The Future of Rap Music

Rap music is an extension of the word Hip Hop, as it includes the variations
within this upbeat genre, such as: grime, trap etc. Hip Hop on the other hand is a
cultural movement that formed during the late 1970s among African American
youths; by 2010, it was the most listened-to musical genre in the world. It is
characterised by many different manifestations of the culture such as: rap music,
turntablism, b-boying, and graffiti art.
Introduction:
This project will be in process to being completed between the dates Thursday
5th November 2015 to Thursday 11th February 2016. Throughout this project I
will discuss and further investigate the future of rap music. In order to get the
most accurate hypothesis I shall provide a variety of both primary and secondary
data. My primary data will be collected primarily through a questionnaire based
format, whereas my secondary data shall be gathered through the internet. As I
am currently making my way into the music industry, due to me being signed to
Warner Chappell in 2010, I will be able to use my position to gather the best
information possible. Those who I will provide a questionnaire to are big time
producers, artists, managers, engineers and radio/TV presenters such as:
Naughty Boy, Nick Grimshaw, Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, A-Star Productions,
Warner Music, Bars and Melody, Danny Kirsch, Mich Cutfather Hansen, Mikis
Michaelides, Khalil Madovi, Layton Blake, Anais Gallagher, Skepta, Chip, Bugzy
Malone, Cellach Spellman, Marcellus Fernandes, The Vamps, Rixton and many
more. I have chosen these people to contribute to my data as they are all within
the entertainment business, and I somewhat believe that this will advantage my
piece due to their additional information and knowledge about the past, future
and present of the entertainment businesseven if it is a prediction of this genre
of music (due to the piece being about the future). In conclusion, I have simply
chosen this project due to my passion for this genre of music. All my life I have
grown up listening to rap music and believe it has moulded me culturally and
mentally into the person I am today - making it a perfect project to undertake.

Foundations of rap:
By the late 1960s, rap was a slang term referring to and describing talking on
records. By early 1970s, many were calling Hip Hop the living blues, as its
lyrics and political statements much resembled those of blues and jazz music
popular at that time. Rap started in the Bronx, New York. When talking about the
inventors of rap, DJ Hollywoods name is usually within the equation. As by 1975,
he had ushered in what became known as the Hip Hop style by rhyming in sync
to the beat of an existing record uninterruptedly for nearly a minute. By the end
of the 70s, artists such as Kurtis Blow and The Sugarhill Gang were just starting
to receive radio airplay and make an impact far outside of New York. Golden age
hip hop (mid 80s) was the time period where rap went through its most drastic

transformations, as rappers were literally creating themselves and their art form
at the same time - complex lyrical wordplay.
As the years progressed, different art forms within rap started to evolve. These
factors consist of creative work such as: flows, rhythm, mcing, and even melodic
delivery. West Coast rapper Egyptian Lover was the first notable MC to deliver
sing-raps. Party rhymes meant to pump up the crowd at a party, were nearly
the exclusive focus of old school hip hop, and they remain a staple of hip-hop to
this day. In addition to party raps, rappers also tend to make references to love
and sex. Love raps were first popularised by Spoonie Gee of the Treacherous
Three, leaving LL Cool J to continue this tradition. Many politicians, journalists,
and religious leaders have accused rappers of fostering a culture of violence
among hip-hop listeners through their lyrics. This is mainly due to rappers such
as Schoolly D, who was the first notable MC to rap about crime; whereas, Ice-T
was one of the first rappers to call himself a playa and discuss guns on record.
Gangsta rap, freestyle rap, and battle rap was made popular due to N.W.A,
bringing rapping about crime and the gangster lifestyle into the musical
mainstream.
Sampling plays a major role within rap music especially. Sampling is the act of
taking a portion of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a
sound recording in a different song. Sampling was originally developed by
experimental musicians - however, hip hop music was the first popular music
genre based on the art of sampling - being born from 70s DJs who
experimented with manipulating vinyl on two turntables and an audio mixer.
Sampling is now most often done with a sampler (e.g. mpc renaissance, mpc
2000xl, mpc 2500 etc.), but today more commonly computer program. However,
vinyl emulation software may also be used, and turntabilsts continue to sample
using traditional methods. The use of sampling is controversial legally and
musically. In the 1970s, when hip hop was confined to local dance parties, it was
unnecessary to obtain copyright clearance in order to sample recorded music at
these parties. As the genre became a recorded form centred on rapping in the
1980s and subsequently went mainstream, it became necessary to pay to obtain
legal clearance for samples, which was difficult for all but the most successful
DJs, producers and rappers. As a result, a number of recording artists ran into
legal trouble for uncredited samples.