"MC can control the
audience, but a rapper is afraid of the audience or they can only sing their
hit record."
-- Ice-T
-- Ice-T
I have looked all over in forums
and in interviews trying to answer this question. It appears no one has written
articles to answer this question. People just write in forums, "What is
the difference between a rapper and an Emcee?" Emcees started out hyping
up the crowd for DJ's like the Herculoids for DJ Kool Herc. They were able to
keep the party going in between breakdancing and what not. Emcees are aware
that Hip Hop is a culture, a way of life versus just a job. Rappers use Hip Hop
as a job and are really just artists that don't worry about anything but their
interpretation of Hip Hop music. You can ask most rappers what the Nine
Elements of Hip Hop are and they won't have a clue.
Like Ice-T has said, an Emcee
controls the crowd and makes the crowd understand what they are trying to do
whether they are rapping, dancing, or just hyping up people they worked with,
whatever. An Emcee knows what he came there to do, and that is interpret his
version of the Hip Hop culture. A true Emcee starts a movement that betters the
people around them and brings them along with them. A rapper really just cares
about themselves and their image.
A real Emcee is original and
doesn't bite off other people's stuff. They don't get ghost writers, they
handle their own lyrics. Their lyrics aren't just words, they actually mean
something. A rapper is one that only writes club hitters cause he or she is
just trying to make money. An Emcee is real, a rapper is just a gimmick.
I hope this article shed some
more light on this topic. It seems that many people can't really answer this
topic because they don't really know how to. This question has been lost in
translation through the years. I once asked a youngster, what kind of music do
you listen to?
"Hip Hop," they
answered.
"Who's your favorite
artist?"
"Kendrick Lamar."
"You ever hear of
KRS-One?"
"Who's that?"
Enough said people...
This is KRS-One, for those who don't know. Here are some links to him...
A Boogie Down Production (KRS-One & Scott La Rock) joint:
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