Is Rap Music? Is It Good? Plethora of opinions here!! Bling Bling!

[Martin]

<< I told you marty, I'm not arguing with you further. I'm clarifying my comment that was misinterpreted. Keep blabbering though, I enjoy it. >>



Then the feeling is mutual. I find pleasure in watching ignorant, pitiful fools like you, who try to be articulate, yet fail miserably.

Now if you'll excuse me, all this talk of classical music has made me eager for some of Beethoven's 7th.


Good bye

 

[JoeKing]

blah music is in the ear of the beholder. I think rap is more for fun music. You know just have a good time when listening to it. I actually liked Jay-Zs new Unplugged cd...of course thats only becuase The Roots are playing instrumental in the background (listen to some if it it kicks ass) plus it's his best of. And you gotta admit some rappers are pretty damn good lyricist.

 

[CoolTech]

I agree with a number of opinions expressed in this thread about music. I do believe that, as in that movie, Josie and the Pussycats, as horrible as it was, presents a pervasive element in western society. Although its not as implicit, like in the movie, or is it? lol We all have diversified music taste which should all be respected whether everyone from every genre likes it or not.

 

[Blayze]

I hate Rap, Rap is Crap! - West Texas Rednecks from "OLD SCHOOL" WCW

 

[Xenon]

You both make good arguments, but show us some examples of what you would consider "great" music (not just good). Post some links of what you would consider the "cream of the crop" of whatever genre you think is the most artistic? Then we shall see...

 

[LongCoolMother]

:Q

 

[MikeO]

MartyTheManiak is absolutely correct here, it's not all opinions.

You can call Classical crap, but the truth is it takes a genius to create a symphony, it requires million times more talent than rap, pop, metal, etc. Just listen to the complexity (sp?) of a Classical song and compare it with your basic rap song. If you don't get the point after that, get your ears checked.

 

[VirusDub]

<< MartyTheManiak is absolutely correct here, it's not all opinions.

You can call Classical crap, but the truth is it takes a genius to create a symphony, it requires million times more talent than rap, pop, metal, etc. Just listen to the complexity (sp?) of a Classical song and compare it with your basic rap song. If you don't get the point after that, get your ears checked. >>

I completely agree with you, but "good" is a subjective term. BustaRhyme has continued to say that music is entertainment. If that is true, then sure, rap is "good" because it entertains. However, music is an art, and art is not purely for entertainment. Like any other art, music takes a good deal of training and practice, which most rap artists don't have. From that standpoint, rap is not "good".

 

[Piano Man]

Yes, Rap is a legitimate genre of music.
Is it good? Yes and no, just like any good or bad jazz piece or classical piece.

People who think rap is not music just don't understand it, period. That's what happens when you get a lot of western music in your background and nothing else.

 

[chibchakan]

<< rap doesn't involve actual music played by musicians - Option1 >>



Not all rap, ever heard of The Roots

 

[Nefrodite]

well if you want to consider rap music fine, just remember there are different levels of music. just as there are different levels of quality in movies. theres the tom green movie = rap, and saving private ryan= classical.

 

[conjur]

The funniest thing about rap?

Watching late 60s/early 70s land yachts cruise up/down the streets with the body panels producing more noise than the speakers.

 

[Nefrodite]

The problem with what defines "art" is that people's minds are too rigid. If you go back to the 16th century and show someone modern art (modern 20th century art), they'd call it trash and laugh in your face. Nowadays, it's considered perfectly valid as art.


heh sure call it art, but that doesn't help it much at all. i don't care if you call pooping in a bag and then smearing it all over a collage of jesus pictures art.

 

[IGBT]

Rap is anti-female buch homo music with lots of drug innuendo. Re-enforced by the butch homo attire they wear...actually they dress like rodeo clowns. And at best are plagiaristic in content. And their lyrics clearly indicate they don't like girls. Mabe it's Talaiban music. Yes I'am shure that bunch listens to rap.

 

[Ryan]

<< Rap is anti-female buch homo music with lots of drug innuendo. Re-enforced by the butch homo attire they wear...actually they dress like rodeo clowns. And at best are plagiaristic in content. And their lyrics clearly indicate they don't like girls. Mabe it's Talaiban music. Yes I'am shure that bunch listens to rap. >>



I hope you,re joking. If not - your knowledge of rap is limited to what you hear on the news - if you do listen to rap, you would know that there is a good majority of rap that isn't like that.

 

[Kev]

<< I wonder if the people who think rap isn't real music listen to pre-processed crap like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Maybe they think Tool or Creed is 100% original. Please people, it's all a matter of taste. If you don't like rap, don't listen to it. Nothing worse than someone who loves Clint Eastwood from the Gorillaz telling people who like Ether (the Jay-Z diss track by Nas) that they don't know what good music is. >>



Dude, where do you get off calling Linkin Park "pre-processed crap"? I can guarantee that you haven't listened to their cd. And if you don't believe me, listen to Hybrid Theory and see how Mike Shinodah completely owns rappers like Jay-Z, Eminem, in terms of meaning in the music.

And some tracks that will probably just confuse you because they're not about Mercedes benz's or watches or beepers or popping pills (All by LP):

High Voltage Remix, My December, And One, It's Going Down, A Place for My Head.


As for Limp Bizkit being crap, I couldn't agree more. But too many people confuse LB with LP. I don't know why.

 

[Kev]

I've read all the posts in this thread and I think the following is true:

1) Rap is music, albeit very poor music.
2) Rap is good entertainment.
3) Music and entertainment are not the same thing.

And this all comes from the facts that:

1) Everyone who argues against rap bases it on the fact that it lacks musical refinement and complexity (or whatever you want to call it.)
2) Everyone who argues in favor of rap bases it on the fact that people like it and it sells well.

Rap may have the characteristics of music, but it certainly does not have the characteristics of {b}good[/b] music. It is only good entertainment. There are of course, exceptions, as in everything. But hey, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.

 

[BDawg]

<< I have the right to say that Classical music is crap. >>



Yes, you have the right to believe whatever you wish. I think 400 years of existance and appreciation proves you wrong though. In 400 years, if college students are writing dissertations comparing the works of JayZ and TuPac as they do today with Bach and Beethoven, I'll be wrong.

And just for the record, I do not like rap at all. I do like dance music, electronica, and rock. The last rap albums I enjoyed were Sex Packets and Momma Said Knock You Out. Even I have the respect to realize that the most talented artists in any given genre pale in comparison to most classical composers.

 

[joe678]

<< People who think rap is not music just don't understand it, period. That's what happens when you get a lot of western music in your background and nothing else. >>



rap isnt from the west?!

 

There are so many forms of "rap" that the point is stupid to begin with. Would you compare Led Zeppelin to Limp Bizkit? Jimi Hendrix to Creed? That's about as stupid as comparing Mos Def to Jay-Z or De la Soul to Puffy.

A lot of "rap" sucks these days. All the Cristal poppin', Bently driving rap pretty much sucks. So does the neo-Gangsta crap. Still, there is a lot of hip-hop that is true to the art and that I would consider music over half the rock crap I hear on the radio these days.

So what if you can play an instrument if your music sucks?

 

[Desturel]

<< Dude, where do you get off calling Linkin Park "pre-processed crap"? I can guarantee that you haven't listened to their cd. And if you don't believe me, listen to Hybrid Theory and see how Mike Shinodah completely owns rappers like Jay-Z, Eminem, in terms of meaning in

the music.

And some tracks that will probably just confuse you because they're not about Mercedes benz's or watches or beepers or popping pills (All by LP):

High Voltage Remix, My December, And One, It's Going Down, A Place for My Head.


As for Limp Bizkit being crap, I couldn't agree more. But too many people confuse LB with LP. I don't know why. >>



How could I have not hear Linkin Park's music? It played on the radio every 5 minutes! To clarify, the songs of Linkin Park that I hear all of the damn time are Papercut, Crawling, Cure For The Itch, One Step Closer, The Future, Runaway In The End. I have also heard My December a few times, but not enough to form an opinion of it. Their music is mostly the same three chords with random screaming going on in the background. For example "CRAWLING IN MY SKKKIIIIIIIIINNNNNN!!!!! THESE WOUNDS THEY WILL NOT HEALLLLLLLL!!!!" and "SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!!! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!!" not to mention "I wanna run away! and never say goodbye!"

People who complain about background music in rap obviously don't listen to the repetitive chords that are in most "rock/rap" which is what Linkin Park is. About the only song of there's that I hear frequently that tries to move away from the tied down chords is In the End, but even then when the piano isn't playing, they are looping the same 3 chords. Even the piano plays the same 4 keys over and over again which breaks it from it's three chord procession.

The only group that I have listed that I would remove from the list would be Staind because they actually show some type of talent when they do acoustic. They actually sound decent. Outside and Mudshuvel. It's Been Awhile acoustic sucks pretty bad. Don't assume that just because I listen to rap that I don't listen to other music. How many one hit wonders and here one year gone the next bands are in rock? A lot. Few bands can make a comeback POD was able to do it with Alive. So many others just fade into nothingness. Rap is rarely like that. People may go out of the mainsteam for a while, but they rarely fade away if they were good enough to get into the game. The major exceptions would be the kid rappers like Little Romeo and Lil' Bowwow.

Notice I'm not listing people like Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix, and Bruce Dickenson. Notice I'm not comparing Mozart to Jimmy Eat World. Notice I'm not saying Britteny Spears or NSynch has the same amount of talent as Metallica or Boys II Men.

When I say Eminem is better than Linkin Park, I mean it. Listen to or find the lyrics to almost any of his songs. Compare the lyrics and music of "Stan" to the lyrics and music of "In the End". Listen and compare the lyrics of "Brain Damaged" to the lyrics of "I wish you were here" by Incubus. Compare the lyrics and music of Pink Floyd's "I wish you were here" to Incubus' version. Compare the lyrics any of Biggie's songs to Puddles of Mud and Control. "I love the way you smack my @ss" is indeed well thought out lyrics.

 

[Brutuskend]

I don't like (C)rap and I don't like country for the same reason.
I think they both breed (to some extent) hate and intollerance towards other's.

Rap= hate the white man & smack your B!TCH around. (Plus I guess I'm old fashion, but shouldn't music have some MUSIC in it?)

Country= Hate anyone who isn't like you. (hippys, gays, liberals, etc.)

But maybe I would be more acurate saying they both breed the propencity for violence. IMHO

(SORRY MY spell checkers broke)

 

<< Rap= hate the white man & smack your B!TCH around. (Plus I guess I'm old fashion, but shouldn't music have some MUSIC in it? >>


Jeeze, can you be a little more ignorant? Yeah, why not just say, "all rock music is about fighting with your parents and kicking your girlfriend's ass" while your at it.

 

In the 80's and very early 90's HipHop/Rap had a meaning.
Now it does not.

Long live Chuck D!

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

I am fundamentally opposed to songs about anybody's baby's momma.