WHOSANE'S RAP CITY

Rapping, the rhythmic delivery of rhymes, is one of the central elements of hip hop culture and music. It can be delivered over a beat or acapella — without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area between speech, poetry, prose, and song.

Derived from African, Jamaican, and American roots, rap has developed both inside and outside of hip hop since the early 1970's. Modern rappers deliver stylized, rhythmic raps often with complex rhymes and wordplay. To showcase their skills rappers often compete in freestyle battles in which they ridicule their opponents with improvised rhymes. Although rap has become an international phenomenon through hip hop culture and music, issues concerning racial, class, and sexual identity remain among rappers and their audiences.