Rock music: A load of men screaming about their girlfriends

[Zamn]

For someone who claims to be against sweeping generalisations, the sweeping generalisation that popular music is bad is a pretty bad one.

There is a definite tendency among people who see themselves as sophisticated or generally above the common masses to reject what's popular just because it is popular, and there is a lot of that kind of person around a forum like this. Of course a lot of popular music is crap, but the proportion of unpopular music that's crap is much higher.

Popularity more often than not correlates with quality for obvious reasons. The Beatles were the most popular band ever, and they were also the best and it's not an isolated incident.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Jurassic 5 taught me how to enjoy hip-hop.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xcq9z_jurassic-5-concrete-schoolyard

 

[bjj hero]

I don't listen to music for the message, I'm not 12 and looking for someone to tell me what to think. I find it pretentious when a musician feels like he has to get a message "out there". Fuck off you no talent hack.

It gets worse when you get barely literate, sub-par, pop punk bands like Greenday talking about politics to anyone who will listen. No one cares about your opinion on the president, now go pick up your instrument and learn to play it properly. Stop boring the reporters.

If I want current events and politics I'll watch Newsnight, not listen to some ex smack rat whoring himself around for more TV time.

Personally I like all types of music, it depends on what you are doing and how you are feeling at that moment.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

I don't listen to music for the message, I'm not 12 and looking for someone to tell me what to think. I find it pretentious when a musician feels like he has to get a message "out there". Fuck off you no talent hack.

So you're not one of the majority here who say "Durr rap has got no meaning"? Good for you!

 

[RyQ_TMC]

Sp. tell me, who put Jonas Brothers at number 1? This is less a generlisation than an observation by myself that the people I know buy around 1 or 2 albums a year.

I guess... People who like Jonas Brothers? Well, can't be me, even though I buy more albums than that (something like 1-2 per month, usually). Also, I still don't agree that the popularity of whatever's on the top is because "the masses are idiots"... I think it's more that "the masses" only know the music from radio/TV (again, because they just don't feel the need to scour the Internet looking for a "higher artistic experience"), and they grow accustomed to whatever gets played most... So they buy the albums.

It's all down to the radio/TV then, and I've been told once that the producers often make specific songs free to broadcast for some time after their release, or outright pay the stations to bc them. All the bands need is a catchy tune. And they won't get popular if they're abysmally bad, they need to be at least acceptable IMHO.

 

[xChevelle24]

I have an idea.

How about we stop all this "Rap is shit" "NO RAP IS GOOD!" "ROCK IS BAD" "NO ROCK IS GOOD" bullshit.

It's getting fucking annoying.

All this thread is doing is attempting, like the other 15 million threads like this, to start a flame war between rockers like myself and rappers like the OP.

I'll just say it like this:

Listen to whatever music fits you. Whether it be Soulja Boi, Disturbed, As Blood Runs Black, Taylor Swift, Darude, Sum 41, Foo Fighters, Toby Keith, August Burns Red, Lil Wayne. It doesn't fucking matter what other people think. I listen to music for the sound. I am drummer, I love music with drums, that's just the way I feel. I'm also depressed about 98% of the time I am awake, so I don't wanna hear songs about perfect fucking relationships. I love Metal, rock, alternative, and some rap. So what? I will dislike music because it doesn't relate to me, and if you don't like my opinion, then go kill yourself because I don't care. It's my life, I will listen to whatever I please.

The end.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I have only one more thing to contribute to this discussion:

There is a House, In New Orleans.....

 

[Nincompoop]

It's funny, how you keep talking about good or bad music, when all of your arguments are lyrical. I find that hypocritical.

 

[Bobtowna]

I am a fan of the OLD rap. Before rappers sang about bitches and hoes the old ones rapped about staying alive in harsh ghettos and looking out for your hoimies. I also like some metal like guns n roses and metallica as well.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

I guess... People who like Jonas Brothers? Well, can't be me, even though I buy more albums than that (something like 1-2 per month, usually). Also, I still don't agree that the popularity of whatever's on the top is because "the masses are idiots"... I think it's more that "the masses" only know the music from radio/TV (again, because they just don't feel the need to scour the Internet looking for a "higher artistic experience"), and they grow accustomed to whatever gets played most... So they buy the albums.

It's all down to the radio/TV then, and I've been told once that the producers often make specific songs free to broadcast for some time after their release, or outright pay the stations to bc them. All the bands need is a catchy tune. And they won't get popular if they're abysmally bad, they need to be at least acceptable IMHO.

Dunno where you got the "The masses are idiots" quote from, because that's the first I've heard of it in this thread. But yes, what you're saying is right, it's all dwon to what's played on TV and Radio which is down to the record companies, who have messed up.

It's funny, how you keep talking about good or bad music, when all of your arguments are lyrical. I find that hypocritical.

Wait? What? Hip-hop was based off lyrics, that's mostly the point of it, I never said lyrics are the be all and end all of all music. My favourite song in the world is an instrumental...

 

[Credge]

Rock music: A load of men screaming about their girlfriends

That's actually a generalization? I mean, all I listen to is rock and I can't think of a single song about someones girlfriend. Women? Sure. Girlfriend? Nah.

Rap, though (not hip-hop, there is a difference) has plenty of lyrics containing bits about shooting people.

"Listen, your ass is about to be missin', you know who gon' find you *who?* some old man fishin. Grandmas wishin' your souls at rest but it's hard to digest with the size of the hole in your chest."

Literally, that line pops in to my head pretty much instantly. I don't even remember who it's by... and I don't listen to rap at all.

Hip-hop, though, is great. It's sort of the spiritual successor to funk and jazz. It's just good stuff. It has soul.

But, ugh. Political music is just terrible, terrible crap.

 

[jboking]

Generalisations, they don't help anything.[small]I've noticed there's alot of hate here for hip-hop, it really gets on my nerves when I see people saying, "All rap/hip-hop is is black men talking about their bitchs, hoes and money"[/small], yea it is, in the same way rock music is men with half their face covered by hair crying about their ex girlfriend.

Also, do you agree with my first paragraphs? In that people do not open their ears enough and speak about hate without really knowing what a certain genre is all about.

So long as we are all admitting that we have committed this crime at least once, then yes, I agree.

I would throw up some music I listen to, but it's mostly generic, so whenever I'm asked to share I usually just share this:
Guns of the Navarone
...even though it is pretty common. speaking of which:
Universal Mind Control

That's not to bad, in my opinion Ska should have been the big thing of this generation, but due to the music buisness going down the toilet we're stuck with The Killers being the defining band of the last 10 years. Also, listen to the second link in my OP, I'm sure you'll love them.

Wait...what's wrong with the Killers?

 

[SmartIdiot]

It's a shame really that two genres of music with the same roots have drifted so far apart and the majority of so-called-artists making a success off of them are fucking awful. That aside, the people making sweeping generalisations and dismissing a particular genre of music just because the mainstream content is horrible do not like music. Simple. If they can't be bothered to dig deeper they are led to a mis-informed conclusion which shows that really they know absolutely fuck all about music.

There is a House, In New Orleans.....

They call the Rising Sun...

 

[Berethond]

snip

He's saying that you're only talking about lyrics when judging music, when music should be judged by, well, the music.

 

[bjj hero]

I don't listen to music for the message, I'm not 12 and looking for someone to tell me what to think. I find it pretentious when a musician feels like he has to get a message "out there". Fuck off you no talent hack.

So you're not one of the majority here who say "Durr rap has got no meaning"? Good for you!

Music is entertainment. Who cares if it has meaning? I won't be saying its is all about guns and hoes though, Its as varied as any other type of music.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

Generalisations, they don't help anything.[small]I've noticed there's alot of hate here for hip-hop, it really gets on my nerves when I see people saying, "All rap/hip-hop is is black men talking about their bitchs, hoes and money"[/small], yea it is, in the same way rock music is men with half their face covered by hair crying about their ex girlfriend.

Also, do you agree with my first paragraphs? In that people do not open their ears enough and speak about hate without really knowing what a certain genre is all about.

So long as we are all admitting that we have committed this crime at least once, then yes, I agree.

I would throw up some music I listen to, but it's mostly generic, so whenever I'm asked to share I usually just share this:
Guns of the Navarone
...even though it is pretty common. speaking of which:
Universal Mind Control

If you'd read my post you'd realise I've been listening to Rock my whole life and the point of the title is to illustrate that while you can say "Rap is all bitchs and hoes", you're no better than hip-hop fans who say "rock is all dudes crying about their ex girlfriends".

As for The Killers, I respect them musically, but I think their popularity has stopped alot of ska bands achieving the things they deserve due to record execs seeing The Killers popularity and saying "Durr... let's make a dozen copies of these guys!".




I think many of you have missed the point of the thread, which was you can not say one genre of music is bad based on one or two artists you've heard in the mainstream. Apparenlty I worded it as "Hip-hop is da best lololol!!!111".

I don't listen to music for the message, I'm not 12 and looking for someone to tell me what to think. I find it pretentious when a musician feels like he has to get a message "out there". Fuck off you no talent hack.

So you're not one of the majority here who say "Durr rap has got no meaning"? Good for you!

Music is entertainment. Who cares if it has meaning? I won't be saying its is all about guns and hoes though, Its as varied as any other type of music.

And I'm saying fair play to you, you're a good man. Sorry if the "Good for you!" sounded sarcastic, it wasn't.

 

[bjj hero]

And I'm saying fair play to you, you're a good man. Sorry if the "Good for you!" sounded sarcastic, it wasn't.

Easily done over the internet, no offence taken.

 

[Jerious1154]

You can generalize any genre of music to make it sound like crap. The key thing to remember is that if you don't listen to a specific genre, your impression of it is probably slightly skewed because the most popular groups that everyone hears are generally crap.

Besides, rap can kick ass if its done by an indie-rock band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7mMoc-x_v0

 

[Nincompoop]

Why do inferior musicans seem to prosper?

"Because it's good. Or because Will Smith is in it."

In all seriousness, once people started ranking music bands according to the quality of lyrics, or "inclusion of political message" and suchlike, I guess that was the beginning of the Great Missing-the-Point Festival. Isn't music supposed to be, well, music?

I'll admit here and now that I don't care about lyrics at all - I consider the vocals to just be one of the musical instruments the band utilizes and the lyrics as being there only to help the singer with interpretation. I listen to a lot of bands whose lyrics are in languages I don't know, or at least I'm not proficient in enough to understand them from hearing. So I guess I'm approaching the subject from the other extreme, and I'm therefore somewhat biased.

And haven't you all thought that maybe most people simply don't listen to music to live a higher artistic experience or feel strongly about a political subject, but just to enjoy the tune? While I am far from condemning rap and hip-hop - there are a few songs which I like - you have to admit that melody-wise, rock wins (and please, don't try to counter that by selecting a great rapper and comparing him to a painfully mediocre punk rock band). And has the advantage of not having to rely on lyrics at all.

This is just abbaselutely incredibubble...

Seriously, I think you are completely right. People claim they like music, but judge it by lyrical arguments.

 

[-Orgasmatron-]

You can generalize any genre of music to make it sound like crap. The key thing to remember is that if you don't listen to a specific genre, your impression of it is probably slightly skewed because the most popular groups that everyone hears are generally crap.

Thank you. This is pretty much what I was trying to say, but you're avatar is a friendly dinosaur so more people should listen to you.

This is just abbaselutely incredibubble...

Seriously, I think you are completely right. People claim they like music, but judge it by lyrical arguments.

You're all about the music, click this, it will make you happy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adV8-_hgL4g

Your money back if it doesn't.