Introduction

Rap and Punk may seem worlds apart, but how different are they really? Originating around mid 70s, they are a reflection of the youth who changed our world today. Why were the youth so rebellious? We might associate Punk with anti-authoritarian white middle class kids gone wild, and Rap with the Black Youths tired of all the racism, and the socio-economic conditions their families were subject to. In this blog I will uncover the context surrounding these genres, but also the fashion, musical elements that formed the cultures.

Punk- What are they shouting about?

Britain’s post-war fascists had struggled to connect with teenage youth. In
1956, at the first meeting of the youth wing to Sir Oswald Mosley’s Union Movement, the speaker’s message was not well received: ‘We, the youth of Britain, have finer, more noble things in our lives than rock and roll’. The far-right politics became a vocation that found cultural expression in music and style. In effect, young fascists began to enter into youth cultural spaces, recruiting a smattering of punk-fans and skinheads to give political focus to their disaffection and territorialism. Some examples of lyrics in Punk are very anarchic.

The beginning of Punk was not very marked. However, it was a subculture that came from a rebellion against Rock, and Garage Rock. The main reason was to reject the mainstream. The work ‘Punk’ means the same as ‘Novice’ and this can be seen in Punk Music, as it is mostly raw and unrefined. The guitar and vocals in Rock, have been simplified, but also distorted by shouting and overdrive.

A crummy English economy in the 1970s gave birth to punk rock across the pond. A generation of jobless youth transformed their endless supply of free time (and anger at the system) into the rebellious scene we associate today with English punk.
Punk is generally believed to have been “reborn” in the 1990s thanks to popular acts such as Green Day.

Punk is often characterised by shouting vocal lines that is dispraportionate to the beat. instrumentation is raw, and is mainly a mix of overdriving, distorted guitars, amplified, as well as simple drums. It includes one or two electric guitars, an electric bass, and a drum kit, along with vocals. Most punk bands use the most basic instrumentation, with many punk bands only consisting of three members. Song are often played at a very fast tempo and include a great deal of emphasis on beats 2 & 4. Many of the chord progressions have an influence of blues-based guitars, simply played fast speed, the songs tend to be shorter than those of other popular genres. Some of the popular punk artists of the 70s include, David Bowie, Elton John and bands such as the clash, Ramones and dead boys. In its early years, punk rock was deeply influenced by reggae music (e.g. The Clash).

Ramones are one of the iconic punk bands. The Ramones point out multiple problems with society, such as destruction of the environment and politicians manipulating uneducated voters, but they also suggest that maybe being ignorant isn’t all that bad, because at least it allows you to focus on the positives, such as being alive. In this pessimistic song, the main message is that the world is screwed up and there’s nothing that can fix it. This is seen in the below lyrics:

“Ignorance is bliss, ya know it’s true 
Ignorance is bliss, just look at you
Is it goin’ anywhere?
I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive, yeah!
What’s happening to our society? 
Disintegration of humanity
Destruction of the environment 
Cram that cop donation in your ass”

A lot of the themes in Punk lyrics are either antiestablishment of disappointment with the world we live in.

What is the link between Punk and Rap?

both genres of music have speak about the problems in classes of society and especially the classes of people. Punk as a community feel rejected by society and a sense of loneliness within themselves whereas Rap as a community feel mistreated by the highrachy running the country and by the police state. Growing up with troubled upbringings both communities suffered a lot individually and as groups.

From the question, I gather what you’re implying is that Hip-Hip fundamentally has a punk ethos. I would agree with that, to a point. Hip-Hop initially was rooted inherently to the experiences of urban Black America and particularly attuned to the urban black male. Punk whilst initially over ruled by disaffected White working class people, was never tied as explicitly to the experiences of white america as Hip-Hip was and still is to that of Black America.

The first and most visible similarity is that they both share a noncompliance towards authority, structures and the status quo. Though as Hip- Hip has become mainstream in a way that Punk never did. Why is why both have always had strong political sub-scenes and even with mainstream artists, there has always been a political element. But why are they not received in the same way today as they did back then? Hip Hop contains witty rhymes that do in fact take a lot of talent, and took rap battles to rise to fame. The African-American culture always dominated the mainstream music industry. Hip-Hop has roots in Black America and is both outsider music and Billboard top 100.

Rap-what are they talking bout?

“Party rhymes”, were common crowd pleasers at a party. This was the exclusive focus of old school hip hop, and they remain a staple of hip-hop music to this day. In addition to party raps, rappers also tend to make references to love and sex. Some of the old lyrics are misogynistic. On Feb. 24, 18 out of 25 of Billboard’s top rap songs—most of which are also classified as hip hop—had lyrics referring to women as “bitches,” “hoes,” or “whores.” This was especially true for old school rap, but still prevalent now.

In 2017, for the first time in history, hip hop/R&B officially became the most consumed music genre in America. Hip hop and rap music generally convey significant and powerful messages, from grieving in the black community to the sadness of poorest black Americans from the most dangerous neighbourhoods and about wealth and fame—a dream of most young black people in difficult socio-economic.

Rap is a genre that started with masters of ceremonies and disc jockeys, often referred to as MCs and DJs. Most rap has the rhyme scheme of couplets (AA). There are longer forms, such as ballad form (ABAB or ABCB) and a single end rhyme quatrain (AAAA). Rappers also use one-liners (A), which is a line that does not rhyme with any other lines.

Digital synthesizing and recording has changed everything. Now anyone with a computer and sampling technology can make great beats to rap to. Juice WRLD is a good example of this, as he sampled Sting’s song. He also rose to fame online via Soundcloud, which is very different to the Old School Hip Hop. Technology did change everything. Beats are now louder, production is mostly digital and more mixtapes are produced.

Is rap’s transition into the mainstream a good or a bad ? Old School Rap lovers would argue that rap has become completely commercialised and lost its essence. One of the most prominent Rappers of today is Drake. But he is sometimes considered a Pop music figure. Pop and Rap can be considered good music. Nicki Minaj, T.i., Wiz Khalifa, and also Drake produced some good hits. Simultaneously, they’ve helped bring hip hop and rap into mainstream where rappers have stronger social pull than ever before. Rap is key in voicing emotion towards a certain topic, in this case growing up as an African American. 

I love Hip Hop and both Old School and New appeal to me. However, Punk really deserves more credit, so I invite you to come and listen to some of the great acts of Punk and Rap, or ‘Punk Rap’. Coming soon to Wembley, the festival will be full of rebellion and great beats.

Thank you for reading,

Zinno.

---

Follow My Blog

Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.