Exploring Musical Genres
By: Aurelyn & Ruth
History
Rap was invented during the late 70’s and early 80’s, and
grew out of hip-hop, originating from the people of Africa
and African Americans.
It became very common in inner-streets and schoolyards. It was
known to be a “Street Art”.
Early rapping was about hardships in life, caution about drug
use, teenage love, and even critical remarks on other
rappers.
Rap represented the understanding in the nations of black
America.
It was a developing reputation among black teens especially in
the USA.
The first rap record was released by the Sugarhill label and
is now popular amongst song writers and artists.
Background: Sugarhill
Gang
Artists of Rap
Artists of rap include:
- Jay – Z
Lil Mama
Eminem
Missy Elliot
T.I
B.O.B
50 Cent
Lil Wayne
Lumidee
Ludacris
Flo – Rida
Tony Sunshine
What is Rap?
Rap is a musical rock genre in where there is a
synthesised beat in the background, whilst the singer
doesn’t sing but speaks promptly one word after
another.
It often contains rhythmical lyrics and African American
slang.
The voice of the singer is often blended as well. Only
one singer usually sings where rap is said.
Rap is not played through one song itself, but it is used
in other genres such as R&B and Hip-Hop.
Background:Coolio
Example
An example of a song that contains rap
that we’re presenting is
‘Nothing On You’ by B.O.B featuring
Bruno Mars.
Structure
Chorus/Solo [Bruno Mars]
Verse 1 [B.O.B]
Bridge [Bruno Mars]
Chorus 2 [Bruno Mars]
Verse 2 [B.O.B]
Bridge 2 [Bruno Mars]
Chorus 3 [Bruno Mars]
Bridge 3/Solo [B.O.B]
Chorus 4 [Bruno Mars]
Outro [B.O.B]
Analysis
Chorus/Solo:
At the start of the song a syncopated sound is echoed before the opening chorus is sung
to steady notes played by the piano. During this opening chorus a syncopated sound
uses long notes to accompany the vocals and piano.
 Verse 1:
In the 1st verse, the lead singer [B.O.B] comes in just before the end of Bruno Mar’s
solo. In this verse the riff is still played by the piano from the first chorus using the
same notes. In the background the drums are being played. This is where B.O.B
begins to rap over the background music. There are 8 lines in this verse. The last
word of each line is repeated before commencing to the next line. All of the end
words rhyme.

Bridge:
The bridge is similar to the 1st verse, except it is sung by Bruno Mars and the rhythmic
pattern changes. Instead, the last word of the line rhymes with the last word of the
following line. On the 2nd half of the bridge, B.O.B imitates the last few words that
Bruno Mars sings.

Analysis: Continued
Chorus 2:
The 2nd chorus is also very similar to the first. The riff of the piano is
played here as well, along with the drum beats. It is too sung by
Bruno Mars, and B.O.B teases on the last words of each line. Vocals
sing again after the line of ‘Nothing on you baby’. There are
synthesised beats in the background.
 Verse 2:
Precisely alike to the 1st verse, the first half of this part of the structure
is exactly the same, repeating the last word of each line, apart from
the second half of this piece where the words are not repeated. The
piano and drums are still being played.
 Bridge 2:
This 2nd bridge is exactly the same from the first bridge, only the words
differ.
 Chorus 3:
This 3rd chorus is exactly played the same as the 2nd chorus.

Analysis: Continued
Bridge 3/Solo:
This piece is sung by B.O.B. In the background of rapping, B.O.B sings over a variety
of instruments. These include the sounds of a piano & tambourines, and vocals
which do not play along with the other instruments.
 Chorus 4:
The 4th chorus is played exactly the same as the others.
 Outro:
This last piece of the sing structure is sung by B.O.B. The beats in the background of
the previous chorus is still used here and the music as well as his voice slowly
diminishes at the end.

Genre’s Characteristics
Throughout the whole song, it keeps to one riff played by the piano, using high pitched notes. The
background music is shared using a variety of instruments. The instruments that were used in this
song were:
Vocals- call and response and an effect to lead singer. Lead singers use rhyme in rap verses.
Drum Kit- attracts the audience to the beats of the music.
Tambourine- added leaps to make the music sound jerky.
Synthesised beats.
Piano- keeps the rhythm in tune.
In this song, rap was used in all of the verses and bridges. Call and response was generally used at the end
of each line.
The choruses did not use rap, instead it was sung.
Oddly, this melody starts off with a chorus rather than a verse or intro.
Evaluation
This song uses many syncopated words, making it easier to say the word ‘faster’.
During the choruses, the singer sing at a slow to moderate tempo. When it comes to the verses and bridges, the tempo rises
faster, when they are rapping.
The riff, being played by the piano uses a high pitched variety of short and long notes and plays moving up and down.
Parts of the music uses call and response, although, the vocals do not repeat what the singer/rapper calls. In this song, only the
singers respond to each other repeating the last word they say.
The rhythmic pattern in the background music stays the same throughout the whole composition.
We think this song was the best song we could use to represent our musical genre ‘rap’ because it shows how hip hop and rap
are closely related and uses rap elements .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Metro Lyrics; Beyond the words- Info available at: http://www.metrolyrics.com/nothin-onyou-lyrics-bob.html
All Sands; Over 7000 Grains of Knowledge & Counting...- Info available at:
http://www.allsands.com/Music/Bio/historyofrapm_xrw_gn.htm
Daryl Tay.net; Info available at: http://daryltay.net/2010/05/music-mondays-72-b-o-bnothin-on-you-feat-bruno-mars/
Listen To The Music; Fifth Edition, I. Dorricott, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd.
The Story of Music; Volume 6, From Rock and Pop to Hip-Hop, Grolier Educational ©
2001 Brown Partworks Ltd.
Year 8 Music WorkBook Part 2; Exploring Musical Genres.