Especially Rap and Hip-hop. I don't know the difference. List some artist and say Rap or Hip-Hop. To me, it's all R&B, and Eminem is rock.:drums:

Hip-Hop is a culture. Rap used to be the music of that culture which, more or less, creatively embodied the culture's principles. You used to be able to readily identify rap music with Hip-Hop, but it has long since been exploited. To the point that rap music is now farther from Hip-Hop than R&B was at the time of Hip-Hop music's prominence.

Hip-Hop is the expression of Black People. Primarily those of Us in America. While we have many qualities able to be expressed, the culture was birthed out of the inadequacies of Blacks' well being in America and the grave disparities between racial socio-economic classes. And it expresses this vocally or otherwise. It is our "voice," whether it be graffiti, disc jockeying, rapping, breaking, dance, dress, speech, or attitudes. The "defiant" aspect of Hip-Hop derived from our WILL (not merely our wanting) to own something. Something that was in no way, shape or form, whitey's. But, of course, now we are largely the walking, talking representatives of the devil himself (his musical Jesse Jacksons, if you will).

Hip-Hop music is, quite literally, the poetry of our culture. Try to imagine Rakim stepping to the stage and reciting a verse, and then Project Pat coming with "good googly moogly, that thang is juicy." Where the Godly essence of creativity is void, there is no Hip-Hop (I'd even dare to take that a step further and say without Godly creativity there is no culture). Even so-called gangsta rap was poetry of what was happening in our neighborhoods as a result of political tyranny. Tupac's first album was extremely political. Money changes everything.

When Deon Warwick stopped receiving royalties from Solid Gold, she went straight into the spot light of banning Hip-Hop. She and that sell-out reverend couldn't stop it all-together, so the forces that be infiltrated it (as they do), exploited it, perverted it, and redefined "Hip-Hop music."

So now it's necessary to differentiate between "rap music" and "Hip-Hop" music. Because they are no longer one and the same. Now, rap music can be just talking over any arbitrary beat. Hip-Hop music is the creative poetry over a (hopefully) equally creative beat. And it's extremely important to note here that the scratching, drums and drum patterns speak volumes of equal or greater amplitude than the words from the rapper. But now even that has been reduced to mere snaps. And as much as I hate its poor display of the culture, the movie Beat Street showed just how creative it was at the time to produce even those awful beats from the '70s. Brothas took time and let the rhythm come through them into the recording (spiritual?). Now, very rarely is it something coming through us. Rather, now the formula for a hit song has been devised, and people are just attempting to recreate what whitey has defined as "good music." And our vibrations have been drastically reduced as a result. It's like we're moving backwards instead of progressing. And that's a key factor as to why the primary stage of Hip-Hop (if ever there was one) can be described as such. Because it progressed into a definitive culture. Where as now we're moving backwards. But that's in ANY AND ALL art forms. "Someone" wants to keep us as dumb, naive, and susceptible to suggestion as possible. But that wasn't your question :)

To me :
Rap / Hip Hop these two go hand n' hand
artist likes of , Black Eyed Peas / Outkast / 50Cent / Public Enemy / Snoop Dogg
Dr.Dre / Nelly / Tupac / Missy Elliott / The Roots / Kanye West / Jay Z to name a few,
these are Hip Hop Rap artists

Hip Hop is an art form that includes Deejaying (Cuttin' & scartchin') emceeing / Rappin
Breakdancing and grafitti art , these art forms came from the South Bronx of new York
through the 70's as Hip Hop has thrived within the subculture of Blacks in communities

On a Sociological prespective Hip hop has been some what part base of the main
contributing factors that help curtail some of our gang violence , many youngster as
well old used and was able to vent and channel their anger and aggressions into
these forms to ultimate express themselves .

Rap This Term wasn't always used in calling Rap Music.
Depending who you ask and from what generation the word Rap takes on
different meanings.

Rap was once a set of excuses a con artist used in effort to deceive you
in the 70's Rap was a word a person used to presuade you but today's time
Rap has took on a total different meaning, Rap means saying Rhymes to a
beat of music one of the four major elements within hip hop culture.

The major for elements what makes up Hip Hop Rap music today.
But Rap wasn't always used to describe the activity, the act of rhyming
to beats was called EMCEEING.

R&B is Rhythm mix with Blues
artist like R.Kelly / Mary J / Prince / Levert as so forth these are R&B artists

JMO..... to the defferents of these i could be wrong in my belief .