How To Appreciate Rap Music
by Martin Connor
[Editor's note: Be sure to read Breakdown #2 and Breakdown #3]
This is my case for rap as a
legitimate area for academic, musical research and attention. People
variously dismiss rap music as simply vulgar, out only for shock value,
and generally devoid of anything that might lead to it being considered
as art. However, one needs only realize that jazz occupied the very same
position about a century ago: a musical medium that was very popular
with the public at large, but which was ignored by the academic music
community. I hope to change that mind set. It is my belief that one day
rap, having completed the same transformation as jazz music (which was
adopted only after being integrated into the works of such great
composers as Debussy and Ravel, two of my favorites), will be held in
the same esteem. Also, even if you can't read music, you should still be
able to get something out of the following. (A final note: viewer
discretion is advised, as obscene language is involved!)
Let's look at "How We Do", by Game, 50 Cent, and Dr. Dre.
Just listen to the first 16 bars, by Game. He hears the synth bell
motif (the rhythm that 50 Cent copies in the chorus/hook when he says
"This Is How We Do" in staccato notes) and takes a characteristic part
of it (the placement of the 2nd note of the motif on the 2nd sixteenth
note in the beat) and emphasizes it. See below:
I could write a good article alone on the characteristics of that
rhythm (for instance, observe how it's beat seems to be on a dotted
eighth note repeated 5 times, and the rhythm is retrogradeable - able to
e reversed - in certain respects.) However, we'll keep it simple. In
the following jimmied-up transcription of the first 8 bars in text, the
capitalized word is the rhyme; when the rhyming word is bolded, it
means that that word falls on that characteristic 2nd 16th note of the
opening synth bell motif, and when the word is italicized, it means
that the word falls right on the beat. To see the verse transcribed
into sheet music, scroll down:
fresh like -
UH / impala -
UH / chrome hydraulics / 8-0-8
DRUMS / you don't want -
NONE / n-- betta -
RUN / when beef is on i pop that
TRUNK / come get -
SOME / pistol grip
PUMP / if a n- step on my white air
ONES / it's red
RUM / ready here i
COME / compton UH / dre found me in the
SLUMS
This brings us to the end of his first 8. Notice that the rhyme the
entire time has been on the syllable "uh"; Game continues this for the
next 8 (an incredible thing to do, and which he does in other songs as
well.) Finally, note the phrasing of his rhymes: 1/2 bar, 1/2 bar, 1
bar, a 2 bar grouping repeated three times (for a total of 6 bars,)
until the final two bars of the first half of his 16, when he
accelerates the phrasing and has the rhymes divided into 1/2 bar, 1/2
bar, 1/2 bar, 1/2 bar. This same structure is used for the next 8, and
propels us nicely into 50's verse. Note, finally, that in the final 2
bars ("It's red rum..." until "slums"), Game begins to vary where the
rhyme falls metrically, starting on the word "come", which falls on the
beat, continues with the word "uh" after Compton (which falls on the
4th sixteenth note of the beat), and stops with the word "slums", which
also falls on the beat. In the next 8, Game will continue to
anticipate and play off the expectations of the listener, just as any
good music-writer does. His next 8:
sellin that
SKUNK / one hand on my
GUN / i was sellin' rocks when master p was sayin
UHHHHHHH / buck pass the BLUNT / these G-Unit girls just wanna have
FUN / coke and RUM / got weed on the
TONGUE / i'm bangin' with my hand up her dress
UH / i make her
CUM / purple haze in my
LUNGS / whole gang in the
FRONT / case a n- wanna
STUNT
As mentioned before, the phrase structure in the second 8 is the same
as the phrase structure in the first eight, except for one thing. On
the word "UH" after "master p was sayin'", he elides that 1 bar phrase
into the first 2 beats of the next phrase, making itself really a 1.5
bar phrase, and eliminating the 1/2 bar phrase that came in its parallel
structural position in the first 8 bars of his verse here. But what
really interests me here is the metrical placement in the rhymes of
"uh." Look back at the preceding paragraph, and see how the rhyme
changes between being italicized (falling on the beat) and being bold
(falling on the 2nd sixteenth note of the beat, a characteristic rhythm
of the synth bell riff.) Game sets up the listeners expectation, begins
to vary them at the end of the first 8, and in the second 8, varies it
even further. The contrast is heightened by the fact that the 2nd
sixteenth note of the beat in 4/4 is a highly syncopated place to put a
note (which he does in his first 8 bars), which is very different from
being right on the beat and not syncopated at all (an idea which he
introduces in his second 8 bars.) By the middle of his second 8 bars,
the listener has no idea where the rhyme will comes next; this is what
makes it awesome.
This long term development of where the accent of the rhyme falls in the
most exciting thing (to me at least) in this verse. We will see short
term development of the placement of the accent in the Eminem verse we
take a look at next. That, as well as a variation in the pace at which
accents come. For instance, Eminem always has his accents come as fast
as possible in our next analysis. But Game varies the amount of his
accents in order to build and release tension.
Now listen to Dre's production decisions. The drums (bass, snare, and
high hat) all strongly accent the bar as discussed before. They
contrast greatly with Game's continuing manipulation of the accent of
his verse. This is why I can't listen to the song without bobbing my
head: I'm listening for the accents of Game's rhymes against the
driving rhythm of Dre's drums. Finally, listen to how Dre doubles
Game's voice on the rhymes. He has decided to emphasize this contrast in
accent. He knows some how or other that the music works like this too.
This shows Dr. Dre using the supposed disadvantages of listening to
music in headphones as an advantage. (For some reason, a lot of people
object to rap on the basis that it can't be played live, and therefore
can't be real art; what I think is that good producers, like Dre, simply
take advantage of what recording does offer them, which is a stereo
sound world that they can manipulate. Listen to Dr. Dre's vocal tracks,
and you'll see what I mean. But that's for another time.)
Finally, I'd like to draw attention to the uncanny chemistry on this
song between 50 and Game. Like they had known each other for years, they
expertly pass the rap off between themselves, while sharing and riff
off of each others rhythms and verbal structures (For instance, after 50
raps, "You're now rockin' with the best / Fo' pound on my hip, teflon
on my chest" in his 16 after Game's first 16, Game responds in his 2nd
16 with the response, "Ya now rockin' with the best / fo' pound on my
hip, gold chain on my chest." Also, see how they both use the "Touch me,
tease me, kiss me, please me / I'll give it to ya just how ya like it
girl" idea.) It's reminiscent of no less than Run DMC, who proved once
and for all that rap groups can be better than the sum of their parts.
It's too bad that G-Unit broke up before this could become more.
In summary, this is what I get out of rap music. Also, I have the sheet
music (all parts, the strings, etc,) transcribed if anyone wants it.
Hope you enjoyed this!
I'm working on other analyses like this one right now. Specifically,
some Eminem verses, but his rhythms are just so complex (quintuplets!)
that it takes a while to write out. Look for them!
**Note: my use of the word "phrasing" here varies a bit from how I use
it in the next article, the Eminem, and especially from how I use it in
the Nas analysis. As I'm doing these analyses one after the other, each
one teaches me more and more; please refer to my newest analysis (the
Nas one) for my most current ideas on all of these different areas:
phrasing, accent, etc.