rap music

American

[rap myoo-zik] / ˈræp ˌmju zɪk /

Also rap

noun

a style of popular music, developed by disc jockeys and urban Black performers in the late 1970s, in which an insistent, recurring beat pattern provides the background and counterpoint for rapid, slangy, and often boastful rhyming patter intoned by a vocalist or vocalists.

the hottest new talent in rap music today.

Etymology

Origin of rap music

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

rap music

Abdoulaye N. started building a fan following two decades ago by sharing videos, set to rap music, on the French streaming platform Dailymotion under the social media handle Doudou Cross Bitume.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

LiAngelo is enjoying success as a rap music creator.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025

Ye's contributions to the history of rap music are undeniable.

From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2025

Jones wanted to save Powell from being associated with the negative publicity that surrounded rap music.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2024

He has worked part-time as a stock clerk, but he is pinning his hopes on his rap music, which his exasperated mother admits is pretty good.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023