Rap

[Zen Bard]

Folks...I give you what might just be the very first rap song on vinyl. Yes, it's that old! (and no, I'm not talking about Blondie's "Rapture"!)

Seriously...just give it a listen


On topic...I never really cared for rap because I never really thought it took much skill or talent. But I'm biased since I've been a semi-pro guitarist for a couple of decades. I get the talent it takes to be a bad ass bassist or a dangerous drummer. But I never really thought it took that much skill to talk into a microphone against a sampled beat.

I have since come around.

Maybe it has to do with my wife being a fan of Tupac, LL, Snoop and Eminem. But I can definitely appreciate the skill, talent and artistry those guys exhibit.

So maybe it's like some of the other posters said; there's so much Crap Rap out there that I erroneously lumped the good stuff with it.

I will now go put on the collar shame...

 

[RufusMcLaser]

Culture bias does a lot of it..[snip..makes no more sense to me now than it did when I was first exposed to it when a couple of pre-teens were wearing all of their clothes backward.

I agree with everything this poster said. Because the popular rap that I've been exposed to hasn't resonated with me, I've tended to disregard it. It's about topics or behaviors which are either alien or downright repellant. I understand that there's plenty of "good" rap that isn't about popping caps and mishandling ladies, but it's similar enough in tone and delivery that I'm predisposed (prejudiced in other words) to dislike it.
Nevertheless there are certain esoteric types- nerdcore, for instance- which do work for me.

 

[el_kabong]

Echoing what others have said. Mainstream rap is one of the lowest forms of music. It's as formulaic as any boy band pop song.

I still have love for the underground, though. I've seen some solid artists listed, but not any mention of my hip hop heroes from my own area (relatively speaking):

Spoiler: DOOMTREE

 

[RufusMcLaser]

Not enough gentleman rap in this thread...
[AWESOMENESS]
I like rap when it's intelligent, we need more rap like this.

I shall remember this day as the day Daystar Clarion introduced me to Professor Elemental. You of all Escapists can use the spare room any time you're in town.

 

[Clankenbeard]

I think most people still think RAP is vulgar and full of thugs. I know I do. The typical subject matter of illegal, sexist, and racist behavior is a definite turnoff. Now, is that all that RAP is these days? No, not entirely.

There's a lot of Indie Rap out there that appeals to me--particularly nerdcore. There are dudes out there stringing together ridiculous rhymes and alliteration about technology and ridiculous things. I find these stylings to be very entertaining. Are they RAP? Yeah, I'm going to say so.

I'll close with a little MC Frontalot who raps about getting old, internet porn, Voltron, Zork, nerds, and being "Indier than Thou". (Whom I would have never found without the Humble Music Bundle)
(In biology, DETRITUS is non-living particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material). It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms as well as fecal material.--In case you heard it in the above video and didn't know.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Not enough gentleman rap in this thread...
[AWESOMENESS]
I like rap when it's intelligent, we need more rap like this.

I shall remember this day as the day Daystar Clarion introduced me to Professor Elemental. You of all Escapists can use the spare room any time you're in town.

That's not necessary.

I only require a large deposit of cash monies.

 

[Skeleon]

It's just not my kind of music. I prefer hard rock, metal and electronic stuff. But every now and then, I find a rap or hip hop song I do enjoy. For instance:

 

[halfeclipse]

Because the genre as a whole is a stagnant, worthless piece of shit and the handful of artists who A: Produce good work, B: Do so regularly, and C: Not be utterly unrepentant douche-nozzles of one variety or the other, is too great a minority to make up the difference.



An ocean of shit that contains a couple diamonds is still an ocean of shit.

 

[Mel Theofficegamergirl]

Don't like rap? Y'all need to listen to some Kool Keith. He's oldschool crazy awesome.

 

[Do4600]

One man from Boston:

 

[LITE992]

What I really hate about rap is the stupid rap parts in a song. Just listening to a song you enjoy until a generic rapper steps in and starts talking about things that have nothing to do with the song you were listening to.

However, when I listen to rap, it's rap rock.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Snip

Can't believe it took till the second page to get some Aesop Rock flowin. You sir and/or madame have great taste.
What do you think of his new album?

Spoiler: A sample if you're interested

I think a lot of people hate it because they mostly hear the stuff on the radio which, imo, just isn't that good.

I like stuff that revolves around more intelligent topics, has witty wordplay or tells good stories with deep meaning.

Spoiler: A couple of my favorite tracks

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

I am a rap fan and I have often wondered why people seem to have such distaste towards rap music.Is it because of the mainstream rappers who always talk about bitches and money or the fact they have never properly listened to it ? Or is it something I am missing ?

This is just for my own curiosity more than anything else

It sounds childish to me. Same with Country. If a Rapper could make a good song without the use of the same exact sound as their last and without the use of Sexism/Hatespeech, I would be amazed.

No sexism and has to be the exact opposite of a hate speech.

Spoiler

Please share your opinion on it. Oh and if you like/dislike it please tell me why.

 

[Daveman]

There's so much good rap music that I am truly stunned by people who say they hate it all. I just think it must be ignorance. Just listen to something other than 2 50 cent songs before you comment on an entire genre. No obviously it's not all sexist and all about swearing, but sometimes it is and fuck it, some people just like that, I know sometimes that's just what I'm in the mood for.

If you expect me to post a song to change your mind then think again. Somebody else is going to give it to you... specifically "X".

Spoiler: BOOM

 

[Tallim]

Not enough gentleman rap in this thread...



I like rap when it's intelligent, we need more rap like this.

I wasn't raised in a country manor with a staff of 20 or more live-in servants and sent to boarding school for the rest of my formative years NOT to have better taste than that, my dear boy. Professor Elemental was it? One of those "working" fellows from that "middle class" I've heard so much about, I'd wager. Well, whatever you "tradesmen" hearken to during your "scheduled breaks" is certainly none of my affair. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be partaking of the melodious witticisms of Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer with the rest of the Chap hop enthusiasts, thank you very much. Good day to you, sir.




Edit: And when is someone going to make a song called "Drat the Constabulary" or "Reexamine your person before you irreparably damage your standing"?

Spoiler

The amusing thing here is that the song Fighting Trousers (see up there ^) is actually a song about Mr B.........

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

I'm not one of these megical people who manage to hate all rap, but I dislike a lot of it because it is insubstantial, unimaginative and rides the coat-tails of better rap. Funnily enough, most rappers that are actually very good also know how to not take it seriously. But basically there is an obvious difference between cliche, shallow lyrics and intelligent ones, whatever the subject. As a side note, something that's been really annoying me whenever I hear it is using ambition and intuition wrong in the very particular way that rap always does when these two words are used.

 

[lemby117]

It's the mainstream stuff. It's a terrible representative of good rap. Personally, I like the more political stuff. Protest music.

I love you for bringing up lowkey

Akala fire in the booth, sometimes i wonder if Noam Chomsky (yes the famous economist/historian) helped write this


anyone who says hip hop is shallow and shit has now officially been proven wrong.

And I love you for bringing up Akala

I will now finish this list of brilliant UK rappers with Mic Righteous

 

[Dangit2019]

(Bloodhound Gang video)
I'm not that in to rap so I couldn't tell you if their inclusion was justified or not.

It wasn't.

OT: Kanye West gets crapped on so much by bloggers, but if you actually listened to his music, you'd realize that while he has a bad personality, he knows that. That actually takes up a lot of his more emotional subject matter.

I heartily recommend My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (ignore the douchey title).

Spoiler

 

[sextus the crazy]

It's the mainstream stuff. It's a terrible representative of good rap. Personally, I like the more political stuff. Protest music.

I love you for bringing up lowkey

Too be honest, I only just heard of him recently. He was performing as once of the warm-up rappers for immortal technique when they were in Brixton. He only did a couple songs, but I was impressed (my favorite being alphabet assassin).