Rap Music.

[Bailos]

Fair enough, I suppose this has gone on long enough. I'm grateful that for the most part, everyone here is at least respectful, and I think I'll frequent the boards more often. Thanks everyone for participating.

I'm glad I got some new artists to listen to

For anyone interested, try out Aesop Rock, Immortal Technique, Lupe Fiasco (Who is surprising still rather underground), Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Zion I, Mr. Lif, and Jedi Mindtricks.

 

[Xanadu84]

Common mistake here is that most rap-haters don't hate rap: They hate GANGSTA rap. Generally, the hatred is for the stuff that try's to present violent, criminal behavior and abusing your girlfriend as a positive thing worthy of respect in real life.

Nah, I hate all of it. None of it requires any real talent. Give me twenty minutes and I could write you a hit rap song. I won't, because I'm not willing to demean myself that way, but I could.

...but I think it's important to note the matter of personal taste. If a certain example of rap is just as low quality to your ears, but conveys no negative, hateful, or moronic message, and a large number of people genuinely enjoy it, would your reaction be spiteful, or a simple, "Whatever, to each there own, but it sounds terrible to me" kind of deal? I think that the dislike for a song that talks about hitting their girlfriend, filled with indications that the artist seems to act this way in real life, is very different then dislike of a genre that just sounds amateurish and talentless to you.

 

[teisjm]

I think about a third of my CD's are rap cd's, and i'm also stunned about how much hate the genre gets by people who doesn't know shit.

Sure theres tons of (IMO) shitty rappers, but that goes for rock, pop, techno, metal and all other genres as well, also movies, books, games, people, oppinions and sexual positions, thats just the way life is.
But theres some rally good stuff as well, but i guess once you've heard 50 rap about bitches, bacardi and guns, you can truly say that the whole genre sucks.

Try listening to something with a little more depth, Cause thats where rap music shines.
Most rap songs have more lyrics than most other genres, and due to the leangthy lyrics, you can sy so much more about a topic, which i guess is why a lot of more serious rappers are more direct in their lyrical aproach.
They adress each other and other people directly through their lyrics, it's rarely about "a guy and a girl" ) or "a corrupt leader" (emimen - Mosh, for example) it's a lot more specific.
while you could say "boo this leaves no room for intepretation, so therefore it's for idiots who don't wanna have to think for themselves" But heres my thought about it:
If other songs (very generalizing i know) are like paintings, rap is like comics, one is comsidered more "arty" than the other, but honestly, a cartoonist can easily have as much talent as a painter, and the fact that he tells a more direct story doesn't make his fans dumber. Guess this is the right forum to make that point.

Guess i'll stop my train of thought here for the moment, or i'll just run completely off track and start dissing the art world.

 

[The AI]

I hate mainstream hip-hop and rap, so I used to think I hated the genre in general. But then I discovered the Gorillaz. From the moment I heard them I was hooked, and they were, strangely enough, the gateway band for me getting more into hip-hop.

 

[Patroclus]

I'll admit to accepting what is called -ahem- "Old School" rap.

Also I first read the title as "Rape Music"
Is there a song that fits rape? I mean like a scene where someone's getting raped, can you think of a song that would fit such a scene?

[Note to self: Stop letting mind wander]
I've begun to get replies, maybe I should start a thread or something? (Would need one hell of a disclaimer)

Rape Me-Nirvana
Polly-Nirvana
Chloroform Girl-Polkadot Cadaver

Run For Your Life - The Beatles?

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Closer-Nine Inch Nails.... or any of the songs by NIN for that matter...

OT: Can't say I hate it, but I can't say that I'm a hardcore fan of it either. Personally I just get annoyed when some people decide they want to blast their music (rap or no) out of their car as they're cruising around the neighbohood. It's just obnoxious. But it isn't uncommon in NYC, so one gets used to it after a time...

though, I did move recently (not far from my old neighborhood) and occasionally there's this guy/girl (dunno which) who circles the block in his/her car playing "The Dancing Queen" (Mamma Mia soundtrack) at the highest possible volume--I kid you not.

 

[Xanadu84]

Common mistake here is that most rap-haters don't hate rap: They hate GANGSTA rap. Generally, the hatred is for the stuff that try's to present violent, criminal behavior and abusing your girlfriend as a positive thing worthy of respect in real life.

Nah, I hate all of it. None of it requires any real talent. Give me twenty minutes and I could write you a hit rap song. I won't, because I'm not willing to demean myself that way, but I could.

...but I think it's important to note the matter of personal taste. If a certain example of rap is just as low quality to your ears, but conveys no negative, hateful, or moronic message, and a large number of people genuinely enjoy it, would your reaction be spiteful, or a simple, "Whatever, to each there own, but it sounds terrible to me" kind of deal? I think that the dislike for a song that talks about hitting their girlfriend, filled with indications that the artist seems to act this way in real life, is very different then dislike of a genre that just sounds amateurish and talentless to you.

I'm not one to hold back when it comes to my opinion on certain things, and music is one of those things. I hate rap because it both requires no talent and generally has poor meaning behind each song. I think rap's increase in popularity speaks to the declining intelligence of America as a whole. Anyone who genuinely considers rap to be a respectable form of art is an idiot, plain and simple. Okay for a laugh and two to three minutes of a catchy rhythm, maybe, but art? No. Respectable? No. The idea that many of these rappers consider themselves to be doing something which will last through the generations is laughable.

But by that same token, can you actually, truly "Hate" a simple guilty pleasure? You can hate something which encourages evil behavior, but for a guilty pleasure, you can really just shake your head and mutter somthing about bad taste.

 

[hittite]

I'll listen to pretty much any genre (except J-pop, the last time I tried to listen to some my ear drums popped out of my head and threatened me with physical violence) and I'll form my opinion of a song on it's own merits based off of a list of priorities.
1. musicality (so sue me, I'm a band geek)
2. poetry (how the lyrics fit together and flow)
3. message
90% of the rap that I've heard has little to none of these. I do, however, listen to some rap.

 

[eljawa]

Not to generalize, but much of the rap/hiphop genre samples better songs, and revolves around sex and drugs (Rock does too from time to time, but I find it musically interesting). The rythems, while more rapid than what I can do, are unapealing

I hate mainstream hip-hop and rap, so I used to think I hated the genre in general. But then I discovered the Gorillaz. From the moment I heard them I was hooked, and they were, strangely enough, the gateway band for me getting more into hip-hop.

Yeah, GOrrilaz are like an exception to the rule. They rock

 

[Azure Sky]

I hate rap where there talking about is gangsters, violence, and bitches...

True. A lot of rap that I hear just makes me question why people enjoy listening to it.

True. But I guess this can also be applied to other genras as well.

As for me, i'm more a 'melodic' genra person. Moar music and less lyrics is 'generaly' better (Assuming its nice music).
I guess Rap just sits at the direct opposite of my personal preferance.

 

[The Austin]

Average rap song:

"Hey Yo, yo, I just shot my *****, lets get high, yo-yo."

Not pleasant to listen to.

 

[Oldmanwillow]

Because there's no music in it. Your title is incorrect.

This, for the most part. Rap isn't really singing, and when you compound that with how most rap is about things I can't relate to whatsoever and features terrible backing 'music', you end up with something I'm profoundly uninterested in.

This is not to say I loathe rap universally, I just don't much care for the genre as a rule - there are a few artists/songs here and there that verge into rap or utilize it along with other stylistic forms that I don't mind, and while I don't love nerdcore I at least find it hilarious.

At the core, I think the reason I don't like it is that it doesn't really go anywhere - something a great deal of popular music from a plethora of genres is equally guilty of. By not going anywhere I mean that if you were to chart the ebb and flow of the song musically, what you'd get is essentially a straight line from start to finish, a musical landscape devoid of chasms or soaring mountains, something the vocal delivery of rap does nothing to help with. I can't stand club jazz for much the same reason - in my mind, it's a musical journey consisting of running in place for a while.

I cant believe that you can say jazz doesnt do anywhere. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZwX_7L_1s basically proves you dead wrong, and i can keep on going all day about songs jazz songs that go places.

If you listen to the chord progressions of jazz you realize that it never stays in the same key throughout an entire piece. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYK3sHjGlKo changes keys every 4 measures. this is a easier progression to play as well. For you to say jazz doesnt go anywhere proves your music ignorance.

OP I do not consider "Rap" music. Its has some of the qualities of music but not all of them so i cannot consider it as such. Its like a virus (because a virus isnt technically alive because it has most of the traits of a living organism but not all). Sure it has rhythm and lyrics, but where the the melody and the harmony. They are non existent. If you can judge rap on any type of artistic level it has to be poetry. How much rap is good poetry?

Lyrics aren't even necessary for music. I can point to some much good music that doesn't have a single word in it. All rap is glorified poetry, and should be judged as such.

 

[theultimateend]

Average rap song:

"Hey Yo, yo, I just shot my *****, lets get high, yo-yo."

Not pleasant to listen to.

Mmm Stereotyping.

 

[Shenanigans176]

Personally, I enjoy listening to it for the musical quality of the rhythm and the bass and the voices all mixing, but I personally simply enjoy more classic rock than I do rap.

I do however disagree with those who say that rap has no redeeming qualities and requires no skill. The mixing of the different rhythms and the actual rap and rhyming and just everything is actually truly difficult. I'm really into music, and I've tried to synth stuff such as they do in many rap and hip hop songs, and it's damn hard. As is writing any song. Given, it's much harder to write a song where there are actual pitches and notes, and not just the rhythm, but even that is pretty damn difficult...

 

[The Austin]

Average rap song:

"Hey Yo, yo, I just shot my *****, lets get high, yo-yo."

Not pleasant to listen to.

Mmm Stereotyping.

Every stereotype is true.

 

[The_Echo]

I absolutely hate rap because for the most part, the lyrics are a slight meaningless, the 'music' isn't even remotely complex at all, and of course, the singer is very monotonous in vocal patterns.

However, I don't look around too much in the rap or hiphop genres. Though there hasn't been a single song from those genres that I could tolerate, let alone like... Besides Libera Me From Hell, of course. Everyone likes that song.

 

[Shru1kan]

I hate rap where there talking about is gangsters, violence, and bitches...

I do listen to some clean, old school Eminem (not that crap wheres hes gallivanting about as "slim shady"). That's the cream of the crop in my opinion for the genre.

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

I don't like any mainstream music for the most part. Underground rap is good, because it often houses real lyrical talent.

NOTE:This is my lazy answer, it's late and I'm tired. Deal with it.

 

[martin's a madman]

I googled the difference between rap and hip hop, and answers mostly sum up to mean there is no clear line which separates the two. I'm not into either, but I've liked one or two songs from one of those genres, whichever that may be.

Run DMC - It's Tricky
Run DMC and Aerosmith - Walk this way
Run DMC - It's like that
MC Hammer - Hammertime

I'm pretty sure the difference is that Hip-hop is an entire cultural styling incorporating Break-dancing, beat boxing, DJing, rapping, graffiti and... I think that's it. Rap is just a component.

 

[Generator]

I dunno, I just don't like the way it sounds, to be honest. It's, generally speaking, very lyrically focused whereas I enjoy music more focused on melody or both evenly. It's just my opinion, though.

 

[Rawker]

I believe the hatred is directed towards MAINSTREAM rap. I cannot stand the idiots on the radio, but I do like the more underground stuff. my theory on rap is this.

To be famous in rap, you can only keep two of the following:
Morals
Popularity
Soul