Both hip hop and rap are distinct from other genres of music by the fact that they involve the use of spoken word over music instead of singing. In addition, both styles typically incorporate musical beats that involve the use of bass, record sampling and record scratching, or repetitive looping of certain segments of a song. They also are both heavily influenced by R&B, jazz and blues music. As both styles evolve, they increasingly incorporate other genres, creating different sounds and creative beats.
Hip hop music has traditionally been about storytelling. It was used as a means of conveying the reality of the inner city to the outside world. Popular subjects in the genre include violence, drugs and poverty. While hip hop still continues along the storytelling vein, some argue that rap has appropriated these subjects to glamorize a criminal lifestyle. Whatever the motivation, both hip hop and rap music depict an image of violent and impoverished minority communities that exist in major cities across America.
Listeners' position on the sliding scale of hip hop or rap artist is vital to the careers of contemporary musicians in the genre. Important factors in determining whether musical artists belong in the hip hop or rap category include their level of success, their song content and their public image. For example, a rapper that was considered to be a hip-hop artist when his music was underground, may be considered a rap artist once he becomes mainstream. Still, the two titles are not mutually exclusive and artists typically alternate between the two styles, meaning that their label may change at any moment. Some of the most popular hip-hop artists are also heavily present in rap music.
One critique of both hip-hop and rap is the language used in their lyrics. Heavily laced with profanity, the words at times contribute to the gritty subject matter they describe. Still, not everyone believes that the language is appropriate.The use of certain labels is offensive for some groups, as they feel that terms popularized in the genres portray negative images of African-Americans and women, for example. The root of this issue is determining the point at which language goes beyond mere description of a situation and becomes gratuitous. While the debate still goes on in both rap and hip-hop, most albums in the two genres are marked with a parental advisory label to warn parents of their profane content.