Rap Music is for Everyone

Posted by Mary Rayme Sep 17, 2006

I am a middle-aged white woman who enjoys some rap music and hip hop. Is that so strange? I think not. I'm sure there is a silent legion of mothers and sisters across the world who have listened to the rap music of their kids and sibs and said, "Rap deserves its props."

Invented in America and exported across the world, rap music is enjoyed by a large audience of all races and ages. According to wikipedia, rap is actually one of the four elements of hip hop culture. The other elements include DJing, dance (particularly breakdance), and art (particularly grafitti).

Rap began in 1970s Bronx, New York, when mostly African-American and Latino youths began isolating, or sampling percussion beats from popular disco and funk songs of the day. MCs started talking more between songs to create excitement with the audience. This euphoric combo led to the creation of one of the current most popular form of music worldwide, second only to classical music.

Have I piqued your interest? Here is a list of 14 songs worth a listen that could change your opinion about rap music.

• Can I Kick It? by A Tribe Called Quest. This classic rap song samples Lou Reed's bass riff on Take a Walk on the Wild Side. Will you like it? Yes you will.

• 3 is the Magic Number, by De La Soul.

• Cool Like That, by Digable Planets.

• Switch, by Will Smith. A lot of rap fans deride Smith as a lite rapper, but listen to these poetic lyrics delivered with pro precision.

• Ain't Goin' to Goa, by Alabama3. Their best known hit was Woke Up This Morning, the theme to The Sopranos.

• Powers, by Blackalicious. "Met her out of town in a small café. She had the motion of the ocean, how her hips display."

• T.K.O., by Giant Panda. This Japanese-American rap band just bounces with fun.

• Easy Pass, by Har Mar Superstar.

• Galang, by M.I.A.

• Hey Ya, by Outkast

• While the City Sleeps, by MC 900 Foot Jesus

• Let My Baby Ride, by R.L. Burnside

• Hole in the Bucket, by Spearhead

• Man Short, Lady Saw

Got any more rap classics? Drop me a line.