The Rap Appreciation Thread (For all your Rap Haters!)

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00

 

[Ornery]

Originally posted by: freedomsbeat212
I listen to disco, hip hop, alternative, indie rock, emo, IDM, punk, pop, country, folk, blue grass, jazz, heavy metal, nu-metal, soul, neo-soul, etc. etc. etc. and I've come to realize that there's no such thing as a bad GENRE.. Bad performers exist - of course.. I HATE every mainstream hip hop act- I can't listen to Puffy, 50 Cent, Nelly, or any of that watered down B.S. But to write off an entire genre is ignorant and and a sign of being totally uncultured.. Of course, ignorant and uncultured describes a large portion of Anandtech members and America as a whole...

Most of the morons around here only seem to listen to what will give you some bump in your trunk, with no regard to the rest of the content. Fvck them, their annoying radios, and whatever they play on them, which is USUALLY nothing even remotely cultured. Some of us can still hear the difference.

 

[crobusa]

Aside from the fact that that description fits a good number of hip-hop/rap songs, you can't say with certainty that just because you don't understand something intially, that makes it so much better than something else, or that another person listening to the same thing wouldn't pick up on it sooner. While I know that it's just foolish to try to convince someone who isn't a fan of rap to appreciate it, i don't think that the narrow-minded people who think or assume the whole genre is all 'bling-bling' is the right thing, either.

I sir, am not in the target audience. As for being narrow minded in my defining the genre, popular culture is very good at defining itself. When someone says classical, people think of Mozart, when someone says Rap, people think of gold teeth, chains, and "props", selling drugs, and escaping justice while gaining material wealth. I submit it is an image problem for the industry, one in despreate need for repair.

Take your example of industrial music. I'm sure for every song that's such a profound narrative with deep meaning, there are a couple that are little more than just noise...the same as in almost all genres of music--it just so happens that something like industrial rock isn't nearly as popular, so it doesn't come under nearly as much scrutiny. I'll be the first person to agree, for people whose only exposure comes from MTV or something, it's understandable that their general impression would be something of that nature...but then, the same way a white person whose only exposure to minorities is the occasional passing by the projects/barrios would think that all of those people are poor or loud--until they meet people elsewhere that make them realize that "hey, everybody in this category isn't like what i thought."

You are absolutly correct, such an epiphiny occured one day my Sophmore year in high school. It was when Mr. (Snoop) Dog renamed himself after Niccolò Machiavelli. After reading The Prince, I was intregued with his style of diplomacy. And so after hearing many devoted fans laud Machiavelli, I approached a few and sought a conversation of his works. After a few blank stares, one fan in Double Honors classes told me that very few were familiar with his works, but were playing along. It was after talking to the Oracle, I realised that invoking a god does not make a man holy, nor heralding science make a man learned.

There are songs even by people like Jay-Z that are fairly intricate narratives--for every song like 'Money Cash Hoes'--the type of song that he makes "to keep the cash registers ringing"--there's a 'Meet the Parents'

If he is intelligent and honest, let us give him the same honor we give journalists.

Also, a good deal of the flak that hip-hop gets is from it's quote-unquote 'negativity', which is basically a reflection of the tragedies and the environment
the person grew up in...and in fact, if i were narrow-minded as some of the other people around here, i could just as easily say that a genre like rock or metal is nothing but thrashing/devil worship/drugs/partying or that country is nothing more than drinking and driving a big truck--but i'm well aware that just because that's all i've been exposed to, there's more than what's on the surface.

Tis true, neither rap nor rock will ever be condoned by pious souls. But one does not "pimp" the tragic like so many wares, mourning lost collegues and threating retaliation. One could go so far as to state that with the soap opera twists, and showmenship, Rap has much in common with professional wrestling.

Cliffsnotes: It's fine to dislike rap, I respect your opinion and all, but don't be a narrow-minded ass and assume that it's all 'bling-bling', or that it has no substance...because the same thing applies to any genre--some just aren't as popular right now.

Pardon my modest fun for mocking a device from which a proletariat could amuse himself with.

 

[tweakmm]

Wow...just wow...
The ignorant jackasses sure came out of the woodwork for this thread.

 

[kmac1914]

Originally posted by: crobusa

I sir, am not in the target audience. As for being narrow minded in my defining the genre, popular culture is very good at defining itself. When someone says classical, people think of Mozart, when someone says Rap, people think of gold teeth, chains, and "props", selling drugs, and escaping justice while gaining material wealth. I submit it is an image problem for the industry, one in despreate need for repair.

I dare venture to ask who you speak for when you say that "people" think of something in particular when Rap is brought up. I could just as easily say that none of those things come to mind when i think of rap...but then I'm more familiar with the subject matter. I will agree with you that the industry in general does not always project the most negative image, however--the same with rock.

You are absolutly correct, such an epiphiny occured one day my Sophmore year in high school. It was when Mr. (Snoop) Dog renamed himself after Niccolò Machiavelli. After reading The Prince, I was intregued with his style of diplomacy. And so after hearing many devoted fans laud Machiavelli, I approached a few and sought a conversation of his works. After a few blank stares, one fan in Double Honors classes told me that very few were familiar with his works, but were playing along. It was after talking to the Oracle, I realised that invoking a god does not make a man holy, nor heralding science make a man learned.

Unless i missed something somewhere, Snoop Dogg never referred to himself as Machiavelli. That was actually Tupac Shakur, although i wouldn't expect you to be 100% correct on a topic with which you have no familiarity. THAT artist (tupac) was familiar with Machiavelli's works, particularly the idea of decieving your enemies, which led him to derive the alias 'Makaveli'--just for the record. Your point is well taken, however.

Tis true, neither rap nor rock will ever be condoned by pious souls. But one does not "pimp" the tragic like so many wares, mourning lost collegues and threating retaliation. One could go so far as to state that with the soap opera twists, and showmenship, Rap has much in common with professional wrestling.

Do you consider it 'pimping' the tragic because it's popular at the moment? I daresay that if you were to lose someone close to you, I would think it'd be almost human nature to feel some degree of mourning, and possibly a sense of vengance if you felt that their life was taken unfairly. Just because they choose to express these emotions on record, doesn't make it pimping the tragic. I can't say that i would necessarily dispute the correlation with wrestling, given some of the things that go on at times...but again, that is an area where so many parallels can be drawn between rap and rock music.


Additionally, kudos to you for actually being able to carry on an intelligent debate without it degrading to a 'rap suX0rs' level of ignorance.

 

[Feldenak]

If it involves a turntable or something similar, I most likely will not like it.

For a group to qualify as a legitimate band (IMO) it requires some combination of the following elements:

Lead guitar
Rhythm guitar
Bass guitar
Percussionist (not some computer geek on a drum machine)
Vocals (preferably singing and not "talking" with the beat)

 

[kmac1914]

Originally posted by: Feldenak
If it involves a turntable or something similar, I most likely will not like it.

For a group to qualify as a legitimate band (IMO) it requires some combination of the following elements:

Lead guitar
Rhythm guitar
Bass guitar
Percussionist (not some computer geek on a drum machine)
Vocals (preferably singing and not "talking" with the beat)

...which is probably why most people don't refer to them as rap bands

 

[wicktron]

I love hip-hop. I love rap. I love turntablism. I love b-boying. I love graffiti art.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: dahotboykj

Originally posted by: Feldenak
If it involves a turntable or something similar, I most likely will not like it.

For a group/band to qualify for a space in my CD collection, it requires some combination of the following elements:

Lead guitar
Rhythm guitar
Bass guitar
Percussionist (not some computer geek on a drum machine)
Vocals (preferably singing and not "talking" with the beat)

...which is probably why most people don't refer to them as rap bands

There you go. Edited for clarity.

I can't stand rap, hip-hop, new R&B (I do like old Motown though), trip-hop, techno, etc...

I want people playing instruments and writing their own stuff (at least most of it). Turntables and sampling do not qualify as playing a musical intrument IMO.

 

[Spudd]

I appreciate all forms of music. If it sounds good, that's all that really matters. People get too hung up on stereotypes, biggotry, and racism and don't give "foreign" (i.e. to them) forms of music a chance. It's quite ignorant, but then again, many people are just that. As someone in the above thread said, all genres have bad artists, but that doesn't mean the entire genre is crap.

 

[kmac1914]

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Originally posted by: dahotboykj

Originally posted by: Feldenak
If it involves a turntable or something similar, I most likely will not like it.

For a group/band to qualify for a space in my CD collection, it requires some combination of the following elements:

Lead guitar
Rhythm guitar
Bass guitar
Percussionist (not some computer geek on a drum machine)
Vocals (preferably singing and not "talking" with the beat)

...which is probably why most people don't refer to them as rap bands

There you go. Edited for clarity.

I can't stand rap, hip-hop, new R&B (I do like old Motown though), trip-hop, techno, etc...

I want people playing instruments and writing their own stuff (at least most of it). Turntables and sampling do not qualify as playing a musical intrument IMO.

That's completely understandable. Different strokes for different folks and all that...although i do know that a lot of composition goes into some songs, and that it's not all "turntables and sampling"--although a majority of it is.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

You know I made this thread to tell you guys that all of rap is not about bling or nonense like that. I showed you lyrics by other rappers to prove my point. I guess that was lost on you guys.

Its sad really, cause there's a whole lot of music out there that you guys won't be able to appreciate because you won't give it a chance. Oh well, stay close minded.

 

[Kalvin00]

There's no way to appreciate rap. It all sucks.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: TheNoblePlatypus
Whole bunch of:

Well, might as well add something besides indifference to your rabid devotion. I hate rap because of the sheer lack of talent these "bands" have. Lets rip off samples from other songs and used recycled beats to put with our lack-luster rhyme scheme. Actually, I take that back. I hate rap because it just plain sounds bad.

Did you not read the lyrics I posted?? those verses have meaning, and clearly the owners of those verse have talent as well!!

yeah sure there is a whole lot of crap out there in the hiphop industry (nelly, 50 cent, ja rule to name a few), but there's a lotta good stuff as well. I guess Binary Star said it best: "There's hiphop and then there's hippop".

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Rap appreciashun? Not gonna happen. 'S coo', bro. Dere's too much baaaad beat out dere, dat contains quality arrangements, beatianship, hooks and harmonies t'boda' listenin' t'sump'n dat grates on yo' nerves, likes rap/hip hop. Jes hang loose, brud.

? 😕 ?

Ornery, lay off the crack pipe man.