42 réponses à ce sujet

[Beetgreen]

I've got to ask you and I mean this with all due respect...

Do you listen to rap music because you actually enjoy it?  Or do you just listen to it because you think it helps you fit in better to the "clubbin scene" or makes you look more like a player, err...excuse me, "playa".

The reason I ask this is because I've noticed people who listen to rap music aren't content with just enjoying it themselves.  They insist on forcing everyone else around them to listen to it.

For example, I often wake up at 3 AM on a wednesday because people in their cars blast their stereos so loudly that my windows shake.
Fans of other genres of music seldom do this, so what is it about rap music fans that make them so determined to force their music on others?

[Panderfringe]

Beetgreen wrote...

I've got to ask you and I mean this with all due respect...

Hahaha, sure you do.

I listen to rap. And metal. And techno and pop and country and ALL SORTS OF THINGS. I enjoy it.

Incidentally, lsitneing to music loud is not exclusive to rap. I have been woken up at 3am by 80s speed metal before.

[Panderfringe]

Beetgreen wrote...

I've got to ask you and I mean this with all due respect...

Do you listen to rock music because you actually enjoy it?  Or do you just listen to it because you think it helps you fit in better to the "concert scene" or makes you look more like a player, err...excuse me, "playa".

The reason I ask this is because I've noticed people who listen to rock music aren't content with just enjoying it themselves.  They insist on forcing everyone else around them to listen to it.

For example, I often wake up at 3 AM on a wednesday because people in their cars blast their stereos so loudly that my windows shake.
Fans of other genres of music seldom do this, so what is it about rock music fans that make them so determined to force their music on others?

[Amberyl Ravenclaw]

@ Beetgreen: It depends *what kind* of rap music. Rap music isn't just a catchall: there's club rap, gangsta rap, socially conscious rap, and sometimes a mix of multiple genres. We're not even talking about themes and sub-themes, and cross-mixing with other music styles (hip-hop and R&. Might come as a surprise, but rappers can rap about love, family, society, justice, the ills of the world, or just shallow frivolous stuff much as any other singer out there. Of course, like all other genres and artistes, there is good rap and bad rap and in-between rap.

I'm a fan of rap music myself, though honestly I listen to more hybridized tracks with singing / music / beats rather than "straight rap" (think Eminem, monotonous rapping over a background track). And I listen for the following reasons:

1. Some of the songs actually are well-produced and sound damn good. The "better" tracks IMHO actually have some sense of musicality and rhythm, rather than having someone drone over a repetitive loop. Take, for example, Ms. Jackson by Outkast. Very creative with their use of sound samples and actual singing (not to mention the video itself). 

2. Some songs are quality tracks with good music, excellent rapping (where the rapper demonstrates skill and a sense of lyricism and flow) and positive messages that never fail to make my day. Take Map The Soul by Korean-American rappers Tablo, MYK and Kero One who talk about love and faith. Or Come Close by Common, in which the speaker pledges eternal commitment to a lover (and the video is AMAZING). Or Roses by Kanye West, in which he talks about his experience with a grandmother dying of cancer and the other social problems surrounding a working-class black family - it never fails to make me shed a tear. Rap can be uplifting and inspiring if you know where to look for the right stuff.

3. Sometimes I listen to gangsta rap too because the premise intrigues me. Being someone who's extremely interested in cultural studies and self-expression, for me gangsta rap is a social phenomenon that, unpleasant as it can be, can be quite eye-opening and thought-provoking. Why all the violence, misogyny, and projection of hypermasculinity? There are sociocultural explanations for this kind of stuff, and I'm interested in finding out the reasons. Listening to gangsta rap does not automatically equal a glorification of a culture of uplift through violence, though of course there are many people who do so for that exact reason - it feels empowering to them.

Personally I feel that it's a shame how commercial rap and hip-hop has gone down the toilet in the last decade or so, because of how gangsta rap / club rap has become the guaranteed way to make money - which leads to a marginalization of quality socially-conscious rap. Also, talentless hacks seem to be finding their way into the genre because consumers are too stupid to identify crap when it's being flung in their faces. Not to mention that artistes have developed this annoying habit of recycling beats and relying on a single electronic bass beat to carry them through the song instead of creatively sampling and mixing a variety of sounds (which leads to excruciatingly MONOTONOUS tracks where the background beat just goes BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BADABOOM-BOOM-BOOM etc. An example of this is Lil' Wayne's A Milli which is an example of the above, and which is FRIGGING TERRIBLE.) Lil' Wayne and Drake and Young Money may sell records, but god, how I DESPISE them.

On another matter, I'm guessing what you're talking about is folks specifically blasting gangsta rap / club rap. I get that a lot too where I live. Unfortunately, kids are going to want to have a good time and since club rap is that way of expressing "I'm having fun on a weekend!", that's what you're stuck with.

Modifié par Amberyl Ravenclaw, 28 mars 2010 - 11:10 .

[Cascadus]

Listen to Atmosphere. Not Lil' Wayne. Don't generalize rap under the 'mainstream'. People seem to think all rap is about people talking about their bitches and hoes, but it isn't. Gangsta rap is generally awful, but gangsta rap isn't every rap song ever. Broaden your horizons and actively search for some really nice rappers. Some rappers have incredible political or social convictions or ideas they distill into their songs.

Modifié par Cascadus, 28 mars 2010 - 04:46 .

[Highdragonslayer]

How come whenever someone says with "all due respect" they really mean kiss my ass?

[ClonePatrol]

People blast all kinds of loud music all over the place (in public), you just need to know where to go.

[Godak]

Why?Why not?

[xDarkicex]

Cascadus wrote...

Listen to Atmosphere. Not Lil' Wayne. Don't generalize rap under the 'mainstream'. People seem to think all rap is about people talking about their bitches and hoes, but it isn't. Gangsta rap is generally awful, but gangsta rap isn't every rap song ever. Broaden your horizons and actively search for some really nice rappers. Some rappers have incredible political or social convictions or ideas they distill into their songs.

Atmosphere -"Atmosphere finally made a good record." Yeah right, that **** almost sounds convincing! 
Immortal Technique It where its at though.

[Amberyl Ravenclaw]

OP:

If you don't mind a listening suggestion, do try Changes (recorded 1996) by the late Tupac Shakur. Amazing flow, painfully deep lyrics and excellent sampling from the 1986 hit "The Way It Is" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. This was the first rap song I heard that seriously got me hooked on the genre. Despite Shakur's run-ins with the law and his numerous personal controversies, the man was a genius and social activist at heart. Again, there's good thought-provoking rap if you look for it. 

Modifié par Amberyl Ravenclaw, 28 mars 2010 - 06:33 .

[Godak]

...I'm getting the distinct impression that the TC wanted to cause controversy, and nothing more.

[GreedIsNoException]

Beetgreen wrote...

I've got to ask you and I mean this with all due respect...

Do you listen to rap music because you actually enjoy it?  Or do you just listen to it because you think it helps you fit in better to the "clubbin scene" or makes you look more like a player, err...excuse me, "playa".

The reason I ask this is because I've noticed people who listen to rap music aren't content with just enjoying it themselves.  They insist on forcing everyone else around them to listen to it.

For example, I often wake up at 3 AM on a wednesday because people in their cars blast their stereos so loudly that my windows shake.
Fans of other genres of music seldom do this, so what is it about rap music fans that make them so determined to force their music on others?

Actually I sorta understand you. There ARE people who enjoy it and other who just do it to stay "cool/hip/gangsta/playa/girls/group pressure/the thing".

I understand because here in Puerto Rico the kakos  who are people who listen to "Regueton" are very forceful on this. They treat it like a religion or racism. If you don't like it you eityher fall as "old or "rocker". They'll stay away from you, treat you bad, insult you, call you homosexual related insults. Sadly you may think I'm exagerating but it is the truth. The girls are all about being sexist icons for this.

Their "music" does not reach any political, informative, emotional, sensitive or social topics. It's the same repetitive rhythim with only guys sorta rapping about girls and their butts and their vaginas and their sex and how they hate guys starring at their girls and such.

[Daewan]

I consider it a public service to go speeding down Lake Shore Drive at 3AM blasting Rachmaninoff. I have also gone cruisin' with some friends on the South Side, windows down, speakers up, and Pavarotti blasting.

I think the worst offenders are those kids on Friday nights coming back from their youth group meetings, singing those soul-sucking Christian pop and hip-hop songs. Ugh. I just want to hurl Bach CDs at them. "Secular or GTFO!" Seriously.

"If you're in the car, turn up the track, and give your whole neighborhood some secondhand Bach!" (w/apologies to Linkin Park)

I only listen to rap music at home or with earphones on, so I can hear all the lyrics. Some songs are very deep. Some songs are very funny.

It's music, just like any other genre. Some people like it, some don't. Just like country music, or pop music, or classical music, or any other kind of human rhythmical performance with vocals. If we all liked the same things, life would be very boring and empty.

[Panderfringe]

xDarkicex wrote...


Immortal Technique It where its at though.

Brofist to yaz, my man.

[Borschtbeet]

I agree with the original poster.  Most rap music fans are just trend following poseurs who are trying to find some sort of social identity. They need rap to define who they are since they can't let their actions define them.

It's really no different than people who smoke, or get tattoos. They're just trying to fit into some social movement.
Gangsta rap music is just exploitation of black culture masquerading as art. It really hurts black America since it gives people the impression that blacks champion materialism, misogyny, lawlessness, and drugs.  As a black man myself I find it abhorrent.
If people like rap music I really have no problem with that. I just hate it how people listen to rap music to be cool.

Modifié par Borschtbeet, 28 mars 2010 - 09:19 .

[GreedIsNoException]

Bad thing to mention smoking, I would die if someone smoked near me too long. Yes, seriously.

[wrexingcrew]

Borschtbeet wrote...

Gangsta rap music is just exploitation of black culture masquerading as art. It really hurts black America since it gives people the impression that blacks champion materialism, misogyny, lawlessness, and drugs.  As a black man myself I find it abhorrent.

Have you heard a Little Brother record called The Minstrel Show? It's a smart (and hilarious) takedown of the feedback loop between commerce and image in commercial rap and its distribution system. They got no support from BET or commercial radio because of it, but we got a pretty brilliant album.

That speaks to my broader point - hip-hop is way too broad a phenomenon and cultural movement to be reduced to any one thing. It transcends music. It certainly transcends narrowly-defined genre.

I grew up listening to Cash Money. Mannie Fresh is a brilliant producer. I also love Wu-Tang and its offshoots (GZA, Ghostface, Raekwon, etc). There's great stuff from all over in the last decade - Pharoahe Monch, Clipse, Serengeti, Blue Scholars, Freeway. Intelligent mainstream MCs: Nas and Kanye (usually). True classics: Gang Starr, Eric B & Rakim, Run-DMC. The inspiration: Gil Scott-Heron. The Godfather: James Brown. That's not even scratching the surface. If people really can't find something to love, that would astonish me.

[Borschtbeet]

bs.II wrote...

First of all, rap is not music, it's ****ty poetry with a beat and a few repetitive melodies, if you consider that music than good for you. It's not just rap though, most "music" today that involves lyrics, pay more attention to their lyrics than actual music, if you listen to the instrumental version of a lot of modern/popular songs you'll find that they're very very redundant with the exception of a few change-ups, such as the popular verse1-chorus-verse2-chorus-end, and don't get me started on country music, but it's all garbage in my opinion, but I guess it's all meant to be one-dimensional background music for their "real talent". "Artists" today concentrate more on their pathetic attempt at poetry than actual music, and sure I'll admit that there are a few exceptions, but they are in the minority. I started listening to instrumental compositions very early on, probably because I prefer songs that concentrate on actual music over ****ty poetry. Is there anyone else here that can't stand lyrics and singing?

Dude!  I like the way you think!  

*high five*

As for hating music with lyrics.  Yeah, for the most part I do.  I pretty much only listen to video game soundtracks, classical music, and jazz.
Speaking of jazz, that is true art!  It's a shame that black music culture has been dominated by rap trash when the true black music legends of old like Art Tatum have been largely forgotten.  Hell, Art Tatum was probably the greatest pianist who ever lived.

[Bann Duncan]

Watch this please. Pay attention to the lyrics and wordplay, particularly the first verse by my favourite rapper the Mighty Mos Def.

[Borschtbeet]

I can't understand rap lyrics. All I hear whenever I listen to rap is...



"bee bop, badadada doo ****** waka waka shibiddity dibiitty doobity dop cluck cluck *n-word* YEEAAAAAAAHHHHH"

[Amberyl Ravenclaw]

Bann Duncan wrote...

Watch this please. Pay attention to the lyrics and wordplay, particularly the first verse by my favourite rapper the Mighty Mos Def.

Hehe, thanks for that. Got me thinking back to Talib Kweli's delivery of "Lonely People" on Def Jam Poetry (Kweli, of course, being the other half of Black Star with Mos Def). No music there, and it's a simple performance piece that covers a common theme - the heavy price of fame - but to me it demonstrates how good rap is all about artistry, talent and skill. Couple of killer lines and a quiver of emotion in the last half. 

@ Borschtbeet: If like me you find it hard to follow lyrics sometimes because of the background music, why not try a couple of Def Poetry Jam pieces? Quality may vary, like everything else in life, but there are some genuinely excellent performances in there. Again, all sorts of themes - love, heartbreak, the media, social justice, fame, individual musings, etc are covered in those rap sessions. That's where you can really pay attention to what they're saying and their style of delivery.

Modifié par Amberyl Ravenclaw, 28 mars 2010 - 11:37 .

[Andarthiel_Demigod]

Borschtbeet wrote...

I agree with the original poster.  Most rap music fans are just trend following poseurs who are trying to find some sort of social identity. They need rap to define who they are since they can't let their actions define them.

It's really no different than people who smoke, or get tattoos. They're just trying to fit into some social movement.
Gangsta rap music is just exploitation of black culture masquerading as art. It really hurts black America since it gives people the impression that blacks champion materialism, misogyny, lawlessness, and drugs.  As a black man myself I find it abhorrent.
If people like rap music I really have no problem with that. I just hate it how people listen to rap music to be cool.

Yea I pretty much agree with this. Not that I like rap(it is the enemy of metal) but it's more to do with the srot of culture and image of rap that annoys me the most. It's just sad to see people behaving like that.