Analysis of Rap Songs

Table of contents

Child pages

• How to use Audacity (+ a spreadsheet) to analyze a rap song

Related websites

• Wikipedia - List of years in hip hop music
• RapAnalysis.com
  • Rapper's Flow Encyclopedia - Earl Sweatshirt
  • https://genius.com/posts/1669-The-rapper-s-flow-encyclopedia
  • https://genius.com/posts/1610-How-to-listen-to-kendrick-s-backseat-freestyle
• Metal In Theory ← You can use this to get ideas for how to analyze rap songs.

• 2016.05.19 - YouTube - Vox - Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time
• 2016.10.12 - YouTube - Vox - Why rappers love Grey Poupon
• 2017.09.15 - Vox - How the triplet flow took over rap

Early rappers

Hop hop music - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music
List of hip hop albums considered to be influential - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hi ... nfluential (I used this list to start this page)

• Biggie lists a bunch of influences in "Juicy" - http://rapgenius.com/The-notorious-big-juicy-lyrics
  • Brucey B
  • Funkmaster Flex
    
  • Heavy D (albums in 87/89/91)
    
  • Kid Capri
  • Lovebug Starski
  • Rappin Duke
  • Ron G
  • Salt-n-Pepa
    

Books

• Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies
• Decoded by Jay-Z
  
  • The book consists of lyrics "decoded," where Jay-Z explains both where the song ideas came from and the way all the lyrics are connected to each other, as well as portions of his real-world story
• The Rap Year Book
  
  • A list of the songs they cover: 
    • 1979 - "Rapper's Delight" The Sugarhill Gang
    • 1980 - "The Breaks" Kurtis Blow
    • 1981 - "Jazzy Sensation" Afrika Bambaataa and the Jazzy Five
    • 1982 - "The Message" Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
    • 1983 - "Sucker M.C.'s" Run-DMC
    • 1984 - 'Friends" VVhodini
    • 1985 - "La Di Da Di" Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick
    • 1986 - '6 in the Mornin"' Ice-T
    • 1987 - 'Paid in Full" Eric B. and Rakim
    • 1988 - "Straight Outta Compton" N.W.A
    • 1989 - 'Fight the Power" Public Enemy
    • 1990 - "Bonita Applebum" A Tribe Called Quest
    • 1991 - "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" Geto Boys
    • 1992 - "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" Dr. Dre, featuring Snoop Dogg
    • 1993 - "C.R.E.A.M." Wu-Tang Clan
    • 1994 - "Juicy" The Notorious B.I.G.
    • 1995 - 'Dear Mama" Tupac
    • 1996 - "California Love" Tupac, featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman
    • 1997 - "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" Puff Daddy, featuring Mase
    • 1998 - "Ruff Ryders' Anthem" DMX
    • 1999 - "My Name Is" Eminem
    • 2000 - 'Big Pimpin"' Jay Z, featuring UGK
    • 2001 - "Takeover" vs. "Ether" Jay Z vs. Nas
    • 2002 - "Grindin"' The Clipse
    • 2003 - 'In Da Club" 50 Cent
    • 2004 - "Still Tippin"' Mike Jones, featuring Slim Thug and Paul Wall
    • 2005 - "Gold Digger" Kanye West, featuring Jamie Foxx
    • 2006 - Hustlin"' Rick Ross
    • 2007 - "International Players Anthem" UGK, featuring Outkast
    • 2008 - "A Milli" Lil Wayne
    • 2009 - 'Best I Ever Had" Drake
    • 2010 - "Monster" Kanye West, featuring Rick Ross, Jay Z, Bon Iver, and Nicki Minaj
    • 2011 - "Niggas in Paris" Jay Z and Kanye West
    • 2012 - "Same Love" Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
    • 2013 - "Control" Big Sean, featuring Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica
    • 2014 - "Lifestyle" Rich Gang, featuring Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan