The Musical Artistry of Rap

Download or read book The Musical Artistry of Rap written by Martin E. Connor and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-01-12 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For years Rap artists have met with mixed reception--acclaimed by fans yet largely overlooked by scholars. Focusing on 135 tracks from 56 artists, this survey appraises the artistry of the genre with updates to the traditional methods and measures of musicology. Rap synthesizes rhythmic vocals with complex beats, intonational systems, song structures, orchestration and instrumentalism. The author advances a rethinking of musical notation and challenges the conventional understanding of Rap through analysis of such artists as Eminem, Kanye West and Jean Grae.