What makes a song "rap" as opposed to "hip hop?"
Absolutely nothing. But if you want to be correct, Defy is right, but then again you could also classify that as Instrumental.
Rap is a form of music which is a part of hip hop.
Hip hop is everything.
The style in rap music, the way rappers deliver their lyrics, the way they influence others just by their style, that's hip hop.
The way an emcee moves his arms and hands when he freestyles or performs, that's hip hop.
The way you act or talk is hip hop.
There is no such thing as real hip hop or fake hip hop, it's a culture, so obviously it's real.
That being the case, some topics in rap music do get exploited but that doesn't mean it's fake.
A rap song about breaking, graffiti, with turntablism and beatboxing and what not is still RAP. It's a rap song reflecting elements of the culture, that's all.
You can say it makes it more hip hop than a song about violence but really, it doesn't. It's still rap music, it's just a different style.
What it boils down to with rap music is what YOU want to hear and HOW you want to hear it. And whether or not you choose to follow against or with or both. Whether you are open-minded or naive.
"Backpacker" hip hop refers to a particular brand of underground Hip-Hop which is so-named because of its backpack-sporting listeners. Backpackers are stereotypically educated, liberal elitists who desire hip hop to be free of all materialism that they claim mainstream rap propagates. They prefer hip hop that they claim is more intelligent and complex, which is often underground.
I did not write the above in bold. However it's a perfect explanation of the infamous backpacker coined term which now is even used as an insult.
I personally can listen to Big L, then listen to Mac Dre, then listen to PUTS, then Eazy E, then DL Incognito, then E-40, then Nas, then Too Short, then Immortal Technique.
The bottom line is doesn't matter what style I listen to or whether it's conscious or not or underground or mainstream. Not one of the artists or groups above is more hip hop than the other, what matters is it's all a part of hip hop regardless, as a whole.
Some people don't accept this they consider it harmful to the culture of hip hop, the breakdown of hip hop, the demise of hip hop. They also believe that stations like MTV and BET support this commercial materialistic breakdown. So they bash it, and commercial radio, and everything that isn't real to hip hop in their minds.
That's just ignorance.
And to be honest, sometimes I fall into it myself with certain music, but its just music, it has nothing to do wit the state of hip hop, hip hop will always have its roots intact.
But to answer your question, absolutely nothing makes a song rap as opposed to hip hop, any song with an emcee rapping on it is a form of rap music, it really boils down to what that rapper is speaking on and how it reflects on the listener and his/her beliefs. Because that's where their opinion will stem from which in return will add to all this madness of what's real and what's not.
Just enjoy the culture, listen to what you LIKE, respect what you don't, and stay humble.
