Pop/Rock  •  Hard Rock

Rap-Rock

Rap-Rock was a continuation of rap-metal, a hybrid of hip-hop and heavy metal pioneered by such bands as Anthrax. Rap-metal had big, lurching beats and heavy, heavy riffs -- occasionally, it sounded as if the riffs were merely overdubbed over scratching and beat box beats. Rap-rock was a little more organic, often because it was a rock song where the vocalist rapped instead of sang. Nevertheless, there was certainly elements of hip-hop in the rhythms, too, since there was more funk to rap-rock than normal hard rock. At times, the difference between rap-metal and rap-rock may be minute, since they both favor loud guitars and beats, but the main difference is that organic, integrated sound, best heard on Kid Rock's 1998 rap-rock masterpiece, Devil Without a Cause.