Rap Music, and the Discussion of It

[Potter]

busdriver? haven't read anybodies posts

[Riot]

We've had so many threads about meaningless shit on this board, and you choose to bitch now? Fuck, we've got a thread about CATS.

YOU CALLING ME MEANINGLESS?!

[Riot]

busdriver? haven't read anybodies posts

Busdriver is kinda cool. I heard him first in a CS video roflrofl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpP-8tJ-9Js

[danc1005]

Although I realize most mainstream rap right now takes no skill to create or write, I will admit that a lot of it is catchy. I don't take the lyrics seriously (you have to be an idiot to) and whenever I sing a song, it's mostly mockingly. And yes, most songs do sound the same and are based on the exact same ideas for words and cheap rhymes.
But some stuff (someone mentioned old school Dre and Snoop?) is really worth listening to. A lot of early 90s era west coast hip-hop, while exuding a strong "thug" vibe, is actually quite creative.

it perpetuates ignorance and fuels segregation.

I also agree with this. I am strongly opposed to what they're now calling "reverse racism".

[malictus]

I'd like to see more instrumentation as well. As in...real instruments, played by real people. With talent. I know this does happen, but like has been said before...you have to wade through a deluge of shit to find it, and I'm not fond enough of hip hop to look for it.

This seems to be an odd statement for a Nine Inch Nails fan to make.

But seriously, if I make music with a keyboard and a mouse, what's the difference between that and making music with an electric guitar? Both take skill to be good.

Oh, and 2 other things:

- It takes talent to write catchy songs, even if they're simple. Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean.
- I agree that lyrical content of radio rap is absolutely horrible.

[lgolem]

House of Pain...WTFUCK NOW

[ShammerS]

The worst part of it all is the unavoidable and incessent presence of mainstream rap in youth. The prominence of 'reverse racism' and complete degregation of civilization being thrown into our (namely: youth)'s ears like a poison is enough to make me want to hurl.

It lies along the same lines as girls that see Hilton and wish to starve themselves. It's a horrid in both content and influence, through and through, yet its as prominent in daily life as the air we breathe. They're similar in that they're both so retarded that I can't take it seriously, yet there are plenty who do.

[Cbav]

wow ironic to find a topic like this online today. earlier today, (well yesterday now) i had an argument with the only black kid in my school in geography on how rapping isn't music. It's just classified as music because they don't know what it is.

edit:
oh jeeze. haha. I didn't want to make that sound racist, but it does. the kid ended up bringing up rap in a class discussion and i made a comment about rap being a joke or something and it kinda went off from there.

[Original Sin]

I'd like to see more instrumentation as well. As in...real instruments, played by real people. With talent. I know this does happen, but like has been said before...you have to wade through a deluge of shit to find it, and I'm not fond enough of hip hop to look for it.

This seems to be an odd statement for a Nine Inch Nails fan to make.

But seriously, if I make music with a keyboard and a mouse, what's the difference between that and making music with an electric guitar? Both take skill to be good.

The difference being, that Nine Inch Nails performs most everything on their albums live, and recreates it instrumentally. Most Rap acts I've seen in the past have been a guy, with a mic, rapping over a back beat.

I've got nothing against synthetic music. Composition takes just as much work as playing an instrument. But, when that 'music' is nothing more than a redundant back beat, that could be programmed in 10 minutes with a basic drum machine, I don't have much respect for it as music.
Drum programming is practically an art in itself...when they actually, you know, change the beat or the tempo from time to time.

[sam]

I'd like to see more instrumentation as well. As in...real instruments, played by real people. With talent. I know this does happen, but like has been said before...you have to wade through a deluge of shit to find it, and I'm not fond enough of hip hop to look for it.

This seems to be an odd statement for a Nine Inch Nails fan to make.

But seriously, if I make music with a keyboard and a mouse, what's the difference between that and making music with an electric guitar? Both take skill to be good.

The difference being, that Nine Inch Nails performs most everything on their albums live, and recreates it instrumentally. Most Rap acts I've seen in the past have been a guy, with a mic, rapping over a back beat.

I've got nothing against synthetic music. Composition takes just as much work as playing an instrument. But, when that 'music' is nothing more than a redundant back beat, that could be programmed in 10 minutes with a basic drum machine, I don't have much respect for it as music.
Drum programming is practically an art in itself...when they actually, you know, change the beat or the tempo from time to time.

and what of sampling? it is still an art and requires skill to do in a fashion that doesn't sound like a trainwreak. most rap artists are doing their thing out the back of their car and don't have the means to actually afford to have a real band. there are quite a few 'group' rap setups such as heiruspecs, oso and the roots. the whole argument that rap beats are refiltered garbage makes *no* sense to me considering most all pop music beats today are derived from the allman fill. you could say there has been no real progression in percussion in the last 50 years of music but then you're just making yourself look silly.

[THE REAL DEAL]

and what of sampling? it is still an art and requires skill to do in a fashion that doesn't sound like a trainwreak. most rap artists are doing their thing out the back of their car and don't have the means to actually afford to have a real band. there are quite a few 'group' rap setups such as heiruspecs, oso and the roots. the whole argument that rap beats are refiltered garbage makes *no* sense to me considering most all pop music beats today are derived from the allman fill. you could say there has been no real progression in percussion in the last 50 years of music but then you're just making yourself look silly.

well said

what do you guys think that "lovely" music of your beloved game is made with? and none of that "it's just a game" excuse because we all know that every song is an actual song that's probably on a 12" somewhere that someone produced outside that game.

anyone that says rap requires no skill or says it's not "real" music should try their hand at it. go ahead and try to make your own beat, whether it's with gay fruity loops or an 808, make an album, perform in front of a crowd, and sell records. there is talent involved. just because they aren't singing doesn't make it not a form of music. just look at some of the songs in the beloved game you play. some don't even have words to begin with.

granted, there are trashy acts out there like lil' wayne and young jeezy. put either of those homos over a weak beat that doesn't attract mainstream attention and it will flop. and you know why? mainstream rap today isn't about lyrics. it's about production. plain and simple.

[Spazz]

Rock sucks.
Rap sucks.
Techno sucks.
Disco sucks.
Soul sucks.
R&B sucks.
Your favorite genre sucks.


Thread over.



Also, just because it's a repeated phrase/beat does not make it any less music. Sure, you may not like it... but, listen to this, right? I listen to just about every genre of music. I ENJOY just about every genre.

Since when does a song have to be thought provoking to be good? Not every rap song is about pimpin hos, makin money, or shootin someone down. There's also a lot of rock music that revolves around these same ideas. Music is music, weither YOU enjoy it or not.

Most statements made in this thread are going to involve things involving cultures associated with said music. These statements are going to mostly be racist. These statements should not be made here, because it just points out exactly how ignorant and bigoted you are.

[Original Sin]

and what of sampling? it is still an art and requires skill to do in a fashion that doesn't sound like a trainwreak. most rap artists are doing their thing out the back of their car and don't have the means to actually afford to have a real band. there are quite a few 'group' rap setups such as heiruspecs, oso and the roots. the whole argument that rap beats are refiltered garbage makes *no* sense to me considering most all pop music beats today are derived from the allman fill. you could say there has been no real progression in percussion in the last 50 years of music but then you're just making yourself look silly.

I've got nothing against that. I know it's complicated, I do it myself as well. But, that's the thing that kind of irritates me about mainstream rap...when I hear a beat, that does nothing but repeat, and I know I could have programmed said beat myself with little to no effort involved, entirely on freeware programs and a shitty lap top.
I'm not saying there isn't good sampling in the hip hop world...I'm just saying that most of the popular songs I hear, are not good examples of what can be done with synthetic music at all. I'd rather see talented artists get the recognition, instead of the generic thugs that are playing the scene.

[SoDeepPolaris]

and what of sampling? it is still an art and requires skill to do in a fashion that doesn't sound like a trainwreak. most rap artists are doing their thing out the back of their car and don't have the means to actually afford to have a real band. there are quite a few 'group' rap setups such as heiruspecs, oso and the roots. the whole argument that rap beats are refiltered garbage makes *no* sense to me considering most all pop music beats today are derived from the allman fill. you could say there has been no real progression in percussion in the last 50 years of music but then you're just making yourself look silly.

I've got nothing against that. I know it's complicated, I do it myself as well. But, that's the thing that kind of irritates me about mainstream rap...when I hear a beat, that does nothing but repeat, and I know I could have programmed said beat myself with little to no effort involved, entirely on freeware programs and a shitty lap top.
I'm not saying there isn't good sampling in the hip hop world...I'm just saying that most of the popular songs I hear, are not good examples of what can be done with synthetic music at all. I'd rather see talented artists get the recognition, instead of the generic thugs that are playing the scene.

You should do one and post it.

Oh and The Real Deal, Lil Wayne actually has verbal skills.

[ShammerS]

Most statements made in this thread are going to involve things involving cultures associated with said music. These statements are going to mostly be racist.

"Don't make fun of rap for being racist because that's racist."

>_>

I'd like to point out that I LOVE Outkast. Bombs Over Baghdad ftw.

Singing about "I'm hot cuz I'm fly, you ain't cuz you not" 48 times in 2 minutes though? I stand by the statement that it's not only mindless, but deteriorating to what little brain matter its listeners have left.

Also, keep in mind this thread is about popular rap music, not those hawt underground r&b groups that don't actually blow my nuts.