Synchopation refers to how much a musical rhythm stresses the subdivisions between each beat verses the beat itself. –Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding, Switched on Pop (88)

There are a lot of varieties of syncopation–including “suspension syncopation,” “missed-beat syncopation,” “even-notes syncopation,” “off-note syncopation,” and “backbeat.” The site Hip Hop Makers breaks them down pretty thoroughly here. You don’t need a mastery of all these types, but it’s good to know they exist.

Here are some examples.

First, Romeo Santos, a bachata artist. Bachata is originally a Dominican musical genre, and it’s all about dancing. The syncopation is fundamental to bachata as a dance.

Here’s an example of bachata dancing. Notice how the leg work is all about the syncopation.

Here’s James Brown using a syncopated groove suited to his signature moves–and to make a mid-tempo song danceable.

Here’s Bruno Mars taking a cue from James Brown style syncopation to get people on the dance floor.

Here’s Raphael Saadiq, using syncopation to create a feeling of disorientation.

Here’s Kendrick Lamar, bringing more disorientation.

Here’s New Order with a new wave synth variation on syncopation, creating a menacing feeling with robotic sounding syncopation with a military vibe.