--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So, rap has that quality, for youth…" description: "\"So, rap has that quality, for youth anyway; it's a kind of blues element. It's physical, almost gymnastic. It speaks to you organically. Rap grows out ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/archie-shepp-28951_black_so-rap-has-that-quality-for-youth-anyway_2221765.jpg" --- # So, rap has that quality, for youth anyway; it's a kind of… ![“So, rap has that quality, for youth anyway; it's a kind of blues element. It's physical, almost gymnastic. It speaks to you organically. Rap grows out of what young people really are today, not only black youth, but white - everybody.” quote by Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/archie-shepp-28951_black_so-rap-has-that-quality-for-youth-anyway_2221765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/archie-shepp-28951_black_so-rap-has-that-quality-for-youth-anyway_2221765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b2/archie-shepp-28951_black_so-rap-has-that-quality-for-youth-anyway_2221765.jpg) > “So, rap has that quality, for youth anyway; it's a kind of blues element. It's physical, almost gymnastic. It speaks to you organically. Rap grows out of what young people really are today, not only black youth, but white - everybody.” [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rap reflects youthful energy, blending physicality and emotional honesty, transcending racial boundaries. **In simple terms:** Rap is youthful, physical, honest, and universal. Key Takeaway Embrace rap’s raw, inclusive spirit. Themes youth culture music expression Mood energetic hopeful Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - music education - community events - creative workshops Key Concepts cultural hybridity physicality authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What makes rap resonate with you? - How can rap bridge diverse groups? A Different Perspective Might overgeneralize all youth experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-youth/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Rap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rap/) [Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapper/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [To become young again would seem to me an appalling prospect. 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But when black youth killed somebody, the power structure was looking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/new-york-white-youth-were-killing-victims-that-was-a-sociological/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“That’s standard procedure for officer safety. We didn’t know that was Ms. Jefferson’s son. We saw a large, angry Black youth who was visibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/that-s-standard-procedure-for-officer-safety-we-didn-t-know-that-was/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Archie Shepp > [Rap actually took root in the Negro community, and then in the Hispanic community, long before it impacted on the larger American community as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/rap-actually-took-root-in-the-negro-community-and-then-in-the/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [And when I met Cecil Taylor it was a complete transformation of musical identities. All the tenets that I had grown up with were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/and-when-i-met-cecil-taylor-it-was-a-complete-transformation-of/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [It was a particularly interesting and exciting time, and the European political and artistic establishment was turned on by the Civil Rights Movement and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/it-was-a-particularly-interesting-and-exciting-time-and-the-european/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [So, I was just a young guy, maybe with an idea, and Cecil Taylor, himself a rebel, would take a chance on a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/so-i-was-just-a-young-guy-maybe-with-an-idea-and-cecil-taylor-himself/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [Yes, the audience is so important to Negro music, especially the element of call and response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/yes-the-audience-is-so-important-to-negro-music-especially-the/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [A whole generation of young whites have involved themselves with traditional Negro music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/a-whole-generation-of-young-whites-have-involved-themselves-with/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [In America, for a brief time, people who followed John Coltrane were studied and considered important, but it didn't last long. The result is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/in-america-for-a-brief-time-people-who-followed-john-coltrane-were/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [You get a show where people are jumping up and dancing, but it's not a critical event in the sense of profound catharsis. Essentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/you-get-a-show-where-people-are-jumping-up-and-dancing-but-it-s-not-a/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [I can't see any separation between my music and my life. I play pretty much race music: its about what happened to my father,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/i-can-t-see-any-separation-between-my-music-and-my-life-i-play-pretty/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [Negro music and culture are intrinsically improvisational, existential. Nothing is sacred. After a decade, a musical idea, no matter how innovative, is threatened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/negro-music-and-culture-are-intrinsically-improvisational-existential/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [All the tenets that I had grown up with were thrown out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/all-the-tenets-that-i-had-grown-up-with-were-thrown-out-the-window/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [I find that here in the States, audiences are generally less knowledgeable, from the cognitive point of view, though they are emotionally more receptive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/i-find-that-here-in-the-states-audiences-are-generally-less/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [In rap music, even though the element of poetry is very strong, so is the element of the drum, the implication of the dance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/in-rap-music-even-though-the-element-of-poetry-is-very-strong-so-is/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [Music and culture are intrinsically improvisational, existential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/music-and-culture-are-intrinsically-improvisational-existential/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [Black music has become a commercial commodity. Live performances are not so accessible as they were previously. It use to be possible to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/black-music-has-become-a-commercial-commodity-live-performances-are/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) [Explore all 19 Archie Shepp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) ## More Black quotes > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. 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