Music Theory Department

T410 Theory and Analysis of Rap (Fall 2007)

Instructor: Professor Kyle Adams
MWF 9:05-9:55, Simon 356

Is rap music? Can it be analyzed? Or does it consist only of musically incompetent individuals spewing out violent, misogynistic lyrics over endlessly repetitive drumbeats?

This course will begin from the premise that the answers to these questions are yes, yes, and no. We will devote the semester to serious scholarly inquiry into the structures, genres, and styles of rap music, with the goal of determining what analytical approaches are best suited to it. The semester will divide into roughly three parts: First, we will examine the historical development of rap and its relationship to other forms of African-American music. Next, for most of the term, we will focus on rap music from the “golden years” of 1987-1993—the period after “Ice-T” and “Ice Cube” became more than grocery-store items but before they became middle-aged actors. We will focus on using analytical techniques to uncover the musical phenomena behind different styles of rap, from the politically-charged music of Public Enemy to the “New School” rap of the Native Tongues to the Gangsta rap of the West Coast. Finally, we will briefly examine rap music of today, and examine how changes in the production and consumption of rap music have negatively affected its content.

This course will also expose students to some of the fundamental principles and techniques of ethnomusicological research. There will be several graded transcription assignments, culminating in a final project and presentation. In addition to the prerequisite of T331, strong aural skills are therefore essential to this course. Interested students should be advised that this will not be a semester-long dance party, and that many of the examples discussed in class will contain profanity and explicit subject matter.