Punchlines in North-american Rap Music

Abstract

The objective of this writing is that of contextualizing, defining and analyzing punchlines in North-American rap music, as well as making clear what their importance is. To do so, first, a selection of important moments to the emergence of hip-hop and then, second, rap music have been selected to help in a better comprehension of the information contained within the punchlines here analyzed and also to give punchlines a sense of context, for they are strongly connected to the culture in which they gained form. Next, a selection of rappers is made, in terms of reducing the enormous quantity of punchlines that there are to a size that is possible to be analyzed at the same time of providing a variety concerning the types of punchline that there are. Lastly, and more importantly, a definition of the moment and environment in which punchlines were created is made, followed by a definition of what punchlines are, what leads them to the analysis per se of punchlines and their division into categories, categories which are defined by the way punchlines are constructed.