Rap opera

A rap opera or hip hopera is a series of hip hop songs in the form of an opera, inspired by the concept of rock opera.

Like its predecessor, rap opera tells a story through consecutive pieces of music involving the same character or characters. Rap opera may be a purely auditory experience, or it may be associated with a musical, comic book, or other art form. It is a relatively young, spontaneous form, performed more by amateurs and non-profit groups than by professional emcees.

When R&B singer R. Kelly was asked on IFC how he defines his "Trapped in the Closet" series, Kelly stated that he describes it as a hip hopera or musical opera, but that it's now too long to be called a song. In 2001, MTV debuted a telefilm entitled Carmen: A Hip Hopera, directed by Robert Townsend and starring Beyoncé Knowles and Mekhi Phifer. Volume 10 also released an album called Hip-Hopera in 1994. Although it must be noted that the former is contemporary R&B, not hip hop music.

Examples

R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet series
Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights
Public Enemy's He Got Game
Carmen: A Hip Hopera
Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves
Deltron 3030 by Deltron 3030
Sable and Batalion's J.O.B., the Hip-Hopera
Rapper and producer Dr. Dre has stated that his third album, Detox, may be a rap opera.
Michael Tippett's New Year uses rap in a number of scenes.
Ugly Duckling's Taste the Secret
Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
"Libera Me From Hell" in the anime Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Ciara's single "High Price" from her third album "Fantasy Ride"
Kanye West's "Last Call" from "College Dropout"
Des Bishop's Rap Éire
Jay-Z's American Gangster
Coolio's *Gangsta's Paradise
Wyclef Jean's Apocalypse [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_(song)]
Chris Goslow's Rapera
Mariah Carey's "Betcha Gon Know"