Singing vs Rapping: Difference and Comparison

The need to express oneself has been a challenge to many worldwide, while it has been a sense of comfort for the ones who have found the right way to express themselves. One can express themselves through paintings and art forms like dance and music.

Music is one of the major ways of expressing one’s raw emotions that the listeners relate themselves with. The comfort and entertainment that music gives an individual are replaceable.

Music can be rapping or singing. But why are they different even though they are both for expressing oneself?

Key Takeaways

1. Singing is producing musical sounds with the voice using melody and harmony. At the same time, rapping is a musical expression style involving rhythmic speech delivery over a beat.
2. Singing is associated with melodic and emotional expression while rapping is characterized by rhythm, rhyme, and wordplay.
3. Singing requires a good vocal range and control, while rapping requires good timing, flow, and delivery.

Singing vs Rapping

Singing is the process of making musical sounds with one’s voice, with a melody and lyrics spoken in a more melodic and prolonged manner. Rapping, on the other hand, is speaking rhythmically and fast with a particular tempo and rhyme pattern, frequently without the aid of a tune or music.

Singing is creating musical sound with the help of pitch, rhythm and beat. Singing also depends on the notes of each line, and they have a specific tone necessary to express the emotion right.

Rapping focuses on the rhyming and words along with the vernacular language used in them. The profanity in the language is used to show the rawness of the emotions of the individuals.

Beats always accompany rapping.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Singing	Rapping
Meaning	Creation of musical sound with the help of pitch, rhythm and beat	Rapping is described as the rhyming of the words to the given beats.
Expressing	The song’s feelings and emotions are expressed through the music rather than words while singing.	The feelings are expressed extensively through words and the beats that sync with the song. They also do not have any strict rules.
Beats	It is not necessary for singing always to be accompanied by a beat.	The raps depend on the given beats for each of them.
Focus	Singing focuses on the pitch, the notes and the voice. Their main focus lies on the notes.	Rapping only focuses on the rhythms and the rhyming words with the beats.
Performing	Singing is done in a formal environment like church choirs but can also be used in parties.	They have profanity language and are normally used in parties and clubs because of their upbeat rhythm.

What is Singing?

Singing is the process of creating musical sound with the help of variations in the song’s pitch, tone and rhythm. They are most expressive of their emotions through the music itself and not only through the words.

Though singing also requires rhyming, it is more for the flow of the music to create beautiful memories. Singing was initially done to entertain and calm the listeners.

Singing is done in a legato fashion, unlike rapping.

Controlling breathing is very important in singing, and singers have mastered it. They can control every aspect of breathing and other important aspects of making music, like pitch and tone.

They can change the pitch and tones instantly.

Singing also has a wider octave. Rapping needs only one octave, whereas singing requires a minimum of two octaves.

What is Rapping?

Rapping is a musical form. It involves rhyming, rhythm and street vernacular language. Most raps are known to have profane language because of the rawness of the emotions carried by each rap.

Rapping is accompanied by catchy beats that are required to rhyme with the words being used. During rapping, the composer or the writer’s emotions are expressed solely through words.

But rapping does not have any strict rules like singing.

A rapper has to use the right breathing technique for sustenance, projection and resonance. They can also be considered slightly tougher than singers because of their speed and complex rhythm.

Pitching and controlling the tone are not as defined as in singing. Their main focus is only on rhyming and not on the notes and pitches of each note.

Difference Between Rapping and Singing

1. Rapping is described as speaking, but it is much beyond that. Rapping is rhyming skills and making words rhyme to the given upbeat tune. Singing is seen as creating musical sound with pitch, rhythm, and beat variations.
2. Expressing one’s emotions is done differently with the help of the two. Rapping expresses the emotions of the writer or an individual through their words are seen to have profane language because of the raw emotions the words carry. Singing expresses emotions through music rather than words.
3. Rapping depends majorly on the beats given by the musician or composer of the rap. On the other hand, singing is unnecessary to be accompanied by beats. Many songs do not need beats but rather just a soft tune playing as they are made to comfort and calm the listeners.
4. Rapping focuses solely on the rhyming and the synchronization of the words with the beats given for the song. Though singing also depends on rhyming, they focus on the notes. Singing is also determined by the pitch and tone used by the singer.
5. Singing and Rapping also have different performing areas. Singing and having a decent language is done in many formal situations or occasions like birthday parties, church choirs, etc., but it also is done at parties for entertainment. Rapping is heard at parties and clubs that require grooving tunes.

References

1. Music therapists use rap and singing to enhance emotional self-regulation of youth: Results of a survey of music therapists in the Netherlands – ScienceDirect.
2. Rap & Singing for Emotional and cognitive development of at-risk-children (google.com)