Poll: What's your opinion on Rap and Hip Hop?

[BonsaiK]

Rap music, like any other form of music, when done correctly, is brilliant, obviously. Why the fuck do you think people buy it so damn much, it ain't cos they hate the shit.

However, what rap music isn't, is widely understood. How it works and why it works is something that a lot of people don't get, including (unfortunately) a lot of fans of it. One day if I ever have time I'll sit down and write a big old educational thread here about rap music, but that'll be a long way off because I've barely got time to scratch my butt at the moment with all my new work and so forth, so for now you'll just have to settle for the fact that rap is good and I don't ever let anyone whine to me about the terrible state of popular music today unless they are over 75 and can show ID.

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

How can you guys say it isn't music? Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it isn't music. This is unbelievable.

You can dislike whatever you want, but rap is without a doubt music.

OT: I like anything as long as it's good, same goes for hip hop and rap.

RIP BIG L!

 

[ThePantomimeThief]

I love some rap music. El-P, Saul Williams, Mos Def, Roots Manuva, stuff like that. Hell, you put some Public Enemy or classic LL Cool J on and I'll be a happy man. Some of it is shit, in my opinion, but that's the same with every genre of music. Rap/hip hop has a lot of quality out there, it's become a little bloated but the artists themselves are trying to take it back to its roots, they just don't get the publicity because the media loves to demonise rap music.

Also, go listen to The Roots, amazing stuff.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

It's like a jungle in this habitat.

 

[EHKOS]

Rap music, like any other form of music, when done correctly, is brilliant, obviously.

Exactly, the only problem is right now no one is doing it right.

 

[DustyDrB]

Also, go listen to The Roots, amazing stuff.

The new Roots and John Legend collab. Those artists were made for each other. Reminds me so much of Bill Withers type stuff. And I loooove Bill Withers.

 

[wordsmith]

It's like a jungle in this habitat.

But all you savage cats knew that I was strapped with gat's whilst you were cuddling a cabbage patch?

Wierdly appropriate, as "now-days everybody wants to talk like they've got something to say, but nothing comes out when they move their lips, it's just a bunch of jibberish..."

[sub][sub][sub]when motherfuckers act like they forgot about Dre[/sub][/sub][/sub]

 

[BonsaiK]

Rap music, like any other form of music, when done correctly, is brilliant, obviously.

Exactly, the only problem is right now no one is doing it right.

Well that all depends what you mean by "doing it right". Very subjective of course, but I think you'll find that no matter what style you prefer there's still someone doing it that way now. The market for "new-old school" rap music is huge right now.

Also, go listen to The Roots, amazing stuff.

Actually I loved that group but I've hated their last three or four albums... I wish they'd play to their strengths more and bring back the sound of "Do You Want More" and "Things Fall Apart" instead of all this faffing around with weak beats and laptop-bullshit they've been doing lately.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

There's a lot of Hip Hop and R&B that I enjoy but it's hardly my favorite style on the planet.

When I do listen to any of it it's usually stuff like Gnarls Barkley, Mos Def, Gorillaz, Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy and Del the Funky Homosapien (and by association Deltron Zero/Deltron 3030)

The only thing I absolutely can't stand is anything considered "Gangsta Rap" post 1990, pretty much anything that gained popularity during the Deathrow Records boom.

 

[EeveeElectro]

Once again, I will mention 2pac. Though it is true he had a songs about him thuggin, many, many of his songs were about life in the ghetto and him speaking for poor and disadvantaged people.

Here is one of his most famous positive songs, a large hit. One of his bigger ones.

The video didn't post, but I'm guessing that song was probably Changes? That was his biggest hit.
I also love Ghetto Gospel, you wouldn't think Elton John would work so well with rap.
I have to mention Cypruss Hill too, their contribution to Paradise City was awesome in my opinion.

 

[Nomanslander]

When it comes to rap, honestly I don't see the point that it's still around, even though I've never liked it it had its time in the 80s and 90s when the songs meant something. Now it's all garbage and the genre has completely sold out.

As for Hip Hop, I think this genre has also been perpetuated long enough too. The only thing they changed with HH in the last 25 years is they threw in those stupid voice synthesizer. Actually those have always been around, but now they use it in every fucking song I guess to remind the fans it's the future...0o0o0o0o0o0o0oh!

Finally I also want to say something about R&R, ever since White Stripes this genre has been trying to rediscover its roots by going retro, and this all started in the early 2000. Now, 10 years later and R&R still hasn't grown out of it shows music simply sucks right now! End of story....>>

 

[Spinozaad]

"Gangsta" rap can kiss my white, naked ass. It's misogynist, bigoted, anti-intellectual and just one big fucking cliché. Exception to the rule is Snoop Dogg, who's just a walking subversion of the entire gangsta cliché. He actually has the balls to take the piss out of himself, while cunts like "Fitty" and Eminem take themselves way too serious.

In any case,

Hip hop (and, by extension, rap) is more than just gangsta. Artists like Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Tricky and all those other inventive and progressive sub-genres of hip hop are great.

And, of course, nobody can knock old school hip hop, if only for its campy nature.

 

[mjc0961]

Depends on the artists really. A lot of the popular stuff now is all autotuned junk (as in, I can't stand the sound of that autotune distort effect thing that gets used in nearly every song) over a loop of notes that sound more like someone left their cell phone on and ringing in the recording both for the entire recording session than if someone was playing actual music (and by that I mean something that doesn't sound like a fucking MIDI). As you might have guess by my word choices, I hate that shit.

Like anything else though, I'm sure there's some good stuff out there. Saying all rap sucks because of stuff like that would be like saying all rock sucks because of crap festivals like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Beiber (do people consider them rock in the grand scheme of thing? I can't keep track of all these stupid little mini-genres).

 

[Agayek]

I can't stand 99% of rap and hip-hop. There is very little that is actually aesthetically pleasing about it, which is the entire point of music in the first place.

Plus, a song that is the exact same beat repeated ad nauseum tends to get old after a while.

 

[Danzaivar]

Hip hop good, rap bad.

There are (as always) exceptions. Some Eminem songs are pretty good, pretty damn good.

 

[Atmos Duality]

All of those things you stated are very prominent in one form or another in nearly every other type of music out there.

I've already stated that it wasn't the genre itself that bothers me; it's what gets emphasized and played the most that does. I only ever hear what sells, and that just happens to be (around here anyway) most of the gangsta stuff.
The problem here is that this is the most prominent type of rap I've been exposed to since the early 90s. Even if it were Mozart, I'd eventually get sick of it.

What we're seeing with hip hop music is not a phenomenon isolated just to that genre, all of those subjects and attitudes are something that is very, well... Human. Humans love sex, drugs and violence. Anybody that says they don't is lying.

Surely there's more subjects than the usual trinity of sex, love, and violence, though that's what sells, so that's what we get.

Sure, not all people actively do all those things in harmful ways, because fortunately, many of us have higher aspirations then that, but we all still love those finer things in life. We love listening to music, watching films, reading books, and playing video games about those things.

Totally agreed there.

2. This is a generalization. Rap is known for its gangsta aspects but it is not completely ganagsta. There's alternative rap, and there's everyone's favorite, 2pac. Listen to Changes (2pac) and it might change your opinion. He has many songs like that.

Good. That's at least a starting point. Thanks.

Try listening to the aforementioned song Stan, or Mockingbird by Eminem. They are both very good stories and you may or may not enjoy their musical aspects, but I think you can appreciate them for what they are.

As is this.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

It's like a jungle in this habitat.

But all you savage cats knew that I was strapped with gat's whilst you were cuddling a cabbage patch?

Wierdly appropriate, as "now-days everybody wants to talk like they've got something to say, but nothing comes out when they move their lips, it's just a bunch of jibberish..."

[sub][sub][sub]when motherfuckers act like they forgot about Dre[/sub][/sub][/sub]

Funny.... even back in 2001 Dre was of the opinion that rap just wasn't what it used to be.

Oh and Don't -push -me -coz -I'm close to the -edge!

 

[clipse15]

I find myself straying from metal and listening more to hip hop/rap. Metal has nothing to say and while people complain about how samey all rap songs I believe there's just so much more variety in what a rapper says and how a rapper says it and i find myself actually listening to catch all this awesome wordplay that happens. Maybe its just my love of english but I feel rap has an Alice in Wonderland quality to it. (I'm talking about the books not the movies)

 

[ThePantomimeThief]

Actually I loved that group but I've hated their last three or four albums... I wish they'd play to their strengths more and bring back the sound of "Do You Want More" and "Things Fall Apart" instead of all this faffing around with weak beats and laptop-bullshit they've been doing lately.

Yeah, Things Fall Apart is one hell of an album. I'm not sure which I prefer between that and Phrenology though.

The new Roots and John Legend collab. Those artists were made for each other. Reminds me so much of Bill Withers type stuff. And I loooove Bill Withers.

It's really cool isn't it?

Tricky

He's brilliant. Have you heard Mixed Race yet?