The terms rap and hip-hop are often used interchangeably with one another; however, rapping is a separate style that was introduced into existing hip-hop music in the 1970s. This is why, if you listen to many early hip-hop tracks from the 1960s and 1970s, you’ll find vocals or absent or if there is vocals present they’re traditional harmonies and what you’d term ‘regular’ singing.

By the late 1970s, however, it was almost impossible to find hip-hop that didn’t have rap vocals included.

Gangsta Rap

While there was much experimentation when it came to rapping throughout the 1980s, it wasn’t until the end of the decade that Gangsta rap would come to the fore. Gangsta rap was initially a platform for the youth of America’s inner cities to speak about their upbringing, which would often be violent and involve exposure to guns, knives, and drugs, amongst other things. In later years, Gangsta rap would be heavily criticised for allegedly glamorising this lifestyle, and for making it seem like a choice rather than something individuals were born into.

Ice T’s 1986 track “6 in the Mornin’” is generally regarded as the first song of this genre, although Gangsta rap wouldn’t become huge until N.W.A released the “Straight Outta Compton” album two years later.

Rap in the 90s

The 1990s was the decade when rap music gained attention in mainstream music charts and on radio stations. The central theme in America at this time was the battle between east coast and west coast hip-hop, and specifically how the rap lyrics demonstrated differences between the two ways of life.

Later, these lyrics would become more threatening and hateful, and many started to turn their backs on the genre following the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G, and the subsequent failure of rappers to move away from this type of music.

Later Rap

Although rap remains popular with fans of the genre, it is the softer rap and R&B sounds combined with pop styles that are seen in the mainstream today. While key rap figures like Dr. Dre and Jay-Z remain popular, up and coming rappers often have to contend with the poor reputation of the genre that has been earned in the past, meaning that modern day rap remains more of a niche rather than something that everyone listens to and enjoys.

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