Santini+Harp

__ Unfamiliar Genre Project __ __ Why Interested? __ I am interested in the rap genre because I am a huge fan of it, but I had no idea that there were so many genres of it. For instance, you have hip hop, east coast, west coast, dirty south, reggae, soul, back packers, etc. So I want to focus on these genres to see what artists fall into these categories and what type of music each genre represents and how they differ from one another as well. __ What Do I Know About The Genre? __ I know quite a bit about the rap genre. I know that it has been relevant to the American culture since it has been accepted by mainstream America in the 90’s. You see when it was first introduced to the scene in the late 70’s, early 80’s it was not taken seriously at all. This is due to the fact that Rock and Roll, Pop and Alternative music was at the height of success at this time. Rap did not even have a category in award shows until the early 90’s and it was said that it would not survive. This was held to be untrue because now as you can see it is everywhere and it influences many ads and commercials we see/hear everyday. From rappers endorsing soft drinks to rappers endorsing their own clothing, cologne/perfumes, liquors, the rap genre is everywhere now in the mainstream media. Annotated Bibliography http://www.articlesbase.com accessed 2/3/11 This source is a website that has thousands of articles online that can act as a directory for those to access many article that fall under many different subjects/topics. These areas include music, art, dance, acting, education, politics, etc..

http://rap.about.com accessed 2/4/11 This is a credible source that breaks down the different rap genres of hip hop and all of the artist that fall into this particular category. For instance, you have the genre of hip hop which is East Coast music and some artist that this covers is Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Jay-Z, LL Cool J and others. This source is like a “Hip Hop for Dummies” book if you may. Jenkins, Sachka, Ego trip's book of rap lists. I have not gotten a chance to really read through this material but from my skimming through it, it seems that it deals with how the media has looked at this genre of rap and how they responded to it. It gives a break down of the various ways that the media has not only shot down classical songs/albums but how it put a negative spin on things. Light, Alan, The Vibe History of Hip Hop, Volume 1. The definitive history of an underdocumented music genre, The VIBE History of Hip Hop tells the full story of this grassroots cultural movement, from its origins on the streets of the Bronx to its explosion as an international phenomenon. Illustrated with almost 200 photos, and accompanied by comprehensive discographies, this book is a vivid review of the hip hop world through the eyes and ears of more than 50 of the finest music writers and cultural critics at work today.

__**Users Guide**__ When writing a rap, first thing is first, you need to have a topic for which you want to write on it. Next, after you find a topic, you need to find out what the chorus/hook is going to be. You can write this after the actual rap itself is written before or during the writing the actual rap itself. what frame of mind are you in, and what exactly is the point you are trying to convey in your verse? These things right here can establish a topic for you, now you can start to write. Now you need to find out what type of song you want, a club song, a song of deep thought, an everyday song to listen to; this will determine the rhyme scheme of which you will rap the actual lyrics. This will allow you to find your rhythmic meter in which you want to write and actually rap the lyrics. Usually a rap contains 16 bars with 2 rhymes per bar. This could be more if a person raps faster than normal. Some pitfalls to stay away from is to always stay on topic, ALWAYS! If not done so, you will have a song that is full of various topics and it can make you out to be a terrible rapper or one that is a terrible song writer. Also, work on the delivery of the actual song. Its one thing to have good lyrics but if the artists does not deliver the lyrics in a correct way the audience can easily be thrown off and the performance could really be a disaster.
 * Dear Santini:**
 * //This looks more like a process. Is all rap rhyming or does some avoid rhyming? Do you have to write the background music or just borrow it from a song you like? Does rap exclude certain kinds of subjects, for example, romance or religion, or can anything be rapped? Do people write raps for other people to perform?//**

Bill