The Difference Between Rap and Punk

As far as I know, no one has ever argued that rap and punk rock are similar, but I'm writing this anyway.

There are two main differences between rap music and punk rock, and it is that they are TOTALLY DIFFERENT. I'm not talking about the obvious audible differences(i.e., guitar riffs, frenetic rhythm, sampled beats, spoken word), no. I'm talking about how they differ in complete existence. While both are offshoots of mainstream music, they embody differing attitudes towards the public.

Rap music is inclusive. If rap music were sitting on a street corner and a disenfranchised-looking youth walked by, rap music would be like, "Hey, what's up? Why don't you come with me and kick it?" Rap music would lead the youth to a local block party inhabited by everyone from street thugs to young upper-class professionals that rap music had no doubt also solicited to attend. Everyone would be having a good time listening to rap music's dope rhymes and urban beats.

If the same disenfranchised youth walked by a street corner where punk rock was sitting, punk rock would sneer at the youth. Punk rock is alienative, because its origins come from being alienated and pushed away by mainstream society. Punk rock would sneer and evil-eye the youth until the youth turned and walked away. If the youth were to come back later wearing a torn-up t-shirt, safety-pins earrings, and a green mohawk, punk rock would still sneer, but invite the kid over for some menace.

Punk rock would bring the kid along to a house party where everyone is getting drunk, getting angry, and beating in the walls with a baseball bat. The youth wouldn't exactly be accepted, but he or she wouldn't exactly be turned away either. If the kid kept coming around enough times, he or she would just blend into the group. He or she would blend into punk rock.

Rap music and punk rock are not the same. Neither share the same beliefs, the same attitudes, nor the same origins. Wait, scratch that. They do share the same origins. Both contrived from somehow being shunned by society, and created itself in the areas where mainstream didn't care to look. Both grew into popular entities because of their do-it-yourself, home-grown persona. Both have always stayed true to their roots no matter how big they've gotten, and both have managed to kick off and kick out the posers who may have garnered short-lived careers riding off their coattails.

I guess rap music and punk rock are somehow the same. But yet, completely and totally different.