Meaning of "rap" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD RAP

Probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish rappa to beat.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF RAP

rap  [ræp]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF RAP

Rap is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb rap in English.

WHAT DOES RAP MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Rapping

Rapping is "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The components of rapping include "content", "flow", and "delivery". Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat. Rapping is often associated with and a primary ingredient of hip hop music, but the origins of the phenomenon can be said to predate hip hop culture by centuries. It can also be found in alternative rock such as that of Cake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in Johannesburg, South Africa and is composed of hip hop elements. Since the early 21st century, it has been possible to hear rap in every major language of the world. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area between speech, prose, poetry, and singing. The word as used to describe quick speech or repartee predates the musical form. The word had been used in British English since the 16th century, and specifically meaning "to say" since the 18th.

Definition of rap in the English dictionary

The first definition of rap in the dictionary is to strike against with a sharp quick blow; knock. Other definition of rap is to make a sharp loud sound, esp by knocking. Rap is also to rebuke or criticize sharply.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO RAP

PRESENT

Present

I rap

you rap

he/she/it raps

we rap

you rap

they rap

Present continuous

I am rapping

you are rapping

he/she/it is rapping

we are rapping

you are rapping

they are rapping

Present perfect

I have rapped

you have rapped

he/she/it has rapped

we have rapped

you have rapped

they have rapped

Present perfect continuous

I have been rapping

you have been rapping

he/she/it has been rapping

we have been rapping

you have been rapping

they have been rapping

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I rapped

you rapped

he/she/it rapped

we rapped

you rapped

they rapped

Past continuous

I was rapping

you were rapping

he/she/it was rapping

we were rapping

you were rapping

they were rapping

Past perfect

I had rapped

you had rapped

he/she/it had rapped

we had rapped

you had rapped

they had rapped

Past perfect continuous

I had been rapping

you had been rapping

he/she/it had been rapping

we had been rapping

you had been rapping

they had been rapping

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will rap

you will rap

he/she/it will rap

we will rap

you will rap

they will rap

Future continuous

I will be rapping

you will be rapping

he/she/it will be rapping

we will be rapping

you will be rapping

they will be rapping

Future perfect

I will have rapped

you will have rapped

he/she/it will have rapped

we will have rapped

you will have rapped

they will have rapped

Future perfect continuous

I will have been rapping

you will have been rapping

he/she/it will have been rapping

we will have been rapping

you will have been rapping

they will have been rapping

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would rap

you would rap

he/she/it would rap

we would rap

you would rap

they would rap

Conditional continuous

I would be rapping

you would be rapping

he/she/it would be rapping

we would be rapping

you would be rapping

they would be rapping

Conditional perfect

I would have rap

you would have rap

he/she/it would have rap

we would have rap

you would have rap

they would have rap

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been rapping

you would have been rapping

he/she/it would have been rapping

we would have been rapping

you would have been rapping

they would have been rapping

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you rap
we let´s rap
you rap

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to rap

Past participle

rapped

Present Participle

rapping

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «RAP»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «rap» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of rap

bark · blame · blast · blow · carpet · castigate · censure · chat · chew out · chiding · clout · colloquy · confabulate · confabulation · conversation · converse · crack · craic · criticize · dialogue · discourse · discussion · diss · flame · hit · knock · pan · punishment · rebuke · reprimand · responsibility · scold · sentence · shoot the breeze · spit · strike · talk · tap · tick off

TRANSLATION OF RAP

Find out the translation of rap to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of rap from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «rap» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 说唱音乐
• Translator English - Spanish: rap
• English: rap
• Translator English - Hindi: रैप
• Translator English - Arabic: الراب
• Translator English - Russian: рэп
• Translator English - Portuguese: rap
• Translator English - Bengali: খট্ খট্ শব্দ
• Translator English - French: rap
• Translator English - Malay: Rap
• Translator English - German: Rap
• Translator English - Japanese: ラップ
• Translator English - Korean: 랩
• Translator English - Javanese: Rap
• Translator English - Vietnamese: rap
• Translator English - Tamil: ராப்
• Translator English - Marathi: रॅप
• Translator English - Turkish: tıklatma
• Translator English - Italian: rap
• Translator English - Polish: rap
• Translator English - Ukrainian: реп
• Translator English - Romanian: rap
• Translator English - Greek: rap
• Translator English - Afrikaans: rap
• Translator English - Swedish: rap
• Translator English - Norwegian: rap

10 QUOTES WITH «RAP»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word rap.

1

Lyor Cohen

Rap now is multi-generational, which has its own issues. My son is a big Cudi fan, but he does not like talking to me about Kid Cudi.

2

Tyler, The Creator

I don't really listen to rap; I just like to rap.

3

Jon Crosby

At least the rap metal stuff is good, but it's not really my bag. I've been listening to the radio since we've been touring the past month, because we don't get it most of the time.

4

Chuck D

Rap is supposed to be about keeping it real and not relinquishing your roots in the community. Without that, it's just posturing. Somebody who claims to speak for the 'hood don't need no private jet.

5

Hal David

Rap culture is interesting and different and has purpose but it has a non-romantic view of life and of social feelings. There may be a void in that.

6

Phife Dawg

I didn't really know what to expect, but I thought there aren't a lot of rap groups that can say they have a documentary done about them, so my attitude was like, 'Shoot, why not?' I'm sure there are a lot of people that would like to take our place. I felt like we should all embrace it.

7

Dan Deacon

You know, most people called rap stupid when it started, and it was one of the most innovative music forms of its time.

8

Arnaud Desplechin

There is rap music in all my films. In 'La Vie des Morts,' there is rap music too. It's because I'm French, and when it appeared in 1978, it was so new, it set off my musical imagination.

9

Eazy-E

Who gave it that title, gangsta rap? It's reality rap. It's about what's really going on.

10

Flavor Flav

Back in the day, when the D.J. would be playing a record, I'd be on the mic trying to hype up the crowd. So once Public Enemy became a rap group, I decided that that's the role that I wanted to take on. I wanted to be the one that was hyping, because I've always been good at it. I can hype up any crowd.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «RAP»

Discover the use of rap in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to rap and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

How to Rap

Exhaustively detailing the many complex aspects of rapping—such as utilizing literary tools and devices to strengthen content, battling, imagery, similes, metaphors, analogies, slang, performing both live and in the studio, word play, ...

Paul Edwards, 2009

Understand Rap: Explanations of Confusing Rap Lyrics You and ...

Enter Understand Rap, a very funny pop-cultural reference book based on the website of the same name, which precisely explains the confusing lyrics and terms used in rap songs using language that even the most un-hip person can understand.

William Buckholz, 2011

Gangsta Rap Coloring Book

In a smaller self-published edition, the book was an immediate hit with the few people who were able to see it. Now expanded from 20 to 48 pages, the book includes all of the top rappers and their underground peers.

Aye Jay Morano, Aye Jay, 2004

Rap Music and Street Consciousness

In this first musicological history of rap, Cheryl L. Keyes traces the genre's history from its roots in West African bardic traditions, the Jamaican dancehall tradition, and African American vernacular expressions to its permeation of the ...

Cheryl Lynette Keyes, 2004

Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black ...

Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission examines the phenomenon from musical, historical, and cultural perspectives.

Felicia M. Miyakawa, 2005

The Anthology of Rap

In this book, the editors demonstrate that rap is also a wide-reaching and vital poetic tradition born of beats and rhymes.

Adam Bradley, Andrew DuBois, 2011

Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America

In Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America, Tricia Rose, described by the New York Times as a "hip hop theorist," takes a comprehensive look at the lyrics, music, cultures, themes, and styles of this highly rhythmic ...

Tricia Rose, 1994

Shrink Rap: Three Psychiatrists Explain Their Work

Based on the authors’ hugely popular blog and podcast series, this book is for patients and everyone else who is curious about how psychiatrists work.

Dinah Miller, Annette Hanson, Steven Roy Daviss, 2011

Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization

So, too, is the book's careful mapping of hip-hop's place within the complex history of Japanese popular music since World War II. Condry is one of the handful of writers breathing new life into popular music ethnography with lively, ...

Ian Condry, 2006

Rap Music and the Poetics of Identity

This is the first book to discuss in detail how rap music is put together musically and how it contributes to the formation of cultural identities for both artists and audiences.

Adam Krims, 2000

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «RAP»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term rap is used in the context of the following news items.

Watch Alex Trebek Rap the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song on …

Monday night, host Alex Trebek started rapping the lyrics to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song. When the contestant Brandon chose to take on the “TV for ... «TIME, Jun 15»

Video of Shia LaBeouf's freestyle rap skills surfaces online

Add freestyle rapper to the list of skills owned by Shia LaBeouf. On Sunday, video of LaBeouf rapping surfaced online after it was uploaded to YouTube and ... «Entertainment Weekly, Jun 15»

'The Bachelorette' recap: From rap battle to Broadway

From rap battle to Broadway, Kaitlyn Bristowe and her remaining bachelors journeyed to New York for their next round of Bachelorette dates, only to be met with ... «Toronto Sun, Jun 15»

Rap mogul 'Suge' Knight refuses to attend LA court hearing

LOS ANGELES Rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight refused to leave his jail cell to attend a court hearing on robbery charges on Wednesday, saying he was ill, and ... «Reuters, May 15»

Suge Knight trial: Court releases 'hit-and-run' video

A court in Los Angeles has formally released video showing former rap label boss Marion "Suge" Knight running over two men with his pick-up truck. «BBC News, Apr 15»

Rap mogul 'Suge' Knight rushed to hospital after judge rules he will …

Knight, 49, was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s, and his label once listed Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its ... «Daily Mail, Apr 15»

Suge Knight Victim Won't 'Snitch' on Rap Mogul

One of the men whom Suge Knight ran over earlier this year admitted to a judge that he punched the rap mogul, but testified that he would not identify Knight ... «RollingStone.com, Apr 15»

Former rap mogul collapses in court after bail hearing

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former rap music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight collapsed in a courtroom Friday shortly after a judge ordered him held on $25 million bail ... «WTNH, Mar 15»

Horrifying Video Shows the Moment a Rap Mogul Drove His Truck …

Early Monday morning, TMZ released full video of the January hit-and-run that has rap mogul Suge Knight facing charges of murder and attempted murder ... «TheBlaze.com, Mar 15»

'Suge' Knight and the lurid legacy of gangsta rap

When I read about former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight's latest brush with the law — charges of vehicular assault that killed one man and wounded another ... «Los Angeles Times, Feb 15»