Backpack Rap: Writing for the Subculture
What is Backpack Rap?
According to Urban Dictionary:
" "backpack rapper" is a phrase usually given to a young aspiring musician who's lyrics are deep and dictate life experiences, often his own, or those of a social group to which he feels a strong association. The iconic "backpack" is literal, referring to the backpack in which many aspiring rappers carry as they travel. In urban settings many young musicians focus on the meaning of their raps, and tend to not bloat with pop cultural references"
One of my personal favorite backpack artists is Chance, The Rapper.
Chance is a rapper from Chicago, Illinois.
Chance dropped his first mixtape, "10 Day" after a 10 day suspension in spring of 2011.
On April 13, 2013, Chance released his second, critically acclaimed mixtape: "Acid Rap"
Acid Rap, in my opinion, was the best mix tape of the year. With features like Childish Gambino, Twista, Vic Mensa, and many others, the production along with the lyrics create an excellent mix tape. Chance creates a psychedelic rap mix tape, and it definitely shows. All the talk of LSD and acid, and what its like to "Taste Paper" show how different this artist and this type of artistry can differ from the norm. If you haven't heard of Chance the rapper then I highly recommend that you check out "Acid Rap", it is incredible, and you will be hooked from the intro...
Chance is also part of a hip hop collective known as the "Save Money Crew"
for more information about them I suggest you check out this guide:http://www.refinedhype.com/hyped/entry/save-money-guide
Having seen Chance live this past weekend, I was blown away. He was so energetic and bouncing all over the stage. He is a surprisingly good dancer and really did a great job opening and setting the stage for J Cole. I expect many great things from Chance in the future.
This was very informative.I had to clue what backpack rap was before reading this blog. I appreciated the use of one long example rather than multiple. It put things into an easier perspective for the reader. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love back packer rap and Chance is one of my top three rappers right now along with Danny Brown and MF Doom. He really channels that soul vibe through hip-hop like Kanye does. Speaking of Kanye, he made a back pack rap reference on Yeezus, referencing himself as a back rap rapper, "pink ass polos with a FUCKIN backpack / but everybody knows you brought real rap back"
ReplyDeleteMF DOOM is the man!!! Madvillainy is one of my favorite albums of all time.
DeleteChance is easily one of my favorite rappers and i think he is a great example of a backpack rapper. He is a guy that just does his own thing he's not on a label an is still making it big. His persona is a one of a kind in the rap game right now and Acid Rap was defienitely the best mix tape of the year, and compares with some of the other all time greats.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post! I liked your interpretation of backpack rappers and how they carry their past and experiences literally on their back everywhere they go. I haven't listened to Chance very much, but after reading this post I will definitely try him out
ReplyDeleteFinally someone posted a blog... But yeah i like your blog. I didn't know much about Chance, and at least now i know a little about him now. After i'm done commenting on this i'm going to listen to the intro of his album and maybe i'll actually be hooked.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, is he from like southern Chicago where guys like Chief Keef are from?
yeah both from south side
DeleteI liked the fact that you used the Urban Dictionary to define what "backpack rapper" actually meant. This is my first time ever seeing this word, so your examples really helped me understand. Your examples were also very thorough. Overall, you did a good job on the blog post.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge fan of Chance. I actually met him when I was at a Juicy J concert downtown Chicago. I think this blog proves a great point at how Chance is a backpack rapper. He really describes how his life was affected by where he grew up and how he grew up with the experiences he had.
ReplyDeleteNever knew about this type of rapper until reading this blog.Make sense those carrying dreams and experiences with them through there journey of life. I learned something new.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post because I had never heard about backpack rap before. Also, I have heard a lot about this mixtape but I never really took the time to look for it or to listen to it. But after reading this post I took the time to listen to it in the video and I really enjoyed it . From the songs that I heard I noticed that Chance has a lot of personality and this makes his music worth listening to.
ReplyDeleteI like your post and how you used your topic as a artist spotlight blog as Chance is a perfect example of backpack rap from the definition you provided. Chance definitely has a unique song that's attractive to the ear. I'm glad you highlighter him as I liked his Acid Rap mixtape but never heard of his first one (which I think is funny he made while he was suspended from school). Thanks to this post, I'll definitely check it out.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this type of artist before reading this post. Also, using Chance as your example was definitely a great choice.
ReplyDelete