MMAharaja Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I tried to search for a similar thread, but the word "rap" was too short. Please let me know if this topic has been done to death. If so, I'll delete this thread. What are your opinions on rap? I actually used to like it in my early high school years, before I had any interest in music. My concern back then was doing what my friends were doing, rather than what I enjoyed. I remember one day we were making fun of another kid for listening to The Who (which was nothing more than an "old" band to us), and I've never forgiven myself for that. Fortunately I grew out of that phase, and in the last decade I've discovered the beauty of rock, metal, the blues, classical, folk, jazz, etc. Ironically, today rap is one of the few genres that I can't enjoy. It is just so rudimentary. But I think the rap hate goes a little to far. I've heard people say it isn't even music. I think it's very strange that rap is one of the most popular genres of music today. You will probably find more musical depth and variety in the first movement of any Beethoven symphony or in a single Led Zeppelin album, than in any given rapper's entire discography. It seems like the average person's taste in music has regressed over the years. What do you think about rap, its popularity, and what it says about modern culture? Do you even consider it music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Rap isn't my thing, but I appreciate all forms of music, even if I don't really care for them, if that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunacy Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 No. I don't consider it music. At least not anymore. Today's rap is really just sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Led Zep Girl Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Oh boy. I was into about rap 2 years ago. I was pretty hard core. I wanted to live and act like the rappers. Not necessarily the guy rappers but the girl rappers. I don't appreciate guys calling me a "whore" or a "bitch" like they do in the songs. I used to love Three 6 Mafia and Crime Mob. I could repeat every word from every verse from every song. I'm tellin ya. rap will eat you alive. You get so sucked into it, it's almost like a drug. You can't live without it. I don't know what happened. I just go sick of it one day. My parents were happy when I sold my soul to rock n' roll lol! Rap in my opinion, is filth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrophile Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I don't care for what passes for rap today. I like the old stuff, like DJ EZ Rock and Rob Base, the Beastie Boys, Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.....you get the picture. I like fun, party music that puts people in a good mood. Not songs about bitches, hos, n-words and various other topics. Any rap made after say......1993 isn't worth my time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjin-san Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Hi all, A rip-off from the get-go. KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ady Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I think it is more a form of poetry than a form of music. The music seems incidental or maybe it only serves to set the mood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Hi all, A rip-off from the get-go. KB Anyone else see the irony here ? Like it or not, rap is art and usually it can be considered music too unless it's vocal only then it's more poetry than anything else. Can't stand it myself, but that's not to say it has any less artistic merit than any other form of music/art/entertainment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMAharaja Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Anyone else see the irony here ? Like it or not, rap is art and usually it can be considered music too unless it's vocal only then it's more poetry than anything else. Can't stand it myself, but that's not to say it has any less artistic merit than any other form of music/art/entertainment I think it's perfectly fair to say rap has less artistic merit than classical or even rock. Like I said earlier, it's a very rudimentary form of music. Sure, your kid's hand turkey is art, but it doesn't have the artistic merit of a Van Gogh painting. Just because something is art doesn't automatically mean it deserves as much praise as all other art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimp Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 It sucks all of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtazy Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I think it is more a form of poetry than a form of music. The music seems incidental or maybe it only serves to set the mood. +1 I actually appreciate some rap songs. Not for the music or the artistic part of them, but for the lyrics and the overall mood. Sometimes when you need to let off some steam, a nice rap song is the way to go . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigzepfan Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Life was much simpler back in the sixties/seventies. People had more time to actually analyze what they listen to. They did not have to take time to boot up, check emails, download this, upload that. IMO rap would not have succeeded back then because the other musics were more "real" and less computer generated like todays music. Today's generation. Hmm. over half of the kids have ADD or something like it. They just don't listen and analyze stuff the way people used to in "my" generation. I'm 45 btw. I look at LedZepGirls post and I think to myself that as soon as LZG put more time into listening to the music itself she realized how weak it is compared to other musics. I've heard the same thing with old country music fans. They "used" to listen to it until they took the time to listen to more styles/varieties of music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slagfarmer Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I don't like it. just doesn't do anything for me at all. Call me old fashioned but I didn't like disco either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagemccartney95 Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I'm going with Electrophile on this one. I like old school rap, which is more like party music. But the disgusting images in today's rap make my stomach turn. I'd never like a song that advocates women being called "wh*res" or "b!tches". Sorry if I offend anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireOpal Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I don't consider rap to be music (it's rhythmic, but so is skipping rope or a noisy electric fan) and, as others have mentioned, the denigrating and abusive language towards women is offensive. The persistent lyrical focus on violence and materialism is also numbing. And let's remember rap is where the odious practice of sampling started. I'm not saying sampling can't be creative, but it's the difference between (in a visual medium) being a collage artist or being a painter who creates something new with his or her own hands and being. It's really a shame and a waste that these rapper numbskulls comprise the bulk of what's considered black/urban music these days. It represents a steep artistic decline from musical geniuses like Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Prince and Maurice White from Earth Wind & Fire. Of course, you can look at the artistic heights of earlier rock groups like Zeppelin, Doors, Beatles 'n Stones et al and get depressed about current rock music - that's a valid point too. Where's all the talent gone?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I think it's perfectly fair to say rap has less artistic merit than classical or even rock. Like I said earlier, it's a very rudimentary form of music. Sure, your kid's hand turkey is art, but it doesn't have the artistic merit of a Van Gogh painting. Just because something is art doesn't automatically mean it deserves as much praise as all other art. You're wrong on every point. Art is subjective. One man's Picasso is another man's "WTF is that mess ?" Your opinion of what is good or bad art is no more or less valid than ANYONE else's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Levee Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Rap is crap. Especially new rap. I agree with others here, it is degrading to women. The closest I got to listening to rap was SPM, and Insane Clown Posse 5 years ago. Don't judge me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xtazy Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 Maybe you guys don't look in the right place. Rap isn't necessarily offensive to women or offensive in any way at all. There are different artists who express their feelings in different ways. Not all the rappers deal with the same subject, use the same language or look at things in life the same way. Like someone said before, it's like poetry. Do all the poets write the same things over and over again? Apart from that, rap is music. By definition. And on top of that, it's more about the meaning of the song, not the sound of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gospel Zone Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I'll put it this way.... CRap is to music what AIDS is to sex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poindexter Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 I don`t dismiss any genre of music or whatever anyone cares to call Rap. Its just like Country or Classical. I know a good song that makes me tap my toes when I hear it. For me its, Curtis Blow or Grand Master Flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMAharaja Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 Your opinion of what is good or bad art is no more or less valid than ANYONE else's. I'm offended that you think a deaf person who has never even heard a song has an equally valid opinion as me regarding music. Here's another extreme example. If I've been playing an instrument since I was 5, have perfect pitch, went to a conservatory to study music, have a firm grasp on musical theory, and have heard thousands of artists from dozens of genres, my opinion of what is good or bad music is more valid than someone's opinion who has no musical ability, can't define the word pitch, never picked up an instrument, and has listened to nothing but rap since birth. You're wrong on every point. Art is subjective. One man's Picasso is another man's "WTF is that mess ?" If you think that a typical rap song has the same musical merit as a Beethoven symphony, you're mad. Yes, art is in the eye of the beholder, but some people are blind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electrophile Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 You're seriously getting offended over this? People's opinions about music or what constitutes music is subjective. You don't think rap is music. Toscano does. Agree to disagree and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMAharaja Posted March 31, 2010 Author Share Posted March 31, 2010 You're seriously getting offended over this? People's opinions about music or what constitutes music is subjective. You don't think rap is music. Toscano does. Agree to disagree and move on. 1) I do think rap is music. Read the first post of this thread. 2) By saying I was offended, I was making a point, that was clearly lost on you. If someone who never heard a Zeppelin song told you they suck and their music is terrible, would you be offended? Would you think their opinion about the music is just as valid as yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toscano Posted March 31, 2010 Share Posted March 31, 2010 You're seriously getting offended over this? People's opinions about music or what constitutes music is subjective. You don't think rap is music. Toscano does. Agree to disagree and move on. Oh I'm not even making a case it's music. All I'm saying is that it's Art, and because I think it sucks donkey balls it doesn't make it any less of an art form than Rascal Flatts, Beethoven, Led Zeppelin or Neil Diamond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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