Metric and speech-related time shaping of rap in historical changes
Abstract
Microtiming in rap is as linked to musical metre as it depends on the rhythm of speech. The results of an exploratory pilot study with recordings of 14 MCs between 1979 and 2002 suggest that esp. laidback, speech contrast (Sprachkontrast), and metrical conciseness (metrische Prägnanz) are suitable means to describe historical changes of microtiming features. The hypotheses that derived from the pilot study were retested with new material, which comprised recordings with 20 MCs from 1983 to 2013. The new results confirmed a large increase in laidback throughout that time as well as a large decrease of metrical conciseness. However, since the hypothesis of a large increase in speech contrast could not be confirmed, the latter observation has given rise to further considerations.
