DiMono said:
I say no. I define music very simply as something having a musical melody. Sung, played, strummed, doesn't matter, as long as it's present. Speaking quickly does not a melody make. Thus rap isn't music.
Which is not to say there's no rap out there worth listening to; on the contrary, some is both worthwhile and socially relevant. However, when the vast majority of it is about how cool it is to be a criminal, or to have hot bitches and big TVs, I think society as a whole can do without that.
Clarification edit: I'm not saying rap is bad or not worth listening to, in fact I'm quite fond of quite a bit of it. All I'm saying is that it shouldn't be classified as music, it should be classified as something else that's similar but different.
Topical edit: The conversation seems to have evolved to a general "what makes music music?" discussion, picking up on page 6.
In France there are more and more rap groups that incite Hate speechs in their lyrics, which makes me shiver, when you get to understand what they say:
Extracts of Mauvais Ril:
"Les colons nous l'ont mis profond.
A l'envers on va leur faire,
On est venu récupérer notre dû
Dans vos rues on va faire couler votre pu
Attends toi à plus d'un attentat
Ici, en France, loin des ambiances "pétard"
14 juillet Microphone ouvert et nos actions s'amorcent féroces,
AL.I., Booba, Lunatic, Hauts de seine, on te saigne."
Extracts of "Guerre/Jihad" :
"on repartira avec leur argent, leur sang et leurs pes-sa(sapes = cloths)
La France n'est pas territoire neutre.
Mes troupes sont mobilisées
Ils ont leurs paradis fiscaux
Faut qu'on impose nos lieux de non-droits
Et si c'est ça qu'ils veulent on va s'armer et s'entourer d'Khos"
this is as repulsive as it can get...
In the past, we censored songs from some French artists (Ferrat, Vian ...) for far less than that.
btw, recently i've heard 153 members of the National Assembly, have asked several months ago, to the Minister of Justice - so far unsuccessfully - that legal prosecutions be initiated against a few rap groups who, in songs that hum the suburbs, that are selling well at stores like FNAC, insult seriously our country, and threaten our countrymen in a way that is totally unacceptable. Members of these groups are foreign or of foreign origin. They were welcomed in our country and they are now making a fortune selling their insanities. We can not accept, and no government in the world should accept, such actions.
personally speaking, i do like to listen to rappers like NWA, Warren G, Ice-T, WuTangClan, among others...