For those that are questioning weather or not it is music lets look up that term on the trusty Merriam Webster's Dictionary:
So lets do the breakdown comparing modern rap:
1 a - No
1 b - 1.5 / 3 Yes, No, Maybe
2 a - No, not for me.
2 b - No
3 - Nope
4 - Nope
Now lets average that out...
The Math: .5 /2 = .25 /4 = 0.0625
So rap is 6.25% music. Yes it has music but it's a pretty pathetic amount if I do say so myself. Even if you turned that lone maybe and rounded up we are still only talking about 8.25% here.
Alright so maybe unlike me you find rap agreeable lets recalculate still rounding up:
The Math: .66 /2 = .33 +.5 = 0.2075
Even if you find it agreeable it still end up just under 21%. Again not even a quarter music.
I'm sorry, but we need to take another look at this.
Websters:
Main Entry: mu·sic
Pronunciation: 'myü-zik
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English musik, from Anglo-French musike, from Latin musica, from Greek mousikE any art presided over by the Muses, especially music, from feminine of mousikos of the Muses, from Mousa Muse
1 a : the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity b : vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony
2 a : an agreeable sound : EUPHONY b : musical quality
3 : a musical accompaniment <a play set to music>
4 : the score of a musical composition set down on paper
1. a. Yes, they do order tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity. They do.
b.<b>Vocal</b>, instrumental, or <b>mechanical</b> sounds having <b>rhythm</b>, melody, or harmony. <b>Yes, I'd say rap has this as well</b>
Not To mention the fact that this is a definition of Music by Western Standards. There are many Japanese and Chinese songs (as well as many scattered throughout India and Africa) That are not set down on paper, do not order tones in succession, in combination, or in temporal relationships, but still have a unity and continuity all of their own. Just because Webster sets down her definition of Western Music doesn't mean that cultures who have never even heard of Webster have to all of a sudden change to a guitar and drums. It just means that Webster is an idiot.
Let's face it, Rap is music. Anyone who says otherwise is just biased against people who listen to it. If Rap wasn't music it'd have been laughed of the face of the Earth a long time ago. Do I enjoy artists like 50 cent or lil' kim?
Not really, but every now and then I'll hear a rap song I like. I like hip-hop more than rap (yes, there is a distinction). And to that kid who says he's taking music studies, I think he needs to stop lying, or finish his course.
Actually, my favorite band is the Beastie Boys, I love the Sounds Of Science and I believe that they do absolutely beautiful work. If you haven't heard any of their songs other than Brass Monkey, Fight For Your Right (To Party), or Intergalactic Planetary, then you have no right to continue to discuss their works. They have far better tracks than those three.
Infact the beastie boys were a metal band before they started rapping.
I mostly enjoy old school rap, like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and I forget who else right now, as I am drunk and tired.
But Rap is music, you're allowed to hate it, sure you are. But to deny that it is music is ignorant.