to rap
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to rap
A form of spoken singing in which lyrics are spoken rhythmically to a beat. It is a central element of hip-hop culture.
Er hat schon als Jugendlicher angefangen, eigene Texte zu schreiben und zu rappen.
He started writing his own lyrics and rapping when he was still a teenager.
In its modern meaning, 'rappen' (to rap) is a loanword from English ('to rap'). It is conjugated regularly like a German verb: ich rappe, du rappst, er hat gerappt.
Viele deutsche Künstler rappen erfolgreich auf Deutsch.
Many German artists successfully rap in German.
The meaning 'reiben' (to rub) or 'raspeln' (to grate/rasp) is obsolete and is practically no longer used in modern German. It can only still be found in historical texts.
Die Bedeutung 'reiben' für 'rappen' findet man heute nur noch in alten Kochbüchern.
The meaning 'reiben' (to rub) for 'rappen' (to grate/rasp) is found today only in old cookbooks.
When describing the content of the rap, you use the preposition 'über' (+ accusative). To describe the rhythm, you use 'zu' (+ dative).
In ihren Liedern rappt sie oft über soziale Probleme.
In her songs, she often raps about social problems.
to sing
'singen' and 'rappen' both have to do with the voice and music. With 'singen', melody and notes are the main focus. With 'rappen', lyrics are spoken rhythmically to a beat; it sounds more like spoken singing and is often part of hip-hop. Learners may confuse the words because rap is also musical and is done with the voice. If the melody is important, you say 'singen'. If rhythm, beat, and spoken lyrics are important, 'rappen' fits better.
Tom rappt seinen eigenen Text zu einem schnellen Beat.
Tom raps his own lyrics to a fast beat.
In der Pause hat Maria ein Lied aus dem Radio gesungen.
During the break, Maria sang a song from the radio.