The war agianst Hip Hop/Urban music.

First off i'm a fan of all music(even some country) but why all the hate and bad feelings towards my beloved HipHop? True there are artists out there who do have lyrics that deal with sex, violence, and women but so do other types of music.(Slayer,NIN,SlipKnot,ect.) personally I'm a fan of the musical production that has changed the sound of popular music over the last decade. I tend not to get too involved with what the artist is saying but rather what instruments are being used, the layering of melodies, and what drum sounds are on the track. Guy's like O'Reily and Limbaugh refuse to listen to the track and put all thier focus of what the artist is talking about. Anyone who is true HipHop head knows the difference between aritsts who use those topics just for shock value, and Hip hop that makes a woman grab her mans hand and hit the dance floor.

Not saying that the lyrics are not important, but in this generation of the genre, lyrics don't sell. It's all about the hook and having some kind of gimmick(soulja boy?). To me the best part about a nice HipHop track is getting that dancefloor packed with people, plain and simple. You have artists out there who have put down the pen and switched to hiring the best producers to make a "Banging Beat". It's watered down the music, but I think for the better. Im tired of hearing about your "Bling", your "Hoe's", and how many cars you have. Only a small percentage of the music is about the violence. I'm from Southern Cali and believe me there's alot of "Hoe's" walking these streets so of course the Artists are going to talk about that on their records, but you can't label the whole genre as sexist and disrespectful.

It's a fact that artists like Common, Talib Kewli, Q-tip,KRS1 and all of the so called "Back pack" rappers do not sell as well as the Artists who tend to talk about "hoodlife". As of 2007 the genre has moved from the "Gansta" image to focusing more on just having fun. Take a producer like Timbaland for example. The majority of his tracks these past 2 years are songs that actually view women as the ones in power. It's about making her feel wanted and respected. He's barrowing alot from the dance/electronic music scene and has geared his music towards getting these ladies to put that drink down and shake it one time! That's what people want to hear especially in these hard finacial times.

Another example is the Music of the production duo "The Neptunes". The majority of their tracks show nothing but respect for women. Songs like "Senorita",Universal Mind Control, Maybe?" i could go on. All I'm saying is that the music that has shaped the last 15 years of radio has taken a beating from douchebags like Rush and Bill without any research or listen. To say that HipHop is dangerous for our youth is like saying that listening to country music is going to make me want to beat my wife. Or listening to Sliknot is going to make me go on a shooting spree. All music does for me is either take my mind ofF problems,inspire me to make my own beats, lift that extra 25 lbs. at the gym, or go up to that girl sitting by herself at the bar and say "Exuse me, what's your name?"

what do you think?

its garbage.
no variety..all sounds the same..

promotes drug use, guns, and many other bad things.


Our TV(Entertainment) is flooded with this influence that hip hop/rap is. Now im bot baised because there is some rap i do like .. like Eminem because he has actuall meanings to his words and lyrics. and even the OGs like Tupac and Biggy, Dr Dre. Not many of the new faces can even compare to the level of those legends.

There is not one thing that can be said to justify the genre.

About the only problem I have with some hip hop tunes is the gangster type stuff where every other word is a swear word, or shooting someone phrase, or raping young girls phrase or criminal activity suggestive phrases.

I am sure this "war on hip hop" is directed at that particular type of hip hop.

I disagree about the lyrics are not important. They are very important. The lyrics are telling a story, sending a message. And if the beat of the tune is good, and hooks your attention, the lyrics fall into place very well and the message is heard very clearly with the beat. The lyrics become another instrument in the music, not just spoken or sung words.

Music has a huge influence on the mind. In my day we were tuned to Peace, Love and Rock N Roll and anti-war music. Even with all that additional stimulant going around, we heard the messages in the songs, and they made a clear point. The music gave the lyrics added feeling and life, which in turn attracted attention to the song as a whole.

I dont think its that much different today with any music, hip hop, country, rock. The lyrics are just as important as the beat IMO.



HO HO HO!!!!

Thought I might add this ...

Need I say more?

I bet she voted for Obama and I bet she learned this from Tim McGraw huh..

Why all the hate? Well, I'd say it's mostly because people are getting tired of hearing nothing but rap songs on the radio that don't actually say anything. Repeating the same phrase 15 times in 30 seconds does not make them lyrics. There are some really decent rap/hip hop songs out there, and there are some that I really like, but for the most part anything from those genre's that's been recorded in the last 8 years is garbage. That's my opinion on it anyway. I have a hard time listening to the radio anymore because it's almost like there was some contest to see who could come up with the most annoying song that repeats the same thing over and over and over and over again. The older stuff from those genre's is at least 10 times better than the crap they have been trying to pass off as music here lately.

Rap is old. It has lasted just too long. Can't anyone come up with a new style of music. If not, then bring back disco or plain rock and roll. Even classic are better to listen to than rap. Rap is dead. Thats what I said.

I think what everyone is trying to explain is that anything mainstream sucks...

Record companies have a lot of influence on their audiences, and the tripe that they put out as music is disgusting.

Although I do enjoy some rap, Tech N9ne is probably one of the greatest rappers EVER.

But "hip hop" is extremely superficial, and all of the videos are the same:

sprinkle around some "gangsta's" flashing for the camera how much money they have, put a few near naked woman in, some nice flashy cars, add a little slow motion effect to the background and voila..instant hip hop hit.

It goes along with the idea that our world leaders are trying to dumb us down, and sadly they are exceeding.

Early rap and hip hop actually was quite good. Too Short is a great example, Sugar Hill Gang is another. Sheesh that brings back some memories!! Not one of those and similar always repeated the same words over and over. It was creative and actually told a story that made people think.

As I said before, the ganster junk is just that, junk and I agree, should be put into the file 13 can. But that only moves it to what it already is...underworld, blackmarket kind of stuff and would just become even more popular and influencing than what it already is. Not sure that there is much that can be done about it now that it is so saturated in the music world.



HO HO HO!!!!

Actually, it's more of a war against "rap" music. Which I agree 100% on. Rap music is ignorant and repetitive, I hate the radio. However, I am a HHip hop artist myself..and believe me, there is a huge different. Hip Hop is educational and much more complex than rap. There is meaning and skill put into each bar, it's an artform. For instance, here's something I just got done writing..

Yo, time's are gettin hectic, I'm not complainin though
I still have time, salvation is still attainable
A canvas unfadeable, by the same old bull..
I can't find a job. # I probly shoulda stayed in school
If I woulda known then, I woulda paid attention
Became a graduate, passionate to make a difference
But I still see clear, I keep a stable vision
That disables fiction in my daily place of livin
See I'm tryin to make it, w/ out lyin and fakin
And I put all I have inside of that statement
Even my kin suspicious...of me and his girl
You think I'd risk my family tree, for one of these squirells?
No sir, No nut for them
I don't back stab, no punctured skin
I'm at the runners end, stuck wonderin
If I should let it be, or pull the rugs from under them

Maybe one day it'll be alright
Peace and prosperity, the true meaning of life
But I don't think they can see it in the peak of the night
You have to climb that mountain, to be w/ the light
I know one day it'll be alright
Peace and prosperity, the true meaning of life
But I don't think they can see it in the peak of the night
Go climb that mountain, an be w/ the light

I'm in my sexual prime, but discipline sets it aside
I'd rather use this melodic time to develope the mind
An impressive design, the best of it's kind
I swear I'll leave my family before I let em divide
No worries, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make
The temptation of a lion and a sizzlin steak
And you think it's a mistake? To give in to fate?
It is, it's a cop out for every decision you make
So all heed warning, try not to get lost in this
Evolve spiritually and expand your conciousness
Avoid religion, it's corrupt and it's obvious..
You don't need a church to figure out which God to pick
Just keep your eyes open, follow the right omen
Get your life goin, don't worry bout what I'm smokin
Cuz I'm goin... first into the naked sky
I'll leave those rugs under you if we can make em fly

Now you name one commercial "rap" artist who speaks properly and uses a wide range of vocabulary.. There are tons of other artists like this who have a messege. I suggest you look into Immortal Technique, he's a bit of a radicalist, but he does alot of work in the conspiracy and truth field. He's done seminars w/ Alex Jones, he's held his own..and all of his songs constantly attack our government and the lies we think we know. Aesop Rock is a very unique artist as well. Sage Francis is a master poet on the mic. Tone Deff is just ridculous. The point is...do not get "rap" mixed w/ "Hip Hop" because they are not one in the same, and there is a whole 'nother world out there in terms of rhyming words over a beat. It's propaganda like anything else. Regulated air time, they want you dumbed down. But of course, you know this..

In conclusion, leave Hip Hop alone. Abolish rap. "Deny Ignorance" I believe is the term.

Originally posted by RFBurns
As I said before, the ganster junk is just that, junk and I agree, should be put into the file 13 can.

Gotta disagree. As an original metal head, early 70's, I can thank my kids and Ice-T for allowing me to experience a different genre that I normally would have missed. Body Count blew my mind. The music and lyrics were raw and pointed. Without that I probably would have missed some gems that my kids have come up with in the last decade.

star to the OP, because I know exactly where he is coming from.
People that say hip-hip is damaging America are really the same as a lot of ATSrs saying the news is damaging America. The thing about finding true hip-hop is that you have to look past the mainstream, just like the dang news. Everything you hear, actually I wanna just go ahead and say the majority of what you hear on the radio and watch on MTV and BET and other "rap" out there is really contributing to the negative name that comes with hip-hop.

Progressive hip-hop is hardly heard on the radio. People just don't credit hip-hop to music now a days, but the art of sampling and turntablism has everything to do with timing rhythm, and a keen taste in past melodies ranging in funk, jazz, soul, and rock.

Just like looking for "good news" you have to search for the "good hip-hop" and I encourage people to listen to shows like "subsoniq" on XM radio.

Listen to the lyrics and sounds of artist/ hip-hop groups like "the procussions", "Dj spinna", "crown city rockers", "the foreign exchange" , and "People under the stairs" are very different than the mainstream. These guys are a part of the underground and progressive movement of hip-hop, and focus on whats fun, funky and true and not what sells for popularity's sake.