The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines "rap" as a rhythmic chanting of usual rhymed couplets to a musical accompaniment. The purpose of this paper is to show how rap music has come to be. Also, citing the many performers who have mad this form of music what it is today. Rap is a large part of our society and its evolution is proof that this personal style of music will be around for a very long time.

Rap music as a musical form began among the youth of South Bronx, New York in the mid 1970's. Individuals such Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash were some of the early pioneers of this art form. Through their performances at clubs and promotion of the music, rap consistently gained in popularity throughout the rest of the 1970's. The first commercial success of the rap song "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang in 1979 helped bring rap music into the national spotlight. The 1980's saw the continued success of rap music with many artists such as Run DMC (who had the first rap album to go gold in 1984), L.L. Cool J, Fat Boys, and west coast rappers Ice-T and N.W.A becoming popular. Today, in the late 1990's rap music continues to be a prominent and important aspect of Afric

Along with the birth and growth of rap comes censorship. This has become a big issue within the music industry, and rap music is at the center of the controversy. Some people want to put warning labels on certain rappers' albums and newspapers and magazines have been printing articles about the bad influence that some rappers have on kids. What is it about the music that people find so troubling? Some rappers use strong language. Others are accused of writing racist lyrics, or lyrics that are insulting to women. As with all kinds of music, the more popular it becomes, the more likely you are to find both good and bad sides. But the positive side of rap greatly outweighs the negative. And its positive messages seem to be spreading. The number of new rappers that grows everyday will bring about new forms of rap and constant changes on the "old school" versions of the music. With these new versions and variations comes new fans and renewed faith from old fans. Regardless of how many rap artists land in jail or end up dead, this music will live on. The fans will make sure of it.

Those who condemn this exciting entertainment have never closely examined it. If they had, they would have discovered that rap permits kids to appreciate the English language by producing comical and meaningful poems set to music. Rappers don't just walk on stage and talk off the top of their heads. They write their songs, and they put a lot of though into them. Part of rapping is quick wit. "Rappers like L.L. Cool J grew up rapping in their neighborhood, and they learned to throw down a quick rhyme when they were challenged" (Nelson,Gonzales, 1991, 135). But part of it is thoughtful work over many hours, getting the words to sound just right so that the ideas come across with style. As L.L. Cool J describes it, "I write all my songs down by hand. Each song starts with a word, like any other sentence, and becomes a manuscript." (Nelson, Gonzales, 1991, 137).

Some common words found in the essay are:
African- American, DC Philadelphia, Grandmaster Flash's, Tone Loc, Vanilla Ice, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Red Hot, Black White, DMC Rap, rap music, ll cool, rock 'n', top charts, inner city, pop charts, rap subculture, york city, rose 1994, type music, run dmc rap, black inner city, rock 'n' roll, nelson gonzales 1991,
Approximate Word count = 3268
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)