Understanding Rap Lyrics

If you fancy yourself a rap fan, do you actually know what the lyrics in the songs you like are sayingall Many people claim to be rap fans, yet don't know what the rapper is going on about. Rap can be very fast-paced so it isn't surprising that it can be hard to understand.

Lyrics are easy to find. Generally they'll be on the jacket of the CD, or in liner notes tucked inside. If not, you can almost always find lyrics online. Just run a search using the name of the song. Then, play the song while reading the lyrics. That's the easiest way to understand what is being said in the songs.

Commonly, parents worry about their children's musical choices. If you are a concerned parent, it is worth your while to scan the lyrics now and then. You may be unpleasantly surprised to find that your child is listening to songs with lyrics that don't reflect your values or ideals. You also can check CD labels on rap music. Many retailers will place a parental advisory sticker on a CD that has questionable content.

This is why rap music is so very controversial in the entertainment industry. No other form of music includes lyrics that are so blatantly objectionable. In many rap songs you'll hear content that is cruel, demeaning, impolite, and violent.

Some songs will include lyrics that detail drug use or talk about domestic violence. Some songs glorify the murder of police officers. Others talk about murder more generally, or encourage other illegal behavior. The artist will say "it's just for fun, it's entertainment," but often if you compare the lyrics with the lifestyle you can see a pretty good match.

These same artists will also claim that the industry compels them to write extreme songs. Shocking content helps rap music to sell.

Controversy is a great generator of PR, in fact. The more obnoxious lyrics are in a rap song, the more attention that song and artist are going to get. And that in turn equates to more sales. Some will purchase the music because it reflects their angry take on life. Others will buy it just because they are curious about the music that is causing so much of an uproar.

Don't assume that all rap artists follow that attention-getting tactic though. Plenty of rappers are looking to create top-notch music in their chosen medium, and have lyrics that are perfectly reasonable.