Rap music is an absolute joke

Originally posted by technologicalsingularity
reply to post by MBUK3D

 

i can understand your point, but this isn't in my opinion a thread about musical taste and who has the best taste in music, no matter how diverse and eclectic you are musically, more about a musical style that is largely insulting to what is in both the US and UK a very very multicultural society, a style of music thats the no.1 mainstream and in it's content ignores nearly all other denominations in society(in almost every aspect of there life), i won't use the "word" but lets just say is very negative and unfriendly towards bringing us together as one and breaking down the walls that separate us, if you ask me, rap's purpose is to cause divide.

Ahhhhhhhh!! And here we get to the "meat" of why a lot of people despise hip hop! That one word that only certain participants can say....

reply to post by DZAG Wright


Oh no not at all, I just found it mind numbing making hip hop beats, very dull and decided to devote my time to something far more productive in my opinion which has led to loads of opportunities, our current record is getting great reviews and a tour is coming up, so I'm doing just fine without hip hop, much more fulfilled in life also.

Originally posted by technologicalsingularity
reply to post by MBUK3D

 

i will listen to the songs you posted, but i didn't state at any point (i don't think) that rappers were talentless, but instead demonstrated a talent in a negative, closed minded and UN-ethical manner in which will be short lived in success, whereas instead studying and selecting a career to which they can exhaust their inert talent to it's maximum and provide a long term career, stability and family security. all the basic components of any family that wants to succeed and progress. but the majority of rappers can neither sing nor play an instrument but do have timing, hence why they rap.

an example would be having a plug n play, drop and plot game designing software platform for those wannabe game makers that cant program in C but have great idea's for game design.

or being the spectator at a football match and complaining heavily about the game-play and how the game should have been played and won, yet they are not the million pound a month footballer on the pitch, yet if they are that good at strategy why aren't these people in high paying careers exhausting that very talent in strategy?

people make the wrong choices sometimes in life and rap is a product of that. why are some rock bands still knocking about 30 years later? it's not because rock is still popular, it's because they are musicians and can play an instrument very well and if they want can adapt,progress and evolve musically with the musical trends, some musician have degree's to fall back on or even PHD when it come to brian may of queen, so if rock goes pete tong, he'll fall back on a career in astrophysics, im sorry but i cant see many rappers excelling them selfs in equivalence.

edit on 1-9-2011 by technologicalsingularity because: (no reason given)

Admit it....you have a bias against young, gangster males, who have dropped out of school, being able to make millions...or at least thousands.

Why are some rappers still rapping after 30 years? Were you aware of that? How many rappers have a Phd or at least a bachelors....I'd bet you'd be surprised if I listed some because I've seen their names already mentioned in this thread as being ignorant.

What many black males are doing now is BREAKING and SHATTERING the centuries old tradition of stereotyping someone by their outward appearance. I have a young black guy who comes by my office every couple of months who will be finishing his Masters shortly in Psychology. Has nappy dreads that are longer than shoulder length, tattoos all over and a gold grill to top it off. Says he wants to teach people to stop judging someone by their appearance.

reply to post by MBUK3D


I guess I did forget to add the 'look through some old records until a quote that fits the songs premise pops up' bit. I think you forgot to mention MPC's too, its MPC'S, mics and decks. I tend to think that Dj's and hip hop producers try to use as many older records as they can because they think it makes them look original, and chances are whoever is listening to their hip hop record will never have heard of Fats waller or Edith Piaf. I'm not putting down celebrating great tunes from the past, but if you want to do that start a cover band or radio station so you can play those songs, rather than taking the song, adding some raps over it and claiming its the freshest latest. It's a joke.

ETA: You're reading what you want to read, I said way back that I respected these guys, I just think the majority takes no talent, none at all.

reply to post by sir_slide


Jimminey sir_slide, now were going with Edith Piaf? You ever hear of Yerba Buena? Scratchy old jazz from the 30's...awesome..sorry off post but you seem to have an enormously eclectic mix of tastes and styles...

CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


ahah yeah well I thought I'd catch people off guard if I started going on about Blind Lemon Jefferson and Vera Lynn (totally different I know but you get what I mean), Mahalia Jackson, Charlie Patton and Thelonius Monk, I would just look like I'm trying to patronize people. I really do listen to everything that I can get at though, I mainly prefer Ray Charlies, Tom Waits, Dylan, The Stones, a lot of 50/60's girl groups that Phil Spector put together and recorded, the Staple singers, Al Green, Sam Cooke, the Stax catalog, Motown stuff, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry and then a lot of Blues music like Howlin Wolf, Muddy, Otis Spann, Memphis Slim, Irma Thomas, Leadbelly, Buddy Guy and so on.

So I do listen to quite a lot and have spent a lot of my time readings books on music, histories, biographies and so forth. A book I could definitely recommend is Alan Lomax's book 'Land where the Blues began', gives a great picture of where the early blues and what followed came from, just a great book. I'm thinking of doing a thread on the development of modern music, taking it back right to the start.

reply to post by sir_slide


You should do it - you have a fluid writing style and present your points in a logical way. The Blues are the basis for so much...can I ask - is it just me or do you enjoy the scratches on the oldies?



I was a little off on the band I suggested - it is Lu Watters and the Yerba Buena Band - they are in my rotation right now (I forget names and titles with the ipod sometimes)...a little rag timey...





Also they were '40's not the '30s - I can't find my favorite, "Angel's Rag Time Ball" - that one is awesome.
On the thread, since I am off topic to a degree - here is one I like from the good days of Rap...notice how he stole "Jungle Boogie"...but you know this already.



Edit to add: When I was very young, I watched this religously for the moves - as did my sister - hilarious



CJ

reply to post by ColoradoJens


Totally awesome! Yeah I will work on it, need to lay it out as there's lots of work needed to do the topic justice. Oh yeah I do like the sound of vinyl and the scratches can be a little soothing sometimes and remind me of past lives so to speak. I have a very good turntable and a pretty good collection of vinyl although I am missing a lot of records that I'd like to own because it can be difficult and expensive to track down a lot of the stuff I like.

Nice one with the Son House, it's funny as we actually used to do a version of death letter with a blind willie johnson/ry cooder paris texas/dark was the night intro, very spacey and deserty. Really dig the next tune, I am big into ragtime also, try my best to sound authentic when I play it on the piano although its difficult. Again nice tunes and vids, also love the moves, classic!

Originally posted by thedeadlyrhythm

Originally posted by modusoperandi
To write off an entire genre of music as garbage is, and always will be, the musings of the opinionated. To suggest that anyone can make a hip hop record because it's easy to sample a record and record some raps is patently absurd. Even the music referred to as garbage, in this case the reference to Kanye West, is laughable because even though you may not enjoy a song like "Otis" doesn't mean that it's ripe for the denigration of the misguided. The art of sampling, and make no mistake about the nomenclature that I have chosen to describe it, isn't the armchair musician approach that you would make it out to be. It's oftentimes an extremely involved process, please listen to anything that J-Dilla ever put together for future reference of that, or Pete Rock, or Dj Premier. Any mainstream music regardless of genre, can rightfully called garbage by the incessant, and oftentimes more eloquent, criticisms of the purists. How ironic that De La Soul is mentioned as great whilst bashing the act of sampling which they have always done.

There is a lot of good hip hop out there, unfortunately you have to look for it. Back in the 90's you could trip over great music at the record stores with little effort, now you have to be a little more savvy lest you leave with some corporate manufactured drivel that populates the shelves.

take it from someone who has recorded tons of different projects. it is exponentially easier to create some types of music than others. and it's not just rap.

certain types of hardcore, metalcore, and punk, are dead simple to write better than 90 percent of whats out there. why? because you take a big piece out of the equation when you are imitating something else, and putting up borders and boundaries about what is acceptable or not.

for instance, if you're writing a hardcore track. you dont have to write melodies. you have to scream and write lyrics. that's it. if you make it sound heavy or "bad@ass" enough, people will act like you're mozart.

it's similar with rap. yes, a rapper has to have a flow and some sense of lyric writing, but the bar's not exactly set too high. not to mention the VAST majority of rappers don't write their beats/songs, so all they have to do is spit to it. it takes next to nothing.

now there is definitely oversaturation in every genre, and something good to be found in any genre, but with some, it's just way easier to create and have success. rap has almost become a cop-out these days.

and by the way, the "art" of sampling and beatmaking IS the armchair approach it's made out to be.

Capitalizing the word "is" doesn't make it anything more than your own assessment. You have your opinion and we'll just have to agree to disagree. I do respect the fact that you have actually recorded projects as those oblivious to the process may not realize how difficult it can be, before, during, and after the fact.

I would like to make it interesting if I may. I would like someone to show me how easy it is to make a quality hip hop song, maybe not even a song... maybe just a great beat with one verse since that would be the easiest of all. Then we will see how easy it will be to stand next to my own creations, which will be sample heavy along the lines of a mid 90s song you may or may not remember. Anyone care to indulge me and show me how easy it is?

reply to post by DZAG Wright


yup, that "word" they who are allowed to use it flipantly do not understand nor comprehend it's consequence, what's more it is a blatent abuse of the laws that protect them too. If rappers of an afro-caribbean decent wish to turn the image around, then they need to stop using words and content ideas that only cause everyone else to get offended, will smith tried and gave up and took up acting after and is one of my fav actors, at least he tried, but it has been proven, time and time again "you ain't a badass rapper, unless you been to prison,commit crime and use the "n" word" their only excuse for their past, hardship? what the hardship they created for themselfs? , this stuff isn't in anywhere near the same class of just about every other mainstream aired musical style.

one thing that cannot be defended because it is uniform throughout the genre, regardless of your denomination, and that is the portrail of authority in the music video's and in the lyrics, it's always portrayed as (negative) the enemy (your right, they are the enemy if you commit crime, intend to or have done in the past), the very people who will save your life, even if you shoot at them, are the enemy? most officers will even sacrifice their life to save another, and they are the enemy? give me a break!

but supporters of rap will try to defend it's reputation, true not all are gangstars or flunkstars, but it helps with records sales,bling and fanbases!

reply to post by technologicalsingularity


In case you haven't noticed - controversy sells. That goes for all 'art'.

The word nigga doesn't resonate with everyone within black culture, however most acknowledge that when it was used as a term of endearment, it celebrated who they were, and in a way helped laugh at those who still looked down on blacks. Not everyone is getting offended, but in America's short taboo history, we are still climbing out of the racist hole that was made.

It is kind of coincidental that in order to be a successful rapper you have to have a "rap sheet" (record of arrest and prosecution) lol - but it is interesting none the less that claiming to be above the law and having no respect for authority may stem from with the amount of injustice or crooked cops that have no respect for inner city blacks. Not to mention if you aren't from the inner city and rap, you still have an audience to express the criminal behavior.

This music stemmed from the culture first, not the other way around, meaning: don't blame the music genre for what has already existed in the culture especially since those outside the culture make the music also.

Originally posted by Venomilk

Originally posted by Dr Cosma
What a waste of server space.
Get a life.

and by life you meana big a$$ chain?
or a bentley?
or a bunch of crack to peddle to people with a life?

how about some self respect, or humility. not worshipping someone who uses an autotuner to sound "good" while he brags about how he can fk your woman because she only wants money, and he has it

You jumping to conclusions aint you now.
Who worships someone who uses an autotuner?

Look, if you cant play guitar like Paco de Lucia or Tomatito or Toni Baliardo or Manitas de Plata, then you cant play guitar!
If you cant sing like Camaron de la Isla, then you cant sing!

We could go on forever like this. It's clear some people dont like some thing's, some people dont like bacon (they should hang, jk) I love bacon.

What kind of a thread is this apart from pissed off bitter rockers?

You also, get a life.

reply to post by juveous


hey, i hear you, just like rappers, you get bad cops too. but i'm from the U.K and in america things maybe slightly different(or ahead), but i can tell you what in the U.K musically causes crime and riots, did you see the photo of when the rioters smashed into a music CD store? let's just say, only one section of music was stolen! the rest literally untouched as if nothing had happened, photo's to prove it, that's what rap does to young influencial drop out's looking for a father figure and role model. when these rioters dressed in rapper style clothing were asked why they did what they did? they blamed everyone but themselfs!

they cannot see or admit to there wrongs, bring violence, destruction and death upon the innocent and above all favour rap/hip hop/ urban(as we call it) to listen too.

personally i don't think rap is evolving society for the better, but for the worse, it's tearing society away at it's very seems, a weapon of mass societial destruction, but it will create more jobs, in big better prisons. i think(personally) most youth and adults that decide upon this course of life should take a term of black dophin prison in siberia, russia and after that they may appreciate what life and orderly society has to offer, if you stay within the law and contribute to society positivity.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, however you have to realise that 'Rap Music' in the mainstream is a totally different beast to 'Rap Music' in the underground scene.

I Like Underground Hip-Hop.......Its Not A Joke!

reply to post by technologicalsingularity


lol I thought you guys were all about anarchy and punk rock in the U.K? mosh-pits and riots ya know? Imo, any type of counter-culture music is connected to illegal behavior.

unfortunately, what is considered 'cool' or stylish changes with every generation. Trust me, I'm embarrassed by the quality of popular mainstream rap today, but it's actually what some people prefer. bumping those 808subbass beats that require 1k$ car sound systems, attracts certain individuals. The guy in the shiny red corvette doesn't understand why the guy in the caprice next to him at the red light is the loudest car in sight, but the guy in the caprice is doing the same thing the guy in the shiny red corvette is doing, although a lot less subtle.

It can equally be said about the death-metal and punk scene - Thrashing and mosh-pits baffle a lot people, multiple face piercings baffle a lot of people, trench-coats, spiky hair, black everything, screaming, destroying expensive guitars on stage. It's a lifestyle, same difference, to a guy who wears jewelry in his mouth or around his neck, rims on his ride, talks with slang. - and those are over generalizations that are independent of the music itself.

I just don't understand how people can dismiss the amount of hip hop and rap that is poetic, innovative, reminiscent of our days of soul, funk and jazz to be relived in a creative and entirely new way.
Edit: Not to mention how other cultures around the world have adapted their music to it. Japanese hip hop is a great example.

reply to post by juveous


I totally agree.

That's just the way it is.

reply to post by juveous

bumping those 808subbass beats that require 1k$ car sound systems, attracts certain individuals. The guy in the shiny red corvette doesn't understand why the guy in the caprice next to him at the red light is the loudest car in sight, but the guy in the caprice is doing the same thing the guy in the shiny red corvette is doing, although a lot less subtle.

^^^Hahaha ohhhhhh wow. A punchline TKO hit right there. That definitely reminds me of Masta Ace - Born To Roll....Wow what just happened?

reply to post by sir_slide


For some reason, perhaps I need to examine it more, this electronic music seems more deliberate and studied, then laid out with soul...flame me...



CJ