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An Observation Regarding Rap
- Thread starter Matt Till
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Bruce Lindfield said:Christmas and rap - a match made in Hell!!??
Apparently not for some people, who was it earlier in the thread talking about christian rap.
Wrong Robot said:
Have you forgotten the Waitresses already....?
I'm afraid I must have been too traumatised!!
Wrong Robot said:
Probably just a personal bias overriding the desire to expand musically.
BTW...
If you get a chance, check out the bass players all around you. You might find that groove isn't important to many of them, not in the least. No offense to any of those folks of course... they like what they like.
I checked out an alleged "Smooth Jazz" quartet that some guys I know play in. It sounded like four people in separate rooms, oblivious to what the others were doing. No lock, no groove, just lots of notes.
I tend to find value in most genres of music, I appreciate musicianship for what it is. On my Monday night gig, the host is a percussionist who plays one drum, the djembe. What he gets out of one drum tonally is amazing, then add in that rhythmically he does stuff that's so far advanced it's jaw-dropping. Of course he's not playing a tradition verse/chorus thing so it's not really music.
BTW the "rappers only sample" thing is ridiculously outdated, isn't it?
if i am correct, there is no bass guitar on the theme so seinfeld. but everyone loves tthat.cheezewiz said:
i think we almost all agree that commercial rap has sent the genre down the drain. commercializing any genre insures screwing it up.
while i admit, many "rappers" just speak over the words in a slightly faster or slower rythem, which doesn't take much talent. but there are some rappers out there who genuinely have talent, some current and many older whom others have mentioned.
as for the members who are really putting down rap as a whole, i am kind of shocked. as musicians, shouldn't we all appreciate it as music anyway? for people doing their passion? no, they don't have the talent of geddy, hendrix, jaco or any one else who plays an instrument well, but they are doing what they can with what they have. (i'm not talking about current or older, i'm talking about rap as a genre)
me, i don't like rap, aside from a few songs i hate to listen to it. but, i respect it.
Bruce Lindfield said:Christmas and rap - a match made in Hell!!??
If you have to have a joke explained ...it tends to lose something!!
Not if it's actually funny. That's obviously the tricky part, isn't it?
Not a rap fan at all, but for a different reason:
I am SO lyrics challenged. I tend not to listen to lyrics, they're just phonetic sounding rhythms in the song. I never know what rappers are talking about...*
The other reason I dislike the genre (as I hear it), is the adulation of the celebrity life.
There may be contemplative thoughtful rap out there, but I'll never know.
*PS. I have a real affinity for the lyrics of Bob Dylan. He can turn a phrase that hits me right in the gut. But half the time I don't know what the song is about, I just grab a line....
I am SO lyrics challenged. I tend not to listen to lyrics, they're just phonetic sounding rhythms in the song. I never know what rappers are talking about...*
The other reason I dislike the genre (as I hear it), is the adulation of the celebrity life.
There may be contemplative thoughtful rap out there, but I'll never know.
*PS. I have a real affinity for the lyrics of Bob Dylan. He can turn a phrase that hits me right in the gut. But half the time I don't know what the song is about, I just grab a line....
clay said:
That's actually an assumption many make. If you don't see someone do something in particular, they can't.
I don't really get the young and close-minded thing either. Wait 'til you get older and have a reason for being close-minded. There's value in all sorts of performance arts.... you just have to have an open mind.
That's a healthy attitude IMO.
jkritchey said:
If you never can tell what they're talking about, how do you know what they're talking about? If I used smileys I'd insert one here.
The obvious problem with this has already been stated... you've apparently only heard one type of Rap and have decided to paint the entire genre with a broad and inaccurate brush.
Understood... you'd have to hear the words. Same smiley would be here.
*PS. I have a real affinity for the lyrics of Bob Dylan. He can turn a phrase that hits me right in the gut. But half the time I don't know what the song is about, I just grab a line....
Hmmm indeed. I can't tell what Dylan is talking about in his more recent work but I love his phrasing... which is fortunate or I might have to write off that entire genre of music.
No offense of course. This thread is proceeding as expected.
Has anyone out their actually worked on making a rap song/album. Its not that easy! I have seen guys that could play a turntable like a violin. Yes I said play. I have worked with rappers that had way more vision for their music than some of the bands that I have worked with and recorded. The music is not always my cup of tea but I can definitely appreciate the work and feeling put into the tunes. For anyone out there that likes to write off this form of music as easy, sampled s$#t lets hear your album? And how many copies did it sell?
By the way-I like to think of Bob Dylan as the godfather of rap. James Brown too.
By the way-I like to think of Bob Dylan as the godfather of rap. James Brown too.
Brad Johnson said:
Basically from reading write ups somewhere. Record or concert reviews.
Brad Johnson said:
Absolutely right. No argument.
Brad Johnson said:
Not only that, but as has been pointed out, some of the artists recommended in this thread don't get much play in an area that I might bump into, in a setting where I could sit and listen, with a lyrics cheat sheet.
Unlikely.Not sure that I have written it off, but I guess by saying I dislike rap it could be construed that way. I could have been a bit more careful in my phrasing. Let's just say that my limited exposure to rap has left me with out the ambition to further explore the genre. From the beginning, starting with Rapper's Delight...Brad Johnson said:
Never any taken!Brad Johnson said:
Wrong Robot said:
Every child should be given a casio keyboard and a baseball cap at birth. the world would be a better place.
It doesent do anything for me but i think the image and culture of rap depicted on TV turned me off before i even heard it.
clay said:
I used to listen to rap, back when 2pac and Biggie were still breathing. I eventually realized that this whole "genre" does nothing but promote guns, drugs, the love of money (probably the worst part of it all) and viewing women as 'bitches'. Sorry, but take a look at any rap video and that's what you have. The mere fact of 50 cent starring in a video game of himself and the streets of wherever is pure nonsense, and directly points to his past gang involvement. It's indirectly saying that gangs are cool, and that since he was in a gang and is now famous that you could be in one too. You have respect for that? Respect for someone who has the stardom and sheer number of fans who are so influenced by his image that they would do anything to try to copy his success, albeit a tainted and bullet riddled success? After all, it's cool to get shot 9 or 10 times right? We have to have a movie about your life so we can see how truly criminilistic (is that a word?) you really are huh? Oh wait, lets throw some family scenes in there so it's not so bad. Biggie sold guns and dope, I don't see any movies about him. If I had any respect at all for a rapper, it would be 2pac and his writing. A true poet if I ever did hear one.
As far as rap being musically challenged, I would have to agree. The same progressing melody or riff over and over and over and over again. If there is a bass player, it's a 3 or 4 note pattern, with almost zero fills or changes throughout the entire song. Me? I like music to have some sort of progression from verse to chorus to bridge....any type of direction makes listening more enjoyable. Time changes are a plus too. I listen to music for the MUSIC, not for what some guy wants to rant about in a barely understandable ebonics laced tongue, all the while having the same repeating riff going on for 4 or 5 minutes at a time.
And don't get me wrong, I can still get down with some old WuTang or BoneThugs from back in the day. Brings back memories of course. 
Someone mentioned the youths of today accepting this as part of a peer pressure deal. I can honestly say that because my friends listened to it that I did too, so I can attest to that as well as one other observation. I ask people why they like rap. Not trying to influence them against rap, but just a simple question with a simple answer. For girls, it's usually "He's sooooo HAWT" and for guys it's "I just like the beat and/or groove." If a girl gives me that answer, I don't even waste any more time with her. For guys, I'll start suggesting some other music with a groovin drum beat or bass line, and when they have a listen, it's always the same. "It's too complicated." This is what they'd say to something like Dreamtheater or Death or Opeth. Shoot I've even tried some Thelonius Monk and I get the same response. Given, these bands/artists are far from the rap genre and have their respective extraordinary musicians, but I think that the emergence of rap as the most popular music is inevitable in a society of dumbed-down youths, who don't have an appreciation for music that might sound different from the normal 4-4 time. It's all about simplicity IMO. Can't get too complicated or else it's sensory overload. Same reason why kids don't like jazz, it's just so different from the normal everyday crap on radio that they can't identify with the music.
Like I've said before, Rap should have been a fad like disco. But noooooooo the white kids had to start listening. I'd also like to add that I'm not taking any shots or stabs at anyone including the person I quoted above. This post is merely my observation of the topic at hand.
I'll go and hide now.
AuG
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