does rap require music theory?

does rap require music theory?


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Well i would say it does involve music theory . i.e Rhythms in the phrasing of vocals .. and etc...

A awesome rap group would be bone thugs and harmony . listen to their recorded songs and you will realise that they are actually harmonizin with each other while rapping ...

WHERE MY DOGZ AT !!
EAST COAST MOFO...haha
 
what a question. weirdly it depends...

rap?
are u speaking of lyrical values or just beats. if lyrical values, i would say it's more to literature(poetry and stuff), concept and message.

if beats, probably yeah u do need a bit of musical theory. just to kick off the whole east coast west coast shit with the hardcore or softcore beats
 
Most guitarists or rock players don't study music theory, yet they can play, can't they? But to know it is definitely an advantage, isn't it?

Same applies to rap.

In most times rap music follows the standard 4/4 beat and at a tempo between 65 to 85 bpm. But what if you are faced with a song structure that had a 6/8 time sig? Or even a 3/4 or a beat that make use of triplets? Or what if you are faced with a beta that's 55 bpm, or 160 bpm?

Without abit of music theory, it will be hard to break down the beat into manageable chunks that will help with the flow. Consciously or unconsciously, a good rapper will be able to accommodate his own rhythmic pattern of words if he knows abit of music theory eg a 160 bpm beat can be treated like a 80 bpm beat (half time), a 45 bpm can be done like a 90 bpm beat (double time). I personally have tried rapping to a loop sample from At the Gates. It IS possible.

A good example of rap over a 6/8 time sig? Linkin Park's From The Inside.
 
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hey dude, every bit of info u can get about what ur doing is the way to go.
i say it isn't needed to know theory to be a rapper. but knowing some would make u a better one.
 
It might involve music theory, but really, it doesn't need to. Rap is more about lyricism than about sick beats or chopped and screwed tracks. Dropping a 16 bar doesn't require any music theory, hip hop is more about keeping it real and being true to yourself. Great flow and an impeccable delivery, those are stuff which makes good rap to listen to, not elitism and pretentiousness - which is what indie music seems to be about these days.

At the same time, listen to anything produced by DJ Premier or A Tribe Called Quest or Nas' Illmatic and tell me if you think they don't require any form of music theory, and I'll flat out call you ignorant.
 
I would say in strictest classical terms, definitely not. However, rap DOES require a very basic understanding of pop theory, for example, scales have seven notes, 4/4 timings and tempos.

Honestly, that's about all they need, they do not require knowledge of classical theory such as how scales are formed from tetrachords and such.

Why such a question anyway? Especially since we all know jokes like "music is like candy, you gotta throw away all the rappers" are abound.
 
Maybe to use as another reason to diss rap and say it's not really music? Happens often.
 
from a civilian mind,

hmm.
Rap is more to ripping other people's songs and just insert very strong lyrics. And just rap it out. Its more like poem in a musical way. :) And most raps backing tracks are looped and sounds very familiar with other songs. :) And no raps can be nice without vulgarity. Except for Sean Kingston. Hes underaged.

Thats my view ah. Please enlightened.
 
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