Ask Yahoo tries to define the difference between rap and hip-hop. Me, I still don’t get it. I’m loving this “Mundian To Bachke (Knight Rider Remix)” by Punjabi MC though. It’s from Bend It Like Beckham and it’s kinda like Indian rap. I heard it on the radio the other day and immediately started bopping like I was in a Bollywood film.
aim
March 26, 2003 — 12:55 am
i’m gonna have to let ian t. and my chad loose on you. go listen to some blackalicious, then some TUPAC…you’ll hear the difference. i’d venture to make the general statement that rap is all about the rapping itself, hip-hop is all about the beat and the turntables. (think beck – he does some hip-hop stuff; he doesn’t do rap.) rap and hip-hop do cross and merge w/ some artists (ll cool j) but there are still distinctions. eminem vs. the roots. etc.
Jann
March 26, 2003 — 3:46 am
Technically speaking, Hip Hop is an all-encompassing term that defines a culture or movement.
Rap as a form of urban poetry is(generally) associated with that culture, although rap itself predates Hip Hop culture by hundreds of years.
Tally ho, chocs away and all that. Now, where’s my pipe and slippers…
Dan
March 30, 2003 — 11:08 am
I like Jann’s definition the best. In practical terms tho, when people go out of their way to label themselves as hiphop, as opposed to rap, usually they are just trying to distance themselves from pop/commercial rap. In this sense “rap” is about bling bling/making cheese, whereas “hiphop” is about the culture or just love of the music. Of course that doesn’t stop a lot of “hiphop”-minded acts from making $$$ (i.e., Jurassic 5 does TV ads now a la Moby.)