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mu·sic Audio pronunciation of "music" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (myzk)
n.
1. The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
Believe it or not, rap is a composition of spoken words that often have some rhythm and harmony. If you listen closely to some rap, you'll hear that the words spoken do have some rhythm going on.
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2. Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm.
3.
1. A musical composition.
2. The written or printed score for such a composition.
3. Such scores considered as a group: We keep our music in a stack near the piano.
4. A musical accompaniment.
5. A particular category or kind of music.
6. An aesthetically pleasing or harmonious sound or combination of sounds: the music of the wind in the pine
So, yes, rap is considered music, it's just different from other genres of music. What makes rap different and unique is that the rapper uses the beats of the music, whether it is instrumental or some other form, to make a rhythm of sort with the words.