Rapper vs. Emcee vs. Lyricist vs. Artist

Rapper makes me think of mixtapes, like Gucci Mane. MC makes me think of Wu Tang, so more like an old school raw type flow. Lyricist is self explanatory, probably someone that will mostly be on features and freestyles. Artists, think Kanye or Eminen, someone that has a part in more than just writing bars, be it producing singing business etc...
 
Rapper - Somethin everyone thinks they can be..
Emcee - Old School 'Rapper'..
Lyricist - They missing somethin; either the voice/look/etc.
Artist - All Around package

That's jus what comes to mind.. I'd say a Rapper/Emcee/Lyricist are pretty much the same thing. Bein jus one uh the 3 won't make you uh artist though..
 
Artist- is the overall package like said before (songs, hooks, lyrics, versatility, image)
You can be a great lyricist but not be a good artist= Someone who can spit crazy 16's but can't make good songs or hooks
You be a mediocre lyricist but a great artist= Might not have crazy bars but makes good overall songs and hooks
 
Last edited:
Rapper - MC Hammer, Will Smith, Young MC, Kanye West
- Commercial success, broad audience, no color involved, seen as being "safe"

Emcee - Rakim, Kool G Rap, Eminem, Big Pun, KRS One
- Liked and admired by other rappers but don't necessarily chase commercial fame, have more of a gift than a lyricist, can have a hit if the time is right.

Lyricist - Canibus, SuperNatural, Jin, Elzhi
- Witty, stay underground mostly, love the respect of being good, don't necessarily have what it takes to appeal to people outside of the underground lyricism circuit - well, I'll say won't do what it takes...

Artist - Snoop, LL , Mase, Nas
- Pretty much a hybrid rapper / emcee that can be coached into making mainstream songs. Can move farther across the spectrum than most without trying to "keep it real" 24/7, take direction well
 
Last edited:
Rapper - lots of album and mixtapes, catchy bars
Emcee - older school rapper that can really put on a show and the crowd crazy
Lyricist - crazy metaphors, freestyles, wordplay
Artist - established 'image', does more than just spit bars
 
rapper, emcee is the same thing
lyricist can apply to any songwriter in any genre
artist can apply to any musician in any genre
 
Rapper- Someone who, from a musical perspective, solely raps. Usually they're more commercial. Eg. 50 Cent, Xzibit, ANY rapper from your neighborhood

Emcee- Either well respected and talented rappers or NY sound alikes and elitists. Usually they're more underground than somethin playin on the radio. Eg. All of De La Soul, Lupe Fiasco, any cat that ONLY raps on boom bap beats

Lyricists- Cats that rap like "LYRICAL MIRACLE UP IN YOUR SWIMMING POOL!!" They CONSTANTLY sound angry bout somethin just outside our scope of knowledge. They can be rappers OR emcee's as well but I have YET to see one thats an artist. Eg. Cannibus, Eminem, Lupe Fiasco (Again), half of the cats that say they're "Underground" and rap over boom bap beats

Artist- Someone who, from a musical standpoint, does more than rap. They are usually multi-instrumentalists, rapper/producers and or rapper/singers. Eg. DJ Quik, Kanye West, etc
 
Last edited:
rapper - someone who rhymes words to a beat.
ex: anyone who raps

emcee (MC) - traditionally, someone who performs live/hosts live performances. the term has been around way longer than rap music.
ex: any rapper that does live performance (tours, etc.), battle rappers, hype men, club dj's

the definition is a little different these days tho.


lyricist - rappers who focus on the skill aspect of rapping; delivery metaphors, punchlines, wordplay, multis, etc.
ex: eminem, elzhi, big l, big pun, battle rappers

artist - the visionairy. they create the whole concept behind their work and watch over it every step of the way.
ex: producer/rappers, musicians
 
Rapper = Someone who partakes in the rapping element of Hip-Hop
Lyricist = Someone who likes to spit what I like to call "Dictionary Rap".
Emcee = Someone who doesn't just rap to listeners, but "speaks" to them.
Artist = Anyone who creates, regardless of genre.
 
does the term "rapper" have a negative connotation to you? If you are a skilled "rapper", wouldn't you be called one of the other terms?
 
tcole2004 said:
does the term "rapper" have a negative connotation to you? If you are a skilled "rapper", wouldn't you be called one of the other terms?
Click to expand...

Rapper is just an umbrella term. It means you 'should' fall into one or possibly more of those subgroups.

I get what you're saying, if you aren't an emcee or lyricist or artist, you ain't shit and I have to agree with that.
 
ScorchinBeats said:
Since when is writing a song equal to writing lyrics. There are genres without lyrics.
Click to expand...

because more times than not; when you say you're [writing a song] . . . the first connotion with most people is lyrics.

the term "lyricist" was around before 1979 . . . before Hip-Hop . . . yall just thinking of that shit in a Hip-Hop context where a lyricist is some over-the-top azz street poet armed to the teeth in "figurative poetic devices" basically.
 
yes i think they r different because rappers, mcs r about makin words ryhme or getting the crouwd hypt i think and artist is more of the total package when i say this i mean and artist is truly what it say ur sounds come together to paint a beautiful picture the instruments r ur paint brushes and the sounds is ur paint and u conbind them all to make ur monalisa
 
A rapper is someone who can write couplets and make the end of each couplet rhyme. Rapping is a generic term for the ability to do this. Placing the label of rapper on someone or on one's self does not indicate any proficiency at the action.

An Emcee is someone who is proficient at not only rapping, but applying various techniques to the action of rapping. Through proficiency in doing this, the Emcee is one who is capable of developing their own style or styles of delivery. The most proficient of Emcees consistently displays the ability to adapt to different tempos, structures, and guidelines such as specific subjects, time constraints or style requirements. An Emcee is not just a rapper, he/she is a master at rapping. Rappers are not necessarily Emcees. Most of what you hear on the radio are rappers.

A lyricist is someone who specializes in writing lyrics proficiently. They go beyond just rhyming couplets, but consider such minutiae as rhyme schemes, timing, alliteration, allegory, effective delivery, interconnection between bars and stanzas, effective reference, etc.. For example, if someone wrote the sentence:

Johnny went to the store.

The concerned lyricist would wish to make this statement have an effective flourish for the reader/listener:

Johnny mobilized his physical structure with an end to make a purchase at his local merchant's hut.

See the difference?

An Artist is someone who specializes in one of the aesthetic arts, who takes the Art seriously enough to constantly have that Art on their conscience. They devote their time and Life to that Art because without it, their existence feels incomplete.

Just because one is a rapper does not make them an artist. Just because one makes beats does not make them an artist. And like the Emcee, most of who you hear on the radio are not Artists.
 
Last edited:
For me an artist is a person who makes something, so artis can be everyone who makes something wich looks,sound good :)
 
Lyricist - (3 Stacks) Can't wait ft sleepy brown - unique rhyme schemes, fresh use of syllables and meter, no so concerned with image/brand, story teller

Arist - Kanye West - MBDTF - All round! Beats, Bars, sings, Image,

Old school Rapper/MC - Jay-z Eminem/ Nas (Renergade)/Half man half amazin - Tend not to sing in the conventional sense, old school type can freestyle (off the dom not pre-written) Can be very lyrical but in a completely different way to lyricists,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top