Abstract The paper compares these two genre's using the works "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and a child's ballad entitled "The Trooper and the Maid" by Ron Clarke, in an attempt to propose the idea that rap songs are an extension and adaptation of ballads. It begins by defining the two genres and discussing their origins. It then explores the structure and the melodies associated with these art forms in relation to the aforementioned works. The focus then shifts to the purpose of the musical forms and the ways in which these musical traditions are handed down from generation to generation.
From the Paper "Over the past twenty years rap music and hip-hop culture have become a way of life. The music has become an art form that is often criticized for raunchy violent lyrics and described as garbage by many, but it has stood the test of time and crossed all racial and ethnic barriers.
"According to an article written by Curtis Blow, a forefather of the rap and the hip- hop movement, rap is conversing in rhyme to the rhythm of a beat. (Blow). Encarta explains further that rap is a genre of rhythm-and-blues music that consists of rhythmic vocals declaimed over musical accompaniment. ("Rap") In a rap song the musical accompaniment is characterized by electronic drumbeats, which are used in combination with samples taken from previous musical recordings."
Abstract This paper explains that the cowboy ("vaqueros", Spanish,which evolved from the root word, "vaca" meaning cow) was first introduced in 1598 in the United States then known as the New Mexico Kingdom. The author points out that the American cowboys of the late 1800's trail drives came from Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Gaelic roots in the British Isles thus their distinctive lingo was based generally on the English language; their poems and songs are a part of the old tradition of balladry, the modern form of which is called western music. The paper relates that modern cowboys are still working in comfortable homes with their families, use advanced technology and husbandry in working cattle, use horses on the range but trucks are more common and helicopters and airplanes are used to supplement horses in herding cattle
From the Paper "Equestrians, mounted horsemen, date back to 4000 B.C. and can be seen in Mesolithic representations of halters on domesticated horses. Archaeological evidence of horsemen in Spain can be found in rock art dating before 2000 B.C. and "in fragments of Celtic weapons, horseshoes, bridle bits and prick spurs by 500 B.C.." Other evidence from this same era include "bent-knee riders in saddles of concave silhouette" that appear in Iberian stone carvings, bronze castings, and vase paintings. During the Middle Ages, mounted herdsmen were a frequent fixture on the semi-arid lands of Spain, but rare in many other European countries, such as England and France."
