Rap: Elevating Beats and Lyricism
From street battles to the Super Bowl, rap music has brought not only rhyme and style, but also meticulously diverse lyricism, representing a range of experiences and connections to the voiceless. At times, it reflects society’s most pressing issues. At others, it connects people from all over the world. As a musical genre that continues to transcend boundaries, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) will delve into the transformation of rap and its impact on global culture.
From Old School to New School
-The DNA of Rap
Rap is a musical style focused on rhythm, flow, and delivery, weaving beats from samples into head-bop worthy music. As a subculture of hip-hop, rap began in the ’70s as rhythmic poetry over pre-recorded instrumentals in the African American communities of New York City. The old-school era from the early ’70s to the mid-’80s brought party-centric rhymes and funky beats, with Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang introducing hip-hop to the masses in 1979 and selling 50,000 records daily at its peak, according to CBS News. From the mid-1980s, the new-school era blended rap with pop, demonstrating the first commercial generation of rap artists. By the ’90s, pioneering old-school rappers like Dr. Dre popularized rap and mentored the next generation of artists such as Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, cementing rap’s cultural legacy worldwide. Meanwhile, rap hit South Korea’s streets in the late 1980s through cultural exchange with American soldiers. Subsequently, Korean artists such as Hyun Jin-young, inspired by African-American music, fused rap with dance and spread the genre nationwide. The underground scene also thrived in the late 1990s, with innovative artists like Verbal Jint setting the standard for rhyming in Korean rap. From 2010 onwards, Korean rap dominated mainstream media with battle shows like Show Me the Money, creating influential rappers such as BewhY and pH-1. Through pioneering sounds and talent mentorship, rap has been ushered into a global cultural force of the 21st century.
-Decoding Rap’s Rhythm and Flow
The rap genre uses various interconnected techniques to bring out its unique sounds. The Music Studio, a music academy, stated that great rap often carries poetic techniques: internal rhyme, a form of rhyming within a single line and not at line endings; meter, the basic rhythmic structure of a verse; and double entendre, figures of speech that creates double meaning to convey a hidden message. Rap can also transition from its raw, street origins to mix with genres like rock, pop, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Hong Chae-hyun (Junior, Department of English Language and Literature), who enjoys various music genres, shared in an interview with the SKT, “When fast rap beats articulately combine with loud rock or relaxed jazz, it creates a mix of layered sounds that complement each other.” A noteworthy example of such cross-genre rap is the rap-rock song In the End by Linkin Park, which combines rap vocalization with various rock forms to create a mix of fast and loud consonances. Rap’s lyrical playground lies in its proficient wordplay and uninterrupted flow, where poetic techniques and genre-blending capabilities continue to bring chart-topping tunes to the stage.
Making Headlines for Better or for Worse?
-A Voice for Struggling Souls
Rap has long been a microphone for social change, vocalizing social issues such as racism, police brutality, and inequality into memorable verses, especially in marginalized communities. A notable example is This Is America by Childish Gambino, which conveys its message through a striking, layered music video perfectly capturing the ignored struggles of African Americans. In the song, Gambino repeats phrases such as “Police be trippin’ now” and “Don’t catch you slippin’ now,” referencing police brutality and warning Black people to be cautious around law enforcement. While American rap calls out systemic struggles, Korean rap tackles societal pressures and self-expression in a culture where conformity often overshadows individuality. Korean rap was regarded as a refuge for young people looking to freely express themselves in a once competitive and conservative society. For example, after Seo Taiji and Boys released Come Back Home in 1995, addressing runaway teenagers, many began returning home, leading to a government campaign featuring the group to encourage more returns. A man in his fifties, who was a fan of Seo Taiji and Boys, shared in an interview with the SKT, “Back then, all of their songs were ground-breaking, especially the lyrics, which brought emotional comfort to many students burnt out from studying.” Many years have passed, yet rap remains a universal voice that translates personal battles into powerful anthems that resonate across borders, challenging societal constraints.
-Unfiltered Verses, Hidden Truths
Despite its positive influence, the rap scene is often misunderstood for its violent themes, bringing in criticism that undermines its valuable message. This misperception is primarily fueled by media coverage focused on gang disputes that on some occasions have resulted in the shooting and death of famous rappers, reinforcing the idea that violence is inseparable from rap culture. As a result, the genre’s role in activism and storytelling is often overlooked and becomes generalized as inappropriate and harmful. For instance, a subgenre of rap called gangsta rap is frequently mistaken as a violent form of rap that depicts drugs, crimes, and sexism. However, by looking beyond these themes and into meanings behind the lyrics, one will see how it reflects the values and realities of the harsh inner-city life revolving around gangs, poverty, and violence. A prime example is C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me), a 1994 track by the American hip-hop group The Wu-Tang Clan, which describes the realities of a crime and poverty-stricken life in a capitalist system. Perhaps it is now time to embrace rap and break its image away from these negative stereotypes that limit its potential to address systemic issues in society.
Join SKT’s Listening Party!
From chart-topping figures to striking visionaries, the SKT recommends three artists who have turned their personal experiences into verses full of authentic storytelling and firecracker energy.
-Kendrick Lamar
The Grammy Award winner for Not Like Us and the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show performer Kendrick Lamar has always been poetically diverse and influential in the game. For Kingos looking to understand rap through powerful storytelling, the album To Pimp A Butterfly combines jazz, funk, and hip-hop, tackling systemic oppression and self-worth, especially in the song Alright.
-JID
From Atlanta and signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records, JID is known for his rapid delivery and lyrical depth. His determination to evolve from trap rap and his focus on wordplay has led to three successful albums — The Never Story, DiCaprio 2, and The Forever Story. For Kingos seeking motivation during the semester, listen to 2007 from the album The Forever Story, a window to his upbringing and journey.
-Doechii
Doechii is for Kingos looking for a bold, unapologetic, and fun artist with quirky narratives. Aside from her self-funded debut extended play (EP), Oh the Places You’ll Go, and hit single, What It Is, tune into Catfish, a take on authenticity, from the Grammy Award-winning album Alligator Bites Never Heal.
From its humble origins as street expression, rap has now evolved into a global cultural phenomenon. Despite occasional misrepresentation, it continues to be a part of the living, evolving movement that is hip-hop. Kingos — when listening to music or navigating life — try to listen, feel, and trust what resonates deep in your heart, and embrace the true spirit of rap.