Is Rap art?

[speedcoreXdandy]

I'd say all music (as much as it hurts for me to say it even that made merely with profit in mind) is art, and rap is music.

I know it's not a popular opinion here but I think even hardcore hip hop can be great art too, for example this, DR C PHD by Canibus.

Spoiler

Yo, I plan to build a myself a facility before I'm 40
a molecular archceogenetic laboratory
that can analyze complex poetry data for me
even if it was recorded poorly, how extraordinary
I frog leap over awful beats
then I separate rappers by the carbon-14s
to determine the age of anything ever made
regardless of how the outside surface has changed
I put a curse on your name, bombard your brain
with gamma x-rays till you burst into flames
with the scientifically quantifiable megalomaniacal
viable style, it's like trying to ride a bull
let's have a dictionary duel after school
check into me a nice Cedar Sinai room
so I can get sick as the flu, spittin the truth
if you ain't got this album, you missing the proof
prepare for your doom my nuclear rocket plumes
glow against the pale background of the moon
toxic fumes spoil complete stocks of fruits, and foods
burning your flammable boxes and booms
got in the groove even though I'm not in the mood
************ you didn't win 'cause I can't lose
give the fans the chance to choose, fuck you
who's the illest, who's it really up to
rapping fire, you better run for the pacifier
tie you up and drown you in the saliva quagmire
till your oxygen expires and your lungs dry up
'cause you said Bis ain't dope, you a damn liar
disaster for hire over beats by pious
flow like the Tigris, Euphrates, with the Eye of the Tiger
in my iris, Canibus is a fighter
************, my greatgrandfather was Irish
let's roll the dices, 'll break you like young Tyson
give me the mic man, I don't need no hype man
put a thousand on me, put one on him
i tear off his limbs, throw him in, and tell him to swim
yo I soak that shit and coat that shit in soy sauce
tell the FCC boss, turn that noise off
call Detroit's Mafia Boss
tell him yo, I got a job for you, I want you to bust his balls
Drop him off by Niagra Falls
write my name on a banana and put the banana between his jaws
nobody disrespects lyrical law
I'm the best there ever is and the best ever was
training like a grunt face down in the mud
with blood, sweat, and tears, sucking it up
yo, you wonder where I am right now
I'm probably somewhere on the microphone fucking it up
dead or alive, Canibus will live through the rhyme
to be the illest on the mic is a mission of mine
spittin' divine, you can't get it twisted this time
vocal with a mirror to make sure my lips are aligned
Dr C, PHD graduated from UMG
bright as the LCD display on a new MP
prototype of a true MC
with 3d topography maps you can't see
Butcher on Broad Street, wrapping CDs
in butcher paper, doing artwork with Sharpies
if you don't like the quality, then talk to me
what the fuck you on the website for you creep?
punching the keys, remember that sound
that's exactly what it sounds like when i'm punching your teeth
kick a rap, *****, if you've got the gumption to speak
stand next to me, i might put a lump in your meat
diss you and your man, double the beef
to tell you the truth, I thought your rebuttal was weak
round the outside, blah, blah, etcetra, etcetra
the body of my literature is bigger than South America
nigga look, this is all I gots to say
suck my P-H-D-I-C-K

 

[Rickyvantof]

Art can be anything.

 

[Dupeo]

Rap and Hip Hop equals shit.
They were invented by angry black youths who are upset at the man (the white man) who enslaved their ancestors and took them from God forsaken Africa to God bless America. These young black males were only trying to fulfill feelings of teenage angst felt by every adolescent (because that's the natural time to seek independence) but misplaced it onto a white society who's great great grandfather committed unspeakable crimes against their great great grandfather for whom they wouldn't spare half a shit. They just wanna be angry about something. Then it got a fan base of brain-dead, army-bound, fuckheads and is being exploited for every fucking penny its worth by a fucking morally empty pop-culture. At least grunge artists hated fame.

 

[Chipperz]

Rap and Hip Hop equals shit.

Never even bothered with Tupac, huh? In fact, your whole post is WHY they're art - Rap and Hip Hop is a musical example of a culture's anger and hate. It's all about setting emotion to a beat, and no ammount of dickhead fans is going to change that.

Artists like Fiddy "I got shot 13 times by people too incompetent to go for the head" Cent and Ne-Yo are corruptions of the original, very powerful, movement from anger to materialism. As much as I'd love to blame 50 Cent for everything that's wrong with modern music, it's that many people have seen the ammount of money these artists can get and jump on the bandwagon with no real thought to what they're going to do when they get there.


On a variation on this topic; Indie Rock. How many times can The [Noun]s copy the last The [Noun]s before it stops being imitation and starts being blatant copyright infringement?

 

[Iron Criterion]

Rap is an art form in the same way my arse would be if I set it on fire!!! So thats a yes from me then lol

 

[Stickman Sam]

At least grunge artists hated fame.

Not quite enough for them not to want to milk it for every penny, mind...

 

[GOATOFRAGE]

art is purely based on perception, hence one mans art is anothers trash. i think old/meaningful rap can be seen as art, but much modern rap is generic and thus not what is normally considered art. however, as it may accurately reflect society, as does much art, i can understand all rap being considered art.

 

[Agema]

Is Rap art?

Yes.

Whether you like it or not is another matter.

 

[Arcticflame]

There is good rap and there is bad rap.

At the risk of inciting anger, I believe that rap has a stronger tendency to be crap, and there is less technical skill involved. Which is not to dismiss rap as art, but to depreciate it's average value compared with other genres.

The definition of art is of course a topic of heavy discussion. So the only way I could answer the question is from my personal view of art, which does not dismiss post modernistic views entirely, but certainly values skill over someone presenting me with a framed picture of their cat and telling me it is art.

 

[Jharry5]

All lot of Rap that goes on about hos and the like isn't art to me, just unpleasent. But what makes art differs from person to person. Some Hip-Hip is okay, so I'd more readily give that the title of art than Rap. Of course, all music is art in some form or another...

 

[Parattchi]

I agree with many of the people here who say gansta rap is not art. It's capatilising on the image of being a 'thug' rather than sending out a message. Take for example the lyrics to 'Breathe' by Hilltop Hoods:

Spoiler

[Verse 1: Pressure]
In life, we struggle as individuals,
A fine line between a cliche saying and something original,
As if in death we left something residual,
Behind to mark our time up in this pitiful,
Existence and I'm a man of many issues,
If I ever dissed you, no disrespect I never wished to,
Hold a grudge the stress makes me act like this,
The day I get it off my chest I won't write tracks like this,
But I'll be bitter on them when all is done and is forgotten,
Cos it's easier to sit and complain than fix the problem,
But the power of speech empowers our beliefs,
With sour defeats, man nothing is out of reach,
Got plenty to answer for, all do is answered back,
Done a thousand things I regret, apologize for none of that,
So you get back what you put in no regrets,
And keep on until they know your sweat, you only get.

[Chorus:]
One chance, so I live for the moment,
I'm just one man what I wouldn't give for this moment,
We got one world; still we take it in stride,
In this one life we stand still waiting to die,
One chance, so I live for the moment,

I'm just one man what I wouldn't give for this moment,
We got one world; still we take it in stride,
In this one life we stand still waiting to die.

[Verse 2: Pressure]
Now if life is what you make it it's time to build,
Man I'm for real aint no telling what this life will yield,
I'm a career man, cos I career off any path,
That would lead me to a start of financial gains I'm scarred,
We learn from our mistakes, that makes me a scholar on,
Being a walking talking fuck up and a better man for being wrong,
I'm humble and loyal, my friendships are honored,
A mans success aint measured by the depths of his pocket,
I give good advice but never follow it, what's left for me?
I'm a hypocrite and if I weren't I'd be a success story,
View this wide world through a narrow gaze, these harrowed days,
Seen to many men end in a shallow grave,
I guess it's better to have loved and to lost, than never stumbled across,
The gift of knowing you what ever the fucking cost,
To put it in perspective and under my vision,
This world is superficial; I'm done with others opinions.

[Chorus:]
One chance, so I live for the moment,
I'm just one man what I wouldn't give for this moment,
We got one world; still we take it in stride,
In this one life we stand still waiting to die,
One chance, so I live for the moment,
I'm just one man what I wouldn't give for this moment,
We got one world; still we take it in stride,
In this one life we stand still waiting to die.

Now, it's obvious to see that he's poured himself out into those lyrics. He's expressing who he is and how he sees the world. By what measure is that any less an artistic expression than a painting or a sculpture?

 

[RedVelvet]

Look at it this way, if turtles walk over paint and then over a canvas and that it considered art, then rap is en par with Beethoven.

And, as any art form, some people are better than others and actually manage to give the world a message with their song. Instead of just spewing out words hoping to make a sentance at one point >3

 

[internutt]

I don't know much about art, but I know what I like.

Rap is hilarious. I can't take the genre seriously.

 

[Lexodus]

The whole lot's shit anyway.

 

[Time Travelling Toaster]

Technically all music is an artform, but as a good artform it's not because it's pretty much all based on the same things and has no meaning or reasons behind the lyrics.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

well you picked eminem he's an exception anyhow BUT

See how many things you put a * in so now dare defy it is trashtalking

How is Eminem the exception? If anything Eminem would be a point of focus for your argument, because he has some of the most violent lyrics I have heard in a rapper to date. There are numerous rappers out there who are better than Eminem. And:

the point being it will probably not contain the word Bastard 20 times the word whore 10 etc. etc.

The amount of rappers who have lyrics that contain such content are still in the minority. The reason being that it is one sub genre of many, many more. I could easily pick some of the most questionable Beatles or Def Leppard songs, or most of what is put out today, like Creed and whatnot, and say that '99% of rock is crap, then and now', but it wouldn't be true, would it?

I don't know much about art, but I know what I like.

Rap is hilarious. I can't take the genre seriously.

What genre do you take seriously?

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

well you picked eminem he's an exception anyhow BUT

See how many things you put a * in so now dare defy it is trashtalking

How is Eminem the exception? If anything Eminem would be a point of focus for your argument, because he has some of the most violent lyrics I have heard in a rapper to date. There are numerous rappers out there who are better than Eminem. And:

the point being it will probably not contain the word Bastard 20 times the word whore 10 etc. etc.

The amount of rappers who have lyrics that contain such content are still in the minority. The reason being that it is one sub genre of many, many more. I could easily pick some of the most questionable Beatles or Def Leppard songs, or most of what is put out today, like Creed and whatnot, and say that '99% of rock is crap, then and now', but it wouldn't be true, would it?

I don't know much about art, but I know what I like.

Rap is hilarious. I can't take the genre seriously.

What genre do you take seriously?

yeh THAT CONTENT they usually go more violent

on your point on Eminem... His raps ARE ABOUT SOMETHING that's what I meant (I admit I hate rap but Eminem is not that bad really) there is variation there is text there is some violent stuff but it's not all about that

If he's not that bad because he talks about SOMETHING, then he's one in a thousand. Hell 50 Cent talks about something substantial every now and then, listen to 'Ghetto Qu'ran'.

He has his own style, and his own story to tell, but the songs you are probably talking about where he raps about something (meaningful I guess you mean), he has about six or seven of those post 'Eminem Show' album, and the rest of it is the stuff you are casting off as garbage.

Before that he had some of the most violent content I've ever heard in my days of listening to hip-hop, bar none. Selling his soul commercially is what made him so loved.

Fair enough you feel he is not that bad, but what you hear from Eminem that you like, there are plenty of rappers out there who do that full time, yet they get no recognition, instead they get cast off as 'crap' while Eminem gets a free pass.

...But jazz is better

What about Jazz Rap? Love Jazz though.

 

[Drakulla]

It depends on whose rapping.