Difference Between Hip Hop and Pop

Hip Hop vs. Pop

Telling the difference between two musical genres can easily be determined by listening to each type of music. Although it may be difficult to say upfront, using concrete words, as to how each music style differs, every genre clearly has a distinct sound that separates it from other music forms. For example, by simply listening to what people say is ‘pop’ music, you’ll really know that it is pop. Also, if you listen to hip hop music, you’ll be able to identify it as hip hop, and not pop.

Besides from the difference in their sound or music style, both pop and hip hop also differ in other aspects. In terms of their birth year, pop is clearly the older music genre, having been developed in the middle portion of the 1950’s. It was only two decades after that, when hip hop began to flourish along with the entire hip hop culture.

Unlike pop, hip hop is also distinct, because it incorporates many musical styles into it’s music. The addition of certain loops, raps, freestyles, DJ‘s, scratches, breakdances, samples and the beatbox, has all molded hip hop into what it is today. Hip hop has become the medium to express political concerns and social unrest. Hip hop lyricists incorporate meaningful lyrics into their hip hop songs as ‘a capella’ free verse with certain rhymes, or as powerful phrases with accompanying beats. Due to this nature, hip hop music has become the music stereotype of the streets, the underground, the ‘black’ denomination and of the rebellious groups of people.

On the other hand, pop music is a genre that is generally loved by the masses. It’s music is almost always geared to appeal to the public, and to gain the most or biggest commercial success possible. Pop music includes love songs that are usually short and uncomplicated, which is on the contrary to the hip hop songs, that are usually longer in their lyrics, and in the duration of the entire hip hop song as well. It also has a larger audience that’s mostly composed of younger people, when compared to other musical genres. This is probably the reason why pop has continually penetrated the music industry ever since its emergence.

All in all, pop and hip hop differ in the following aspects:

1. Pop is an older music when compared to hip hop.

2. Hip hop has lots of raps, scratches, free verses and beatbox included in most of its songs, while pop is relatively simple and focuses more on love themes, targeting a much younger audience.

3. Pop songs usually have shorter lyrics, and shorter song durations, when compared to hip hop songs.

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