This article is a study of the ways in which collaboration is signaled in the delivery of rap lyrics. I begin by describing the importance and prevalence of unified flow in music released by rap groups during the genre’s formative period in the 1980s and early 1990s. I follow this with a discussion of the continued importance of unified flow in tracks released by solo artists featuring guest rappers—a practice that has increased in frequency since rap’s inception, while rap groups have become less widespread. To illustrate this point, I analyze several songs that feature guest rappers, each exhibiting a level of flow cohesion that is exceptionally marked and uncommon when compared to most lead/guest rapper relationships. I conclude with some possible reasons for collaborative flow in rap music, as well as a discussion of unity as a theoretical concept. An understanding of the importance of unified flow in shared rap tracks enhances our understanding of the nature of collaboration and musical identity in rap music—a vital endeavor as music theorists strive to become increasingly conversant in the musical idioms and styles of hip-hop. Volume 23, Number 4, December 2017 Copyright © 2017 Society for Music Theory

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分析说唱音乐中的协作流程

这篇文章是对在说唱歌词的传递中合作发出信号的方式的研究。我首先描述了 1980 年代和 1990 年代早期说唱团体在该流派形成时期发行的音乐中统一流动的重要性和流行程度。在此之后，我讨论了由以客座说唱歌手为特色的独唱艺术家发行的曲目中统一流动的持续重要性——自说唱开始以来这种做法越来越频繁，而说唱团体则变得不那么普遍。为了说明这一点，我分析了几首以客座说唱歌手为特色的歌曲，每首歌曲都表现出一定程度的流动凝聚力，与大多数领唱/客座说唱歌手的关系相比，这种凝聚力非常明显且不常见。我总结了说唱音乐中协作流程的一些可能原因，以及统一作为一个理论概念的讨论。对共享说唱曲目中统一流动的重要性的理解增强了我们对说唱音乐中合作和音乐身份的本质的理解——这是一项至关重要的努力，因为音乐理论家努力变得越来越熟悉嘻哈的音乐习语和风格。第 23 卷，第 4 期，2017 年 12 月 版权所有 © 2017 音乐理论协会