Abstract ID#: 3299 Category: Humanities and Arts Undergraduate

Metrical Analysis of Rap Austin Henry Schweitzer

Opportunity Approach Data Analysis Techniques Bar Looped •Historically, music theory has privileged western tonal music. •How? Analysis via metric box grids, 4 16th notes per beat. •1973 in The Bronx, NY: Hip-hops’ genesis- only recently: academic analysis of rap •Why? Analysis is, & uncovering, a creative process •According to authors Manabe, Ohriner, & Adams (2019), notable rap analysis -western notation doesn’t contribute, stifles process. 1 Bar Tempo tap concepts include preference rules, tactus, enjambment, flow & syncopation. •Rap works are rhythm & flow oriented •Metrical grids- dots for 16th notes, words above & beats below, outline rap ‘flow.’ -accent, rhyme & enjambment (metric vs. syntax). Transposing down 1 octave (1/2 speed) •Narrative’s relationship with rhythmic analysis, & vowel & consonant sounds are •Songs analyzed in waveforms seen/heard by bar. explored to expose relevant patterns to the field of music theory and analysis.

th •For reference, music excerpts analyzed are provided. Split Into 8 Notes “Go to work; go to church let your •It’s time phrasing is explored in rap. Rhythms' relationship with lyrics: in the dreams die” – Jay Electronica context of changing how words function, is this works’ focus. Data Impact

•Developing music analysis in rap. Stressed accents paint a narrative beyond words.

Audio Excerpt Vowel sounds shift from O •The unique feature about my research is: A new key to interpret and appreciate a popular genre. to U to E I.

In next bar (not shown) •This addresses the problem of: expanding vague language around phrasing in rap. focus shifts to “a” & “yy”

Vowels/consonants are the chords of a rapper. •Think traditional music: harmony, melody, articulation, dynamics & rhythm- all intertwined. •Rap is no different, but there is slim vocabulary & notation around phrasing.

•Parameters in rap phrasing, drawn from data analysis:

•Vowel sounds individually •Consonant sounds individually Rhythmic Groove created •Accents via consonants & vowels. •IAI’s (Inter-accented syllables) 16th, 8th, ¼ notes- © but accented (& •Vowel groupings unaccented) consonants Audio Excerpt create groove. •Consonant groupings

Sounds shift from •Narrative analysis ‘a’ ->’ ihh’ -> ‘sss’

Accented consonants: •The story forms a bias in how the human ear hears. Rap is rooted in words. “Y K H K W (F – C), M) •This analytical project touches upon a need for greater scholarly engagement in rap music, a genre considered by Business Insider, & Billboard to be the most popular on earth.

Words with powerful associations can alter rhythmic accents. Contextual associations: Hurricane Katrina, homelessness, Nation of Work Cited Islam, signed to Jay-Z, affair with bank heiress Kate Rothschild, African Adams, Kyle. “On the Metrical Techniques of Flow in Rap Music.” Music Theory Online, 1 Mar. 2019. American liberation, “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” Ohriner, Mitchell. Flow: the Rhythmic Voice in Rap Music. Oxford University Press, 2019. Manabe, Noriko. “We Gon' Be Alright? The Ambiguities of 's Protest Anthem.” Music Theory Online, 1 Mar. 2019. Lynch, John. “..Hip-Hop Has Surpassed Rock to Become the Most Popular Music Genre..” Business Insider, Business Insider, 4 Jan. 2018.