Rap

Long time no see?
... Octavius: Last post: 9/4/11
Yeah, I've been... busy. For almost nine months. Top secret ninja missions take time, you know.
And yeah, I'm that "Octavius guy who wrote one lengthy post about a 20-something minute song, and disappeared." Assuming that you read the "About Christie Road" page.
Anyways...
For some reason, I feel like talking about rap today. Yay!
My thoughts on rap:
Many people think that rap sucks and is not music at all, just random speed talking (maybe not even speed talking). That is a misconception. Many other people think that rap is the bane of music's essence and is more badass than Bottom's face after Puck screws around with him. Although I cannot agree with that idea, I also cannot label it as a misconception. Thus, I feel compelled to talk about rap. Like I said earlier...

I'm not too well versed in rap other than random stuff I hear (Rack City, White & Nerdy (assuming you count that as rap), etc.). From what I know about it, rap, as with many musical genres, is best heard live. As the rapper generally doesn't sing or produce somewhat melodic stuff, the real purpose of rap is to incite your inner fire. That is to say, rap is not necessarily a form of musical expression, but rather a method of unleashing the energy of the human spirit. <-- cheesy fluff

Generally, my favorite part of rap... is the backing tracks. As I do enjoy orchestra tracks, many rap songs involve semi-orchestral backgrounds. I also like the combination of genres, and rap somehow becomes a bit of a breeding ground for rap/hip-hop/classical hybrids.

Obviously, another important part of rap is the lyrics. The lyrics are the main method to convey a message to audiences. Contrary to popular belief, rappers don't always rap about doing drugs/having sex/whatever. Often, they contain different messages, like perseverance and recovery.

In a sense, rap is like any other musical genre. Through a certain language (verbal or musical), it conveys its message, its point. I am willing to call it music, although I think that the musical part of rap is just a secondary way to achieve its real goal, which is to appeal to people's emotions through the means of communication that humans can understand best: speaking.

And here's some stuff. I don't know much about rap, so... my selections may be poor. Whatever.

And some other dudes from America's got Talent (kinda cross genres a bit, which is cool)- starts around 1:25

And some Lupe Fiasco:

Rap can also be educational! :3 :3