Rhetorical Tools of Rap Music

Rap/Hip-Hop music performers use a number of different rhetorical tools and devices when they are performing. Director of the Michigan State University African American Language and Literacy Project Dr. Geneva Smitherman has identified some of the rhetorical tools that all rappers use for an article, “How I Got Ovuh”: African World View and Afro-American Oral Tradition.

A Brief History of Hip-Hop Culture and Rap Music

To understand Hip-Hop and Rap music we must define the terms. KRS-One, one of the most influential rappers and producers of all time, defined these terms by saying, "Hip-hop is something you live, rap is something you do." Hip -Hop is a culture that developed in the South Bronx neighborhood in New York. The culture encompassed numerous art forms such as emceeing, dejaying, b-boys, graffiti, and developed the East Coast skateboarding scene.

Hip-Hop was created out of the necessity of expression. Issac Hayes, another influential artist, “A certain administration which I won’t call by name took the arts out of the schools, and that left the brothers out on the street with nothing, so they went to the turntables and started rhyming. Then they had a way to express themselves, and that’s the birth of hip-hop.”

Rap music was created out of block parties in The South Bronx. Deejays would use giant sound systems to entertain neighborhoods. These block parties took place because The South Bronx was a low income neighborhood. The residents were strapped for cash, so they would come together, cook, and entertain each other. Hip-Hop developed out of these community get togethers. Deejays would mix Dub(developed in Jamaica), Soul, Funk, Rock, R&B, and Jazz music while b-boys (break dancers) and rappers would entertain their communities.

As rap music developed and became possibly the most dominate genre in America, rappers lyrics began to become increasingly technical and poetic. Below are some of the tools rappers implemented in their artwork.

Rhetorical Tools of Rap Music

"Call and response" This technique is central to African methods of community building, teaching,performance and participation methods. All forms of music that belong to the African Diasporic Tradition utilize this technique. It can also be argued that all forms of music have inherited some use of this technique. Call and response developed over hundreds of years as a fundamental building block of dissemination of information, and teaching the practices of improvisation, and polyrhythms. Rap music is one current manifestation of this tradition, and its practices. Rap is only one of the many genres of this tradition. Rap is preceded by other genres such as jazz, rhythm and blues, spirituals, slave songs, as well as the griot traditions of Africa. All of which draw utilize call and response, as well as other practices that can be said to be part of the African Diaspora, especially as it pertains to music, instrumentation, and dance.

Exaggerated Speech: Rappers sprinkle their talk with uncommon words and used expressions 1

For example,

Atlanta based group the Outkast, often make-up their own dialect, using uncommon phrases in their raps. Below are some lyrics recited by Big Boi, in the song “Spottieottiedogaliscious”… 2

Mimicry: A deliberate imitation of the speech and mannerisms of someone else may be used for authenticity, ridicule, or rhetorical effect, 1 most commonly an imitation of the voice of the quoted speaker.

For example,

Rapper Slick Rick is notorious for using mimicry in his "storytelling" style of raps, in the song Mona Lisa he takes on two roles for himself "Slick" and "Ricky", as well as "Mona Lisa", the girl "Ricky" is trying to approach with a Love Rap. When he raps Mona Lisa's lyrics he raises his voice, imitating a feminine voice. 3

Proverbial Statement: The rapper sprinkles his or her talk with familiar black proverbs and drives home the points with short, succinct statements, which have the sound of wisdom or power. 1

For example,

Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan, wrote a Love Rap entitled “All I Need”, in it he uses these lyrics… 4

Punning: Using play on words, for humor

For Example,

Hip-Hop collaboration group Danger Doom, uses a pun, or play on words to get the Aqua Teen Hunger Force crew to say they are “Sofa King, We Todd Ed”, which said quickly can be very offensive, in the rap “Sofa King”. 5

Spontaneity: The rapper is free to improvise by taking advantage of anything that comes into the situation. 1

For Example,

Freestyling, otherwise known as improvisation rapping, as seen in the movie 8 Mile with Eminem. Eminem enters a freestyle contest at The Shelter (a Detroit music venue), where he competes with other rappers to win the crowds respect. The idea is to be able to think on your feet, be flamboyant, creative, and most importantly better than the other guy. Freestylers will go as far as to ask audience members to open up there purse, and pull something out, to prove their skills, they will rap about what ever the audience member produces on the spot. 6

Image-Making: An important criterion of black talk is this use of images, metaphors, and other kinds of imaginative language. 1

For Example,

Raekwon compares the different varieties of women’s’ skin tones to ice cream flavors in the song “Ice Cream” … 7

Braggadocio: Boasting and bragging

“Through the Wire” by Kanye West, is a rap solely based on him bragging about his life, what he has been through and what he has overcome. 8

Indirection: The rapper makes his or her points by the power of suggestion and innuendo. 1 In the song "A Milli" by Lil Wayne, Lil Wayne uses indirection to exemplify the idea of shooting a gun.

Tonal Semantics: Working with sound, using rhyme, voice rhythm, repetition of keys sounds and letters.

Most rappers use rhyming as a means for getting their point across, below is an example from Kurtis Blow’s rap “The Breaks” 9

The newest female rapper, Nicki Minaj, is also very famous for tonal semantics.

Below is an example from her song, Girlfriend:10

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References:

Smitherman, Geneva. “How I Got Ovuh: African World View and Afro-American Oral Tradition.” 1

Outkast. “SpottieOttieDopaliscious.” Aquemini. LaFace Records., 1998. 2

Slick Rick. “Mona Lisa.” The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Def Jam/Columbia., 1988. 3

Method Man. “All I Need.” Tical. Def Jam., 1994. 4

Danger Doom. “Sofa King.” The Mouse and the Mask. Epitaph., 2005. 5

8 Mile. Dir. Curtis Hanson. Perfs. Eminem. Universal Pictures, 2002. 6

Raekwon. “Ice Cream.” Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Loud/RCA/BMG., 1995. 7

Kanye West. “Through the Wire.” The College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella, Island Def Jam., 2004. 8

Kurtis Blow. “The Breaks.” Kurtis Blow. Mercury. 1980. 9

Nicki Minaj. "Girlfriend." Nicki Minaj. Young Money. 2009 10