Differences between rap and hip-hop

Differences between rap and hip-hop: What is the difference between an MC and a rap artist? Also, what are the differences between rap and hip-hop?

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INTRODUCTION:

In this blog, you will get to know about the differences between rap and hip-hop. Please read this blog for more info.

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HipHop is:

HipHop a culture, a style of living/dressing/communicating, an embodiment of 5 elements (rapping/MCing, dancing, DJing, graffiti, and the forgotten BeatBox), a way of life, the true essence of “rap” music, more than just music, is something you live.

Differences between rap and hip-hop

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MC:

An MC is a poet with a mission of teaching/informing the youth in a positive light through innovative lyrical structure and meaningful fun subject matter. An MC studies his chosen art form by researching and learning about MCs that came before, gaining knowledge of the responsibility an MC has.

Differences between rap and hip-hop

Image credit: Google

Rap Artist:

A Rapper doesn’t take this art form seriously, takes shortcuts to the finish line and doesn’t care about the artistic integrity of rhyming. This person bastardizes this tool of communication to dumb down the audience, create a false sense of entitlement and belittle their brothers and sisters.

Differences between rap and hip-hop

Image credit: Google

Rap is:

Rap is a song, a style of poetry, a form of hip-hop in audio form, superficial, what you do when you rhyme words in a stylized cadence, something you do.

Brief description: Differences between rap and hip-hop

Not to get all particular, but “rap artist” makes it sound like it could encompass both MCs and rappers. The difference between rapping and MC-ing and rapping is showmanship. MCs are people who get the crowd moving, and entice the audience; whereas rappers are interested in the poetry (as it pertains to being iterated) only.

It is a sometimes difficult and fine line because if you go to a rapper’s show (Jay-Z for instance) you come to hear him rap, so that is how he gets the crowd involved. The other confusing aspect is that most MCs, professional anyway, are good rappers! For example, Chuck D is the rapper, and Flava Flav is the MC. Raekwon & Ghost: rappers. Method Man & ODB: MCs. See BDP and their dissertations on “Breath Control.” KRS often ambiguously dogs rappers, because Hip Hop is about the party (to a certain extent).

Rap is just talking. A speech, a sermon, Muhammad Ali’s entrances, Macho Man Randy Savage, spoken word poetry, beatniks, etc. Rap is a thing and art of spoken words. Hip-hop is a culture. So, rap, as it pertains to Hip Hop, is spoken word from those, or a depiction of, those people of Hip Hop. Rapping has been popularized by Hip Hop and is the important and dominant art form or at least the aspect of the culture that the public at large is attracted to.

Conclusion:

The line between MC and rap artist is very blurry to me. I believe some MCs are rap artists and there are rap artists who are MCs. I would probably actually point out a popular current artist to highlight the main difference as I see it: Nikki Minaj.

There are songs where Nikki primarily sings, and does one verse, and features someone else on the other verses. In these songs, I would consider her a rap artist. On the songs where she primarily raps, I would call her an MC.

I tend not to use the terms “MC” or “rap artist”. I usually lean towards the term “rapper” as in “my favourite rapper”, or the more general term “artist”, which to me includes rappers, singers, dancers, musicians, creators, et al.

“An emcee is a representative of hip-hop culture. A rapper is a representative of corporate interests. An emcee can be a rapper, but a rapper will never be an emcee. What we have today are rappers.”

KRS-One

Hip-hop represents the culture and rap represents making money. Rap masquerades as hip-hop but rap is not hip-hop.

Source credit: Quora and others.

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