What's the difference between rap and hip hop?

Question

Can you describe the difference and give examples of groups for each?

Answer 1

rap has a more hard edge and hardcore lrics, while hip- hop has a more r&bish feel. it has more of a groove to it. hip hop has more of a crossover appeal. but as far as lyricism, it deals with a lot of the same issues.

Answer 2

This seems to be the most argued about point in Hip-Hop today. What exactly is the difference between Hip-Hop and Rap and where do the two merge? The answer is far from clear and is open to various peoples’ interpretation due to two major factors. These are:





Hip-Hop as a "culture"

Many People see the term "Hip-Hop" as a culture or a way of life that started from the roots of activities such as Graffiti, Break-dancing and block-parties in NYC. Whilst this is true, the 'Hip-Hop Culture' should not be confused with Hip-Hop music. An R'n'B record may be covered with Hip-Hop culture but isn't necessarily Hip-Hop music. Likewise, a Chinese rapper may bring out a Hip-Hop record without actually originating from Hip-Hop culture. Hip Hop culture should not be confused with the music, however the two frequently exist together and the culture still plays an important part of the music we hear today.



Hip-Hop Music

Originally Hip-Hop music developed containing essentially three ingredients: Breaks, Beats and Scratches. This has evolved over the years, for example Breaks used to be snippets of James Brown records and short soul samples - this has changed to people like Parliament and Funkadelic, and the previous short samples have been replaced by major chunks of the original song mixed into the new record. Scratches have been almost totally removed due to the demise of the DJ in Hip-Hop records. This may have more to do with rappers realizing that they can do without a DJ in most cases and still make the same money. Beats however have not changed dramatically and therefore are the heart of Hip-Hop music. A real Hip-Hop beat is difficult to describe but is usually slightly offbeat with a rolling, slightly "Jerky" feel to it (an expert on rhythm arrangements could probably give a more technical description). The best way to find out a true Hip-Hop beat is to listen to records such as BDP's "Criminal Minded", early Schooly D records along with early Run-DMC and Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full".



Rap Music

Rap can be roughly defined as words spoken rhythmically. In modern days it can be added that these words are spoken over a beat. With it's origins in Africa it should be understood that Rap has been around a lot longer than Hip-Hop's seventeen years. A rapper may rap over a soul-backing track, or even a heavy metal rock track but this could not be Hip-Hop music. The artist may have originated through Hip-Hop culture but the music he is making is Soul/Rap or Rock/Rap fusion, NOT Hip-Hop. For a record to be a Hip-Hop record it would need to be primarily Hip-Hop beats.

Having said that, A Hip-Hop artist will rarely make every track using Hip-Hop beats (this is one thing that has changed over the years). Artists like LL Cool J will make an album with a half-and-half mixture of R'n'B and Hip-Hop, although he is regarded as a Hip-Hop artist. A few rappers still stay true to the Hip-Hop game, such as KRS-One, but he is in the minority. A new problem are the emergence of Rappers who rap over breaks and beats and whilst it could be argued that the records are Hip-Hop, the beats are not as complex as Hip-Hop beats used to be. Whether you consider an artist as a Hip-Hop artist or simply a rapper is open to personal tastes but essentially the artist needs to use Hip-Hop beats frequently in order to be truly considered Hip-Hop.





Summary

A Hip-Hop record does not need to contain any rapping at all, and likewise a rap record may not contain any Hip-Hop beats. Chart Rappers, Rock/Rap fusion and some Gangsta rappers should not be confused with genuine Hip-Hop rappers such as KRS-One. We should also not confuse Hip-Hop culture with the music - it often goes hand in hand but frequently does not, especially with the emergence of music such as Swingbeat

Answer 3

Hip hop is more of a culture and rap is just a genre of music that has emerged from it.

Answer 4

"Hip-Hop" is the name of the whole movement; it's a way of thinking, acting, living. It's what is new and cool, different and "hip". "Rap" is one of the genres of music that come under the heading of Hip-Hop. Rap is poetry, the telling of a story, in rhyme, with "beats"--it sometimes has music and sometimes is on its own (as in "free-styling").

Answer 5

From the words of KRS-One himself...."rap is something you do hip-hop is something you live, the living of hip-hop produces rap"



If you want examples...



Hip-Hop - Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Rakim, KRS-One, Nas, etc.

Rap - Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Lil Scrappy, etc.

Answer 6

Don't listen to what they say. That ''rap is more like rhyming and hip hop is mostly singing'' - is not true.

Rap is basically words recited rapidly and rhythmically which usually rhyme, over an instrumental backing.

While Hip-Hop is the music genre which has rapping in it.

There are many music genres which have rap in them, the main ones Hip Hop and RnB

Hip Hop (which is the main one and is basically rapping over a continuous instrumental beat)

RnB, which stands for Rhythm and Blues is pop music and singing (usually at the chorus) with rapping at the verses. It's more ''melodical'' than hip hop.

Other sub-genres which have rap are:

hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap, ghetto rap, hip pop, rap rock and so on, I can spend an hour listing them out.



So let's recap:

Rap is the type of singing - rhyming words rapidly in a rhythm over a beat (or without a beat). Rap is not a music genre, however people call all music genres which contain rapping, Rap, just like Hip Hop.

Hip-Hop is the music genre which has rapping in it.

(Extra info: Hip Hop artists are called rappers because that's what they do, obviously. They are rarely called 'hip-hoppers')



Sorry for all that long information, I tried to explain it the best way. I hope I helped. Peace.

Answer 7

Hip hop is the culture. Rap is the music.

Answer 8

Hip Hop Vs Rap

Answer 9

RE:

What's the difference between rap and hip hop?

Can you describe the difference and give examples of groups for each?

Answer 10

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Answer 11

No one knows what these two things are. Trying to pigeon-hole a thing into a name and description doesn't fix it's form. The same problem is inherent in trying to mold any language into a frozen descriptive gestalt. If it's a language then it lives and grows and shape-shifts and therefore it has no definition. It is what it is at any moment. Trying to label a thing is futility. Call it what you will but don't try to define it. You will never pin it down.