Rap opera
| Rap opera | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins |
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| Typical instruments | Turntable, vocals, drum machine, sampler, synthesizer, beatboxing, bass guitar |
| Other topics | |
A rap opera or hip hopera or sometimes urban opera is a musical work in hip hop style with operatic form.[1] The terms have been used to describe both dramatic works and concept albums, and hip hopera has also been used for works drawing more heavily on contemporary R&B than hip hop.
Etymology
The word hip hopera is a portmanteau of hip hop and opera. An early use of the phrase was a 1994 album of that name by Volume 10 (although not a concept album). The first dramatic production to use the term was a 2001 telefilm by MTV, titled Carmen: A Hip Hopera. The word received increased use after 2005, in describing R&B singer R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet series.[2]
Examples
- Graffiti Blues (1992) by Ron Mokwena and Misha McK, rap opera staged at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium[3][4]
- A Prince Among Thieves, 1999 concept album by Prince Paul, telling the story of a young rapper struggling for a break
- Deltron 3030 (2000), science fiction concept album
- Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), directed by Robert Townsend and starring Beyoncé Knowles and Mekhi Phifer
- Polarity (2003) by Norman (Onry Ozzborn and Barfly)
- A Night at the Hip Hopera (2004) by The Kleptones
- Trapped in the Closet (2005–2012), series of songs and videos by R. Kelly, recounting a string of events following a one-night stand
- Two of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musicals, In the Heights (2007) and Hamilton (2015), have been characterized as rap operas.
- The Incredible True Story (2015) by Logic
See also
References
- ↑ Snorton, C. Riley (2009). "Trapped in the Epistemological Closet: Black Sexuality and the 'Ghettocentric Imagination'". Souls. 11 (2): 99. ISSN 1099-9949. doi:10.1080/10999940902910115.
- ↑ Sumanth Gopinath (19 July 2013). The Ringtone Dialectic: Economy and Cultural Form. MIT Press. pp. 246–. ISBN 978-0-262-01915-6.
- ↑ Felecia Piggott McMillan (2005). The North Carolina Black Repertory Company: 25 Marvtastic Years. Open Hand Publishing, LLC. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-940880-74-0.
- ↑ Heffley, Lynne (November 7, 1992). "Rap Opera Graffiti Addresses Plight of the Youth". Los Angeles Times.
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