Am I In The Mood For Rap or Hip-Hop?







"To be or not to be - that is the question." Actually that is a very well known and old question from our very old friend Mr. William Shakespeare.

"Rap or Hip-Hop -- what am I in the mood for? That is the question."

What the heck? Actually that was the question I asked myself while I was doing a little music shopping at my sometimes other place of employment, Dr. Wax Records in Hyde Park. For some the question may be what's the difference between Rap and Hip-Hop?

I do remember back in the day, circa early 90's this was a hot topic. The rap game was changing with the advent of 'gangsta rap'. Groups like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, were being categorized as Hip-Hop by some; NWA, Eazy-E, and others were being categorized as Rap. In true fashion the music industry as a whole was trying to classify or categorize rap as the form was growing and taking on new dimensions in its style. Don't believe me, think back to when the various award shows started trying to acknowledge rap music more and the categories that they were first using to do this and what they call it now.

Anyhow, I decided to ask my good buddy Paul Ray aka P-Ray, resident hip-hop guru what was the difference between Rap and Hip-Hop. He gave it to me straight, no chaser - "Rap is something you do (a verb) and Hip-hop is something you live (its the art)".

And he is absolutely right. I say this even more so after reading an old article on the Rap News Network that posted (12/13/2003) and dealt with this same question. They actually got KRS-1's of Boogie Down Production thoughts on the same question. Here is the article in part:

What most people don't understand is that there is a big difference between rap and hip-hop. Rap is the combination of emceeing and DJing, but hip-hop possesses four main elements: graffiti, break dancing, emceeing and DJing. There are sub elements, too, such as the way one walks, talks and lives. As KRS-1 says, ''Rap is something you do; hip-hop is something you live.''

I am definitely guilty of categorizing some of my favorite rap artists like Common, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Little Brother, Bahamadia and others because of their "organic" sound, trueness to the art of Rap - the emceeing, the mixing, the lyrical flow and content and the like as Hip-Hop. These are the ones you don't forget. These folks are living it and doing it with a real good rap.

I see artists like Lil John, Chingy, Lil Kim, and Trina, as just rappers.
So eventually I will have to update my view, but for now I am in the mood for Hip-Hop.

Here's What's Hot:

The Strange Fruit Project - The Healing

This is a group after my own heart. These guys - Myone, S1 and Myth have delivered a hip hop cd with a soulful feel that all can enjoy and appreciate. Their delivery and style as a unit along with the collaborations with Little Brother and Erykah Badu put me in that happy place like when I first heard the Roots - "Do You Want More" cd and the featured track "Proceed".

This truly embodies the true definition of Hip-Hop.

It's smooth, its funky, has tight grooves and lyrics, hey its The Healing.

Speaking of the Roots --

The Roots - Game Theory

The latest installment in the Roots discography, Game Theory, I think will definitely be worth having in your Hip-Hop collection. Tracks like "Clocks With No Hands", and "False Media" take you back to the first time you heard the Roots and their sound. As always Black Thought's delivery is strong, smooth, yet with a rawness that you have come to know and appreciate. You have to definitely listen to this one from beginning to end to appreciate the direction and tone the Roots was taking with this one. This is definitely not your everyday rap cd.

Peace.