Braggadocio (rap)

Braggadocio is a type of rapping where the MC is "bragging and boasting"[1] and can include subjects such as physicality, fighting ability, financial wealth, sexual prowess, or coolness.[2] It is often heavily used in battle rapping,[1] and braggadocio lyrics can range from simply stating how skillful one is to employing complex literary techniques.[1]

The book How to Rap shows an example of complex braggadocio through Eric B. & Rakim's track 'No Omega' from their Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em album.[3] MCs such as Murs, Guerilla Black, and Esoteric also suggest reasons in How to Rap for why braggadocio is so common in rapping, ranging from competitiveness in the old school hip-hop ethic, to the struggles of "young, black males in America".[3] MCs also feel that braggadocio is an important aspect of hip-hop and rapping and that it can also be mixed with other topics to good effect.[4]

Rap's braggadocio—unlike other bragging by young men about sex, wealth, and physical strength—can also be about the rapper's artistic or poetic ability.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 25.
  2. ↑ Smitherman, Geneva (2000). Talkin That Talk: Language, Culture, and Education in African America. London: Routledge. p. 219. ISBN 0-415-20864-5. OCLC PE3102.N4 S63 2000. Retrieved 11/07/2009. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 26.
  4. ↑ Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 27.
  5. ↑ Bradley, Adam (2009). Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop. New York: Basic Civitas Books. p. 189. ISBN 0-465-00347-8. OCLC ML3531 .B73 2009.