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As defined by Merriam Webster
Music: 1 a : the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity b : vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony
Hypothesis: Hip hop is deemed music as defined above.
Rhythm: 2 a : the aspect of music comprising all the elements (as accent, meter, and tempo) that relate to forward movement b : a characteristic rhythmic pattern <rumba rhythm>; also : 1METER 2 c : the group of instruments in a band supplying the rhythm
Contrary to what you said, liquidlight, hip hop is, at its core, strongly rhythmic. Much of it is laid upon a simple and unchanging 4X4 beat. If it didn't have "forward movement," it wouldn't have beats at all. And I think we can agree that it does. All things considered (i.e. beats, instrumental arrangements, and an unprecedented lyrical delivery), hip hop artists (including gangsta rappers) may very well have a much stronger sense of rhythm than many pop stars and rock musicians.
Melody: 1 : a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of sounds : TUNEFULNESS
2 : a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole
Many authentic hip hop artists (i.e. not necessarily gangsta rappers) are strong lyricists that have a keen sense of language. I would argue that in well-written hip hop, one will easily find an agreeable succession of sounds in this respect. The arrangement of words in many lines of hip hop are brilliant, and lyrical delivery, unmatched.
Harmony: 2 a : the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord b : the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords c : the science of the structure, relation, and progression of chords
Good hip hop artists have a strong sense of harmony when they are able to piece together their samples over their beats. Otherwise, the tracks would sound like random noise, like a room full of people all talking at once, for example. Actually, I would say that hip hop is conventionally harmonious. Hip hop artists aren't known for experimenting with discordant forms in music.
Creative: 2 : having the quality of something created rather than imitated :
The creativity in hip hop is not in the instrumentation or percussion alone. (Though certain arrangements using various sources as samples can be deemed creative in themselves.) Hip hop creates something new when it takes source material from popular culture (and in certain cases from obscure sources) and rehashes it to achieve various results. In many cases, it is a subversion of popular music. In other cases, it is used purposely to invoke familiarity. However, it is not the instrumental arrangements that is at the fore, it is the lyrics.
While there is a lot of bad hip hop (there is a lot of bad in every area of the arts), there certainly is good hip hop, especially when you examine its lyrical power. In many ways, hip hop is a hybrid of music and poetry. Many people overlook this.
If you want to talk about creativity, perhaps we should discuss William Shakespeare's sources. Now there's an interesting conversation.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 07-16-2007 at 06:40 PM..
Reason: typo
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