Rapping involves speaking lyrics to a beat;

it is considered to be one of the most

sophisticated forms of poetry in the world.
Harry Overton
It is believed that for more than 100 years before rap exploded onto the American
music scene, West Africans were telling stories rhythmically, aided by just the beat of a
drum. These musicians from West Africa lay the foundation for the genre of music we
know today as Rap.
Rapping first gained popularity during the 1970s in America and was particularly
popular among African American teenagers.

However, Rap wasn't taken seriously by the record companies until 1979 with the
release of the Sugar Hill Gangs hit, rappers delight.

After this, record companies took notice of this emerging genre of music and suddenly a
number of rap groups were surfacing including acts such as Run-DMC and N.W.A who
are considered massive influences in rap music even today.

Rap gained an enormous fan base, and by 80s the genre didn't just consist of African
American males. White rap bands such as the Beastie Boy and female rappers like
Salt-n-Pepa were also becoming increasingly popular.
In the 90s, rap changed from a relatively simple old-school-style using simple lyrics to
a newer style consisting of more complex lyrics and beats.

Artists such as Snoop Dogg and Tupac ruled the charts during this time and towards
the end of the 90s white rapper Eminem came onto the rapping scene and went on to
become what many consider to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.

Rap is a hugely popular and ever growing genre of music which seems to be constantly
changing with time. At this moment in time there are many hugely popular rap artists
such as Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore to
name just a few.

When rap music first entered America it started as a way to criticize
American society in general, particularly the authority and power present in
the institutions.

This anti-authority ideology is present in a lot of rap music and is directed a
lot of the time towards the police with the general idea being that they are
corrupt and cause more harm than good.
Another main theme in rap ideology is materialism and the emphasis on wealth being
a sign of how successful and worthy you are. Materialistic objects such as expensive
cars, jewellery, designer clothes, mansions, alcohol, and drugs etc. can often be seen in
music videos of the rap genre. Rap artists tend to promote this kind of party lifestyle
in everything they do.







Their music videos allow the artist to show off their wealth and in turn show the
viewer just how successful they are because of their music. This is because materialistic
objects have connotations of extreme wealth and achievement. Some viewers/fans may
also hope to one day have the same level of wealth as these artists have, so in turn, this
theme of materialism makes the artist aspirational.
Another reoccurring ideology present in the majority of modern day rap music is
sexism and this idea that a lot of male rap artists hold which is that they are the
superior sex and that females are the less significant sex.

This is presented in the music videos being released where the viewer can hear and see
the artist treating women with complete disrespect as if they were objects rather than
human beings. Misogyny tends to manifest itself in their songs and sexist lyrics are
commonly used by referring to woman as Bitches" and "Whores".

One song which epitomises this ideology is Bitches Aint Shit by Dr Dre.
The chorus repeated several times involves Snoop Dogg saying;

Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks
Lick on these nuts and suck the dick
Get the fuck out after you're done
And I hope in my ride to make a
quick run


The majority of rap music DOES present
the ideologies I have just discussed.
However, there are a number of artists in
the minority who challenge these beliefs.
Macklemore, (our chosen artist) is one of
these artists.

Most rap music tends to glamorize drug
use, promote materialism and sometimes
homophobic behaviour. Macklemore is
expected to challenge these beliefs and in
doing so has created an enormous fan-
base.

ANTI- DRUGS:

Macklemore talks about the terrible
negative effects drugs can have on a person
and how he has experienced those effects
first hand with his past addiction
problems.

His songs shine a different light on drug
use that isn't that common in this genre of
music, and rather than promoting drug use
he sends the message that we shouldn't
give in to the temptation of using because
its not worth it.

MINIMILIST:

Macklemore goes against the ideology of materialism with songs such as Thrift
Shop and Wings.
In these songs Macklemore suggests that thrift shopping and buying second hand
clothes is actually far cheaper and makes much more sense than buying new
clothes from designer labels which in his opinion rip people off. Evident in one
of one of the lyrics in Thrift Shop;

They be like, 'Oh, that Gucci, thats hella tight!'
Im like, yo, thats 50 dollars for a t-shirt'
Limited edition, lets do some simple addition
50 dollars for a t-shirt, thats just some ignorant bitch
I call that getting swindled and pimped
I call that getting tricked by a business"

He also expresses his disgust for big labels such as NIKE in Wing$ because of
how overpriced they are and how they make kids who cant afford them feel.

EQUALITY:

In songs such as 'Same Love' Macklemore talks about the
issue surrounding homosexuality and how he doesn't
think it's right that in his genre of music being called
'Gay' is classed as an insult and has negative
connotations.

He makes it clear that he believes it's time for a change
and promotes the idea of equality in all of his songs.

One lyric in particular from Same Love supports this
statement evident in;
No freedom 'til we're equal, damn right I support it