Rapping

Rapping, the rhythmic delivery of rhymes, is one of the central elements of hip hop culture and

Rapping, the rhythmic delivery of rhymes, is one of the central elements of hip hop culture and music. It can be delivered over a beat or a cappella — without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area between speech, poetry, prose, and song. Derived from African, Jamaican, and American roots, rap has developed both inside and outside of hip hop since the early 1970s.

Modern rappers deliver stylized, rhythmic raps with complex cadences, rhymes, and wordplay. Rap lyrics cover a variety of subjects, from social struggle to monetary boasts to sex. Rappers may showcase their skills by competing in freestyle battles in which they ridicule their opponents with improvised rhymes. Although rap has become an international phenomenon through hip hop culture and music, as evidenced by leading social network video web sites like RapSpace.TV, issues concerning racial, class, and sexual disputes remain among rappers and their listeners.