Thank you Kanye, Drake and Kendrick

As the clock struck 6 p.m. after a particularly slow school day, I sluggishly entered my room and sank into my bed — only to remember that I had yet to finish a daunting English practice write, study for an APUSH test and complete an AP Biology lab report. No amount of 5-hour Energy drinks could save me this time; there was just too much work. Taking deep breaths in a desperate attempt to calm myself down, I realized that there was still one more solution: rap music.

The rap and hip hop genre possesses the sheer intensity and inspiration that can jumpstart even the most lackluster individual to conquer any looming assignment. 

But the reason rap is truly the best of all music is the versatility in its lyrics and beats. Unlike other genres like country, which can often be repetitive, rap is almost always new and innovative. 

Rap music can range from artful storytelling to clever  manipulation of words into melodious verses. It can criticize social inequality, such as in Kendrick Lamar’s “Blacker the Berry,” where he angrily raps “you hate me don’t you? You hate my people, your plan is to terminate my culture,” or comment on perseverance like in Eminem’s “Till I Collapse.” 

Rapping has its own distinctive melody as well. The rhythm created by rhyming structure and artists’ purposeful unique flow add depth to the genre.  This is the layer which reveals creativity, uncensored skill and sense of rhythm and music. 

Some rapping and hip hop can be superficial and empty, such as Drake’s chorus from his Billboard record song “I’m On One,” which goes, “All I care about is money and the city that I’m from.” But even these performances are popular amongst many with the music video garnering just shy of 94 million views. Their beats and various elements aside than lyrical depth make them catchy and pleasurable to the ear. 

The unequivocal dominance of rap and hip hop in the music scene can be seen in the recognition the genre receives from  various awards, such as Eminem’s hit “Lose Yourself,” which stresses the importance of seizing opportunities and pushing through struggles and won an Academy Award for best original song.

 Ultimately, rap and hip hop dominate the music world because quality rap is transcendental for the soul and for the emotions of the people listening to it.