can or will “cure” rap music

that said, i will use the rest of this article to attempt to introduce rap music as an art form. i will not discuss any further, except incidentally, rap music’s politics, culture, or preoccupation with violence and misogyny. i think that these issues have been discussed more than enough in the rap forum. i see them as serious and pervasive social problems, not as problems unique to, or predicated by, this particular form of music. i hope that this article provides a level of understanding

lyrics/style/flow/sound

because rap music tends to be so unapologetically direct and personal, the great rappers almost without exception write their own lyrics. (this is also the reason very few rappers cover each other’s songs.) the word lyrics, when used by rap fans, refers both to the subject matter and the written construction of the song. critics of rap must consider the same elements commonly found in good poetry-simile, metaphor, and alliteration as well as creative expression, originality, and conveyance of emotion

style refers both to the tonal quality in a rapper’s vocals and to the level of originality in presentation and delivery. rakim raps in a near seamless monotone that serves to emphasize his lyrics. run’s style is very dynamic and emotional-his lyrics depend on the intensity of his delivery for their full effect. l.l. cool j’s style is a balance between the two extremes-at times aggressive and unrelenting, emphasizing delivery, and, at other times, measured and deliberate, emphasizing his lyrics. although styles vary widely among great rappers, all share the common element of originality

flow describes a rapper’s sense of rhythm and timing. the concept of flow differentiates rap music from other music with spoken lyrics (like, for example, the music of gil scott- heron, the last poets, or even cab callaway). rap lyrics are delivered in a rhythmic cadence, not simply recited or melodically half-sung. the quality of the rhythmic delivery is what defines flow. a rapper with good lyrics and style who can’t flow is like a singer with a good voice and a well-written song who ignores the melody. when a rapper flows, the lyrics blend into a continuous melodic line like the flow of notes from a jazz soloist’s h-rn. not surprisingly, this element of rap music is what most inspires frequent comparisons to jazz

all of the great rappers, like all of the great singers/instrumentalists in other genres, have an intangible sound that distinguishes them from other rappers. like a fingerprint, this individual sound helps any knowledgeable rap fan identify the better rappers the instant they hear a rapper’s vocals. what makes this possible is the concept of “sound”-an artist’s non-quantifiable, identifying characteristics

the beginning

rap music, unlike disco or funk, is a new genre unto itself. disco and funk were variations of an already existing, and therefore familiar, form rhythm & blues. rap music, in its purest form, presents an entirely new sound. this is one of the reasons rap music tends to be so misunderstood not only by the general public, but also by “accomplished” music critics-it is completely unfamiliar

it is important to keep in mind that this phenomenon is by no means unique. jazz met with an uncannily similar reaction in its infancy. in the early 1900s, jazz was often described as base, vulgar, and devoid of artistic or intellectual relevance. john coltrane, a man now regarded by many as the preeminent jazz artist of his time, was routinely criticized as being “anti-music.” similarly, early r&b was described as “jungle music”-non-intellectual, discordant noise capable of “corrupting” the m-sses of unsuspecting american youth. blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll were all at one time considered unfit for “polite” or “decent” people

rap music is part of a continuum the latest in a line of new musics created primarily by black americans. it has been subject to the same attacks that blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll have been subject to. following the same route, rap music has already developed from a regional, underground occurrence to a genre that, while mainstream, is as yet unaccepted by most except for the young and the “hip.” by the end of this decade, though, rap will simply be another part of popular american music, neither reviled nor revered. whether or not this is a good thing for the music, in an artistic sense, remains to be seen

rap music, in its essential form, is composed of programmed rhythm and syncopated chant-i.e., drum and voice-beats and rhymes. there is a de-emphasis, often to the point of exclusion, of harmony and melody. to the uninitiated ear, especially one accustomed to the catchy pop songs of mainstream entertainers, this emphasis of rhythm and de-emphasis of melody and harmony can be disconcerting, to say the least. since most rap music also uses some form of often-difficult-to-decipher vernacular or slang, it is easy to see why the appeal of rap music eludes most listeners who haven’t either grown up listening to it or haven’t investigated, in a non-prejudicial and informed manner, exactly what this music form has to offer

in the early and mid-’70s, in new york and most other major american cities, the predominant popular black musics were funk and disco. however, the younger generation was, consistent with historical precedent, looking for something which reflected their reality more accurately than the pop records of the time

in many popular records, short, bridge-like segments brought the rhythm of the song to the forefront, using the b-ss and drums while the melodic instruments and the singer(s) sat out. at parties, this “break” was the most affective part of the record-the part of the record the dancers waited and saved their best moves for. early new york hip-hop d.j.s began to search funk, soul, disco, and any other records they could get their hands on for the best “breaks.” then, using two turntables and a stereo mixer, the d.j.s would extend and combine the few bars customary on the recordings into new creations that would last as long as the d.j. wanted

though none of the existing written accounts of the early years of rap is considered definitive, the men most commonly credited for the earliest developments in rap were clive “kool herc” campbell, joseph “grandmaster flash” saddler, and afrika bambaataa. the vocal element was gradually added to these “break beat” creations. kool herc, for example, began to use a friend of his, who went by the name of c0ke la rock, as a vocal sideman. c0ke would act as the “master of ceremonies,” introducing herc and providing vocals to improve the show and entertain the dancers. hence, the t-tle m.c. that many rappers still use as part of their stage names. according to rap legend, grandmaster flash was responsible for pushing the vocal aspect further by enlisting a few of his friends to do more complicated vocal rhymes over the break music. he and his rappers-melle mel, cowboy, kid creole, scorpio, and rahiem-eventually became grandmaster flash and the furious five, one of the most important of the
old-school rap groups

soon many others began to concentrate on the vocal, m.c. side of this new form rather than on the instrumental, d.j. side. as the music developed, the m.c.s became more and more influential. the raps became increasingly complex as these artists worked at and developed their craft. what began as simply an extra device to add excitement to the show eventually became the essence of the form

this artistic exploration and growth went relatively unnoticed by mainstream america, outside of the hipper circles of the new york city club scene, until the release of “rapper’s delight” (sugar hill records, 1979) by the sugar hill gang-a quickly -ssembled new jersey trio of rappers named after their record label. the record was essentially a series of catchy sing-song rhymes delivered over a break from a popular disco song of the period, “good times.” “rapper’s delight” was a huge hit but, perhaps not incidentally, considering its huge popularity, did not accurately portray the music that was being created in the bronx and the other boroughs of new york city at the time

most of the underground rappers in new york, while no doubt impressed with the unprecedented commercial success of the new jersey trio, were unimpressed with the lightweight disco vibe of the record. though “rapper’s delight” may not have been a towering success artistically, the record eventually sold over an estimated 2 million copies worldwide and is considered a very important release because it introduced most of the world to rap music

a second early rap record that achieved great commercial success was “the message” by grandmaster flash and the furious five (sugar hill records, 1982). though this record is generally considered to be better, from an artistic point of view, than “rapper’s delight,” it still didn’t quite capture the intensity of the existing, non-recorded form of the music. the instrumentation was provided by the sugar hill house band and sounded fairly similar to the pop/r&b of the day. lyrically, the record was a moving narrative which chronicled various tales of urban despair. the record’s general tone and phrasing, though, did not differ much from contemporary r&b songs which ill-strated the same situations

rap music, for myself and many others, started in 1983. until that point a localized underground of artistic expression and growth-a separate culture called hip-hop-went unrecognized outside of new york. “hip-hop” culture in the late ’70s and early ’80s included not only rap music, but graffiti art and break-dancing in equal parts of the whole.[1]

in the early ’80s most of hip-hop’s lyrics were similar to previous non hip-hop, spoken/”talk-sung” novelty pop hits. musically, many of the hip-hop records used breaks from other records rather than unique compositions. (a situation that in recent years has ironically come full circle with sampling.) some records, like the aforementioned “rapper’s delight,” were simply rapped lyrics over an instrumental version of a popular song of the time. though there was a strong emphasis on rhythm, recorded hip-hop had not yet evolved into its post-’83 “beats and rhymes” structure. this was the context into which two young men from hollis, queens, new york released their debut album; the young men called themselves run-d.m.c. and their debut changed the face of hip-hop

the rhythm track begins-nothing but drum-programmed b-ss kicks and snare drum claps:

boom-boom bap, boom-bap, boom-bap
boom-bap
boom-boom bap, boom-bap, boom-bap
boom-bap

then the m.c. comes in

two years ago, a friend of mine
asked me to say some m.c. rhymes
so i said the rhyme i’m about to say
the rhyme was def and it went this
way

the song is “sucker m.c.’s (krush groove 1),” and it marks the first defining moment in the history of recorded rap music. throughout its three minutes and some odd seconds, the record is rap music in its purest form-beats and rhymes. there are no melodic hooks or catchy instrumental samples. there isn’t even a chorus. the record is a four-verse narrative over a minimalist rhythm track-a rhythm track that existed solely as a basis for the artist to rap over

it is impossible for me to imagine rap music existing as it currently does without the contributions of run-d.m.c. while funk and disco, the immediate predecessors of rap, were certainly different from the more traditional r&b/soul songs from which they were born, they were still essentially familiar-artists singing over traditional forms of instrumentation. similarly, the two earlier mentioned old-school hits-“rapper’s delight” and “the message”-were familiar in nature if not in execution to funk or disco

but run-d.m.c.’s “sucker m.c.’s” is glaringly unfamiliar, with its absolute lack of melody and harmony. the other element which differentiated this record from other recorded rap music was the rappers’ att-tude. joseph “run” simmons had a confident, “inyour-face” vocal style that made no attempt to sound catchy or commercial. to his fans, run epitomized “cool” circa 1983. consider, for example, this excerpt from “30 days”:

now the name that i use is d.j. run
and i’m a fast-talking, slow-walking #1
and if you don’t believe all the words i say
then you’re a natural born fool who’s got
to be that way ….

one of the crucial elements of rap lyrics throughout the era of run-d.m.c. – the early and mid-’80s – was a celebration of self through inventive wordplay. they included poetic devices such as alliteration, simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. this wordplay is often p-ssed off as mindless bragging; but to those who understand the music, it is actually a fascinating exercise in the usage of language and
sound-an art form in and of itself

darryl “d.m.c.” mcdaniels possessed a hard-core yet calm quality in his vocals which still influences today’s rap. d.m.c. was run’s foil, the anchor for run’s emotional-even sometimes hyper-style. consider more lyrics from “sucker m.c.’s” that demonstrate the inclination of many early rappers for down-to-earth humor and self-celebration:

i’m d.m.c., in the place to be
i go to st. john’s university
since kindergarten i acquired the knowledge
and after twelfth grade i went straight to
college
i’m light skinned/i live in queens
and i love eating chicken and collard greens
i dress to k!ll /i love to style
i’m the m.c. you know, who’s versatile….

listen to run-d.m.c. now, and a lot of their songs sound relatively tame in structure and content. it can not be overstated, however, how revolutionary their direct, raw style was in 1983 and ’84. they were at the forefront of the creators of a genre. when run- d.m.c. released their debut album, they gave rap music the voice it needed to break away from disco and funk. this was the beginning of the art form that has become, in terms of both artistic quality and popularity, one of the predominant forms of american music

l.l. cool j

in 1985, def jam records released the single “i need a beat.” this single marked the debut of the then-16- year-old “ladies love cool j” a.k.a. james todd smith. l.l. cool j soon became known as one of rap music’s preeminent vocalists and, incidentally, its first s-x symbol. even more than run-d.m.c., l.l. cool j exuded bold self-confidence and artistic fearlessness. on “i need a beat,” he wasted no time erasing any doubts that a 16- year-old could hold his own:

there’s no category / for this story
it will rock in any territory
i syncopated and designed it well
the beat elevates / the scratch excels
all techniques are a combination
of sk!lls that i have for narration….

- mtume ya salaam lyrics

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