An Observation Regarding Rap

[Matt Till]

As I sit here at my computer, kept awake by the sounds of some random crappy rap, I get to wondering... is this one of the reasons people don't like rap?

People of course means people who don't like rap. I think it did for me when I was a person who was close minded to the genre as a whole. I always associated it with stupid ass kids who just crank up the music just to hear their subwoofer get a workout.

Rap is the soundtrack of me being the most angry I've ever been... rap caused me to yell and scream and kick a hole in the wall!!

Then I realized, I wasn't hating the playa... I was hating the game... or something.

It's just a thought.

And a quick FYI: This has nothing to do with race... most of the kids crankin' rap that piss me off are white frat boiizz.

[DeepCalls2Deep]

meh, rap in it current state IMO stinks.

with the exception of a few emminem songs. Can't stand the guy, but I do not deny his pure genius and talent.

Rap, IMO, was at its peak in the early -late 90's ...

NWA, Public Enemy, Bone Thugs, TuPac, Dr. Dre, Snoop, ... even Master P had his highlights.....

after that.. its a joke.


EDIT: Man, I suck at spelling.

[Munjibunga]

Rap is the suXXors.

Got in before the lock.

[Mike Money]

Bad Ronald.

[syciprider]

Rap is today's punk(back when it was a culture thing).

[B-NoteCowboy]

Call me closed minded, but music without melodic content is just angry poetry, barked out to a cadence.

Not saying I don't see the artistry in the lyrics (sometimes), and that as an audio art form it can't move me to an emotion (ever), but it sure seems like it usually sucks out loud.

Most self-described rappers I've ever known have been utter and total tools. Not good sharp tools either, but more like rusty pliers that don't open all the way.

I'll say this for rap though.... it is where all the rock star personalities have gone, and that's a big part of why it's popular - larger than life stars with money, cars and women. Rock needs to get some of that swagger back.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by syciprider

Rap is today's punk(back when it was a culture thing).

When it's done right, yes it is.... but then again today's punk can be today's punk. Rap has always been "punk"... well as soon as it got out of it's "C'mon now just clap your hands" phase. They're songs about real life.

I like rap, well... good rap... Roots, Cannibal Ox, Beastie Boys, Run DMC, Public Enemy, NWA (probably my favorite). I was just wondering if anyone else delt with the "turn it down ya damn kids!!" association with rap.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by B-NoteCowboy

Call me closed minded, but music without melodic content is just angry poetry, barked out to a cadence.

Not saying I don't see the artistry in the lyrics (sometimes), and that as an audio art form it can't move me to an emotion (ever), but it sure seems like it usually sucks out loud.

+1

Usually I'm not down with the generalizations people spout off about any particular form of music, but if it's one thing I cannot stand about most popular rap and so forth, is that it usually is a single section repeated throughout. No variation... just... it keeps going. Lyrical content aside, its very empty to me.

[Platypus_Of_420]

eh, there's a truck load of rap thats just complete crap. but eminem has a few good songs, thats the thing about him, no matter how he sings or makes his rap songs hes good at it, if he wants to make it emotional he'll do it, and do a good job at it. the only other rap i like kottonmouth kings, bone thugs n harmony, and some tech nine. barely. but they have some degree of talent atleast, rap's not actually that horrible and alot of rap songs have some pretty pimpin bass lines. but none of the preppy nelly and 50 cent crap. most rap now days just keeps going and going and going about absolutely nothing and its all angry without melody. thast the kind i dont see how people could even like that stuff

[ras1983]

a few of you have made the great observations that i believe in, namely that rap was at its best in the 80's & 90's(couple of exceptions) and that the commercial rap is pretty crap.

but rap is ALL about repetitive pocket oriented groove. it isn't desinged to be varied melodically or rythmically. it can actually be quite challenging to play the same bassline and stay in the pocket over and over again. your mind starts to play tricks on you and your rythm.

anyone who doesn't like rap should check out Dr. Dre's chronic 2001

[Vorago]

There's plenty of descent stuff, you just won't find it on Mtv. What you see on the commercial channels is only a small part of rap music, too bad that part is always overgeneralized to "all rap music". I've thought about rap that way, too. But then I discovered The Roots, and Mos Def, and Nas, and Hieroglyphics, and Antipop Consortium, and Black Star, etc etc.

You see, it's like saying "rock sucks" after you've seen Good Charlotte in concert

[Lokire]

Originally Posted by Vorago

There's plenty of descent stuff, you just won't find it on Mtv. What you see on the commercial channels is only a small part of rap music, too bad that part is always overgeneralized to "all rap music". I've thought about rap that way, too. But then I discovered The Roots, and Mos Def, and Nas, and Hieroglyphics, and Antipop Consortium, and Black Star, etc etc.

You see, it's like saying "rock sucks" after you've seen Good Charlotte in concert

I agree completely. You can't overgeneralize a whole genre as being bad - as with everything else, there is good rap out there and bad rap out there. Good and bad are subjective of course, but I guess I mean that some rap is more respectable from an open-minded standpoint. The problem is that MTV has corruped the entire image by playing primarily this meaningless "gangster rap" that you always see. It's nothing but guys dressed rapping (behind the same old boring loops) about cars and money and bling and chics and gangster crap. It makes kids emulate those guys by just acting like dumb thugs, thinking that all they'll get all the hot ladies like that or something...I don't know what attracts kids to it actually . Another problem I have with commercial rap is that everything sounds the same to me. It's like any black or white rapper will pick up the mic and drone out some loosely rythmic words with a simmilar tone to everyone else. That's why I like Snoop Dogg - because he has a really unique and cool sounding voice (imo), and I like his style in general. I like P. Diddy because of his class, and he just seems like a genuinely good guy to me (can't say I've heard much of his music though). All the classics, real old-skool rap guys are great: NWA, Public Enemy, TuPac. Eminem, I don't really like but I recognize his lyrical/musical talent and respect him (on some levels anyways) for that. That's something I like to remind people of - that you can (and often should) still have respect for something or someone even if you don't personally like them.

All the good stuff is what you'll never see on TV or hear on the radio because it's not mainstream, and that's really too bad. The music industry in general seems to be heading downhill (imo).

[blujax01]

Originally Posted by syciprider

Rap is today's punk(back when it was a culture thing).

Well said. I was in my 20's when Punk hit. A counter culture buddy of mine turned me onto it, and quite frankly, my first thought was that these guys were terrible musicians. After listening to the lyrics though, it made sense. It never got radio play, it was imported from the U.K. and it had a strong message. Namely, the kids were sick of not having jobs, could not see any future, and basically said: "Fvck You And The Horse You Rode In On!"

But it was fresh. Rock and Roll had degenerated into Arena Rock (brought to you by ***place endorsing beer company here***), and no longer held any meaning to me.

About the time it became popular and Corporate America wound up The Money Machine, it lost all meaning. As does anything when consumerism takes over.

History repeats itself once again.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

Rap caused me to yell and scream and kick a hole in the wall!!

Then I realized, I wasn't hating the playa... I was hating the game... or something.

ROFL!!! Am I the only one that caught that? Going in my sig immediately!

Rap did peak in the 80's (grandmaster flash and all dat). After that it was all downhill. Modern rap is just like "How many different ways can I say that this chick is hot and I want to bang her..."

[purfektstranger]

IMHO all rap is musically challenged.

[i like tictacs]

Originally Posted by purfektstranger

IMHO all rap is musically challenged.

What an insightful post.

[B-NoteCowboy]

Originally Posted by i like tictacs

What an insightful post.

It's a subjective observation, and he also prefaced by stating that the post was in his humble opinion.

Therefore, he's right - even if he's wrong... which he isn't, IMHO.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by BassManolukas

ROFL!!! Am I the only one that caught that? Going in my sig immediately!

I'm glad someone appreciated that.

I'm with Vorago on this one. MAINSTREAM rap is what is giving rap a bad image. That stuff is all about "look how much stuff I own, and how good I am at degrading women." Not cool at all. New mainstream rap is basically hair metal if you break it down.

What really turned my thoughts around about rap, I went to a rock the vote thing a couple years ago. And on the streets, like literally right down town. An MC and a DJ were hosting a freestyle competition. The guy hosting it of course, blew everyone out of the water. GOOD rap is all about odd timed rhythmic vocals... 50 Cent... he basically talks over a beat... no feeling. But you get a good rapper over a groovin' beat and they will be all over it. AND then, some groups actually have great tracks... even samples. I think the reason I like the Beastie Boys, they sample.... but they make it so you don't know what the sample is from. You look on the back of the album and it blows your mind. They are an example of a band with a somewhat stale vocal approach, but the tracks are great.

[B-NoteCowboy]

GOOD rap is all about odd timed rhythmic vocals... 50 Cent... he basically talks over a beat... no feeling. But you get a good rapper over a groovin' beat and they will be all over it.

I feel ya man... the first time I heard Weird Al do Star Wars Gangsta Rap, I was really moved. He's a geniusizzle, dawg!

[Kronos]

One rap group that I haven't seen since the nineties that will change your thoughts on rap being crap is a group called "Digable Planets". They used a lot of old school jazz music to sample and to rap over. Very smooth.