Rap Music, and the Discussion of It

[ShammerS]

As a community based on music-games, I can only assume that we've all got our own taste in what's good and what isn't. So, here's the deal.

I hate rap music with nearly every fiber of my being. This most certainly includes (but is not limited to) nearly every song heard on Indianapolis' 96.3FM and 93.1FM. Popular rap music seems to be a sad mix of a shitty, one-lined catch phrase sung by a no-talent racist/sexist.

Granted, racism and sexism can be funny, but they take that shit seriously and talk about it like it's a key and important part of 'being a g' or whatever the fuck they call that whole idea of being rich for sounding like a dog in heat while they sing.

In my opinion, the entire industry is led by it's producers who, at this point, have simply run out of creativity. The same generic beat (I can point it out to you musically, if you'd like) can be heard in nearly every song with one of three variations. The same cheesy production sounds can be heard in the background, usually a bunch of deep-voiced dudes going "hey" on the off beats.

With such hits like "Walk It Out" and "This Is Why I'm Hot" being played numerous times on a daily basis, I can't help but wonder when the songs will stop being requested and people start to hear something that remotely resembles talent. It simply seems to me that people only listen to it as a way to completely escape having a brain capable of coherent or productive thought.

Fuck popular rap and hip-hop; that's my opinion.

What's yours?

YEeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[lgolem]

I, like you, hate popular rap. I do tend to have some liking into like underground and Korean rap. But if it is ANYTHING that is played on the radio I shut it off, because just hearing it for 30 seconds makes me feel like my brain cells have commited a mass suicide.

[Fluffyumpkins]

There are plenty of great hip hop acts.

De La Soul
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
The Roots
The Foreign Exchange
Beastie Boys
Blackalicious
BlackStar

Even some big name rap isn't bad.

Ludacris
Nappy Roots
Old Snoop and Dre


The trick is to take any song with the word Crunk, and just throw it away.

[Secef]

There are plenty of great hip hop acts.

De La Soul
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
The Roots
The Foreign Exchange
Beastie Boys
Blackalicious
BlackStar

Even some big name rap isn't bad.

Ludacris
Nappy Roots
Old Snoop and Dre


The trick is to take any song with the word Crunk, and just throw it away.

This.

Mainstream rap and hiphop, for the most part, is pretty terrible, I'll admit. But classic hiphop acts, "progressive hop"/underground artists, and even a few of the newer mainstream artists are pretty good. It's just that when it comes to the latter you really have to fight through the deluge of "shiiiet I got icy hot grillz an be smackin bitchez up da hizzie fo sho WHAT? YEEEEEEEEUH!" tripe in order to find it.

[Pheonixguy]

*agrees with fluffyumpkins*

rap can be ok, when its not the normal boring rap



but otherwise i hate it and dont even listen to the radio because of it

[hascoolnickname]

I want to be pretentious too should I make a thread about every genre I dont like?

[Original Sin]

I typically don't make generalizations when it comes to music genres, or 'mainstream' stuff. But here, I will.

Mainstream rap/hip-hop (stuff with frequent radio play) is more or less awful.
Now, older rap I can stand, as a lot of it makes me laugh. But the whole 'gangsta' fad can burn.
What makes me sad, is some of the artists I've heard DO have talent as vocalists, and their 'flow' is decent...if they'd just stop rapping about the same thing, using a made up language, and shitty back beats.

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.

I want to be pretentious too should I make a thread about every genre I dont like?

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.

[SoDeepPolaris]

Sage Francis
The Procussions
De La Soul
A Tribe Called Quest
Apathy
Jedi Mind Tricks
Aesop Rock
Atmosphere
Busdriver
Cannibal Ox
El-P
Cunninlynguists
Dead Prez
Digital Underground
Freestyle Fellowship
Edan
KRS-One
Nas (he's good, just sometimes has too much of a thug mentality)
Royce Da 5'9" (great flow, rhyme switches)
Talib Kweli


And those are just a few.

Mainstream rap for the most part is not that skilled but think about mainstream music in general. You can't, I repeat, CAN'T sit there and say bands like Three Days Grace are very skilled. Mainstream typically isn't about skill, it's about catchy.

A lot of mainstream artists have decent amounts of skill but their subject material is flawed.

[THE REAL DEAL]

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.

jurassic 5 & ozmatli is your best bet there

[Original Sin]

jurassic 5 & ozmatli is your best bet there

I've heard of Jurassic 5, but I've never heard their music. I'm glad someone's rollin' with the instruments, though.

Mainstream rap for the most part is not that skilled but think about mainstream music in general. You can't, I repeat, CAN'T sit there and say bands like Three Days Grace are very skilled. Mainstream typically isn't about skill, it's about catchy.

A lot of mainstream artists have decent amounts of skill but their subject material is flawed.

Yeah, that's why I typically don't pay much attention to mainstream music. I rarely even listen to rock radio anymore...there are just very few bands that I feel compelled to listen to.
3 days grace is actually a big reason I stopped listening to the radio...funny you should mention them. =)
The only new band I've heard lately that I like a lot is Hurt. Their sound is different than your typical mainstream radio band...and, thus, I don't hear much of them on the radio anymore. Good stuff though.
I'm a metal fan personally...but even new metal...or what they call metal, annoys the hell out of me. They're trying too hard to be 'hardcore,' and losing what I actually like about metal...passion, and epic instrumental work. Now, it's just....angry. Blah.

[hascoolnickname]

Fuck, we've got a thread about CATS.

not dissin on em. its one of the best threads

good list there zach, have you checked out everything else on anticon?

[SoDeepPolaris]

Fuck, we've got a thread about CATS.

not dissin on em. its one of the best threads

good list there zach, have you checked out everything else on anticon?

I love Anticon and Rhymesayers.

Some of the best labels out right now.

EDIT:

Although, while I love Eyedea's freestyles, some of his solo stuff is kind of weak.

[Jeff Jeff Revolution]

I'm not really big into rap at all, but I do prefer some old school Run-DMC hip-hop and some Beastie Boys.

Eminem's funny only about the first 10 times he's played.

That's about it for me when it comes to Rap/Hip Hop.

[sam]

just saw heiruspecs and brother ali on 4/20 weekend

i love anything from st paul minnesota and the rap artists that consider themselves hip hop.

mainstream rap has lost its roots and instead of being an outlet for living in a shitty situation it became a way to glamorize the crap people deal with in a day to day life. it perpetuates ignorance and fuels segregation. just because the mainstream stuff gives it a bad name doesn't make the entire genre shit.

for a list:
deltron
heiruspecs
brother ali
aesop rock
sage francis
oso
the roots
krs one
cunninlynguists (while some of their songs could be considered thuggish a great deal of their stuff brings up a great point about music. for instance seasons)
devin the dude

[SoDeepPolaris]