Rap is a kind of rhythmic recitation of rhymes and music that surged in the early 80s within the African American community in the United States. It is one of the four pillars of urban culture that is metonymically and imprecisely called hip hop. Although it can be performed a capella, rap normally is accompanied by a base, a musical or rhythmic form that is also known in Spanish by its English name, beat.
In the last century youths practice this pillar of hip hop throughout the world to express in rhymes what they felt. In some of Cuzco’s plazas you can find young people practicing their raps and learning little by little about the art.
It is curious because in other countries they do rap in their own languages, lie English or French, etc. One day I got to hear rap in our mother tongue, Quechua. I was on my way to the university on the bus and a boy got on and after greeting everybody started rapping in Quechua.
Everyone was amazed and drawn in how he used rap, which is not from our country, adapting it with words and phrases from our reality and in our language, Quechua. The boy was calle Qoscoruna, meaning Cuzco Man, and is getting more and more known by others who rapo elsewhere in the world.
You can find him on YouTube if you look for rap in Quechua. He is the first link that comes out, since there are few there who appear. Or you can just click here. In this way the culture hip hop and rap is being claimed by our culture.
Of course there are also rap battles and contests driven by the youth who do rap. Lets not forget as well the other pillars, such as beat box, graffiti, and break dancing. Our youth are practicing these arts fully.
