| Author | Message | ||
| Lou B (Toby91)
Junior Member Username: Toby91 Post Number: 195 Registered: 4-2001 |
All you younsters don't recall the 50's when the early Rockers shocked my elders who concluded the end of civilization was here and the devil had won. I like the rap beat but detest the anti social and hate lyrics of much of it. Like early rock some of rap will be played 50 years from now. | ||
| Jaime T. Ferraris are sex on wheels (Chevarri)
Junior Member Username: Chevarri Post Number: 100 Registered: 1-2003 |
"Rap music sucks. It also encourages physical violence & sexual depravity against women, violence against police, and absurd levels of drug use. And that makes it suck even more." In the past seven years Ive listned to rap, Ive never had any of those problems Dave. I dont even drink at all or smoke a cigarette/cigar for that matter. "do you think you will be listening to these CD's for years to come?" Flava Flav, Sir Mix Alot, Wrexx-n-Effex, Funkmaster Flex. Still have great music and they are over 10 years old, yes I still listen to them, and yes they do get played on the radio, its even on live365.com.Ice Cube, Snoop Dog, P.E. Eazy-E are still as popular as they were back in the early 90's. Go into any music shop and they will have old school rap readly available Oh, by the way I like rap  | ||
| Me Myself (Kid_enzoz)
New member Username: Kid_enzoz Post Number: 49 Registered: 4-2003 |
I've never been much of a fan... (listen to Nine Inch Nails remixes... what do you expect... ) but DES has expressed it in a new light for me. I always liked some aspects, musically of it... but not the gangsta rap itself. DES, I'm gonna track down some of those artists and their work and give it a listen. Cheers. | ||
| JT (Mightymagician)
Junior Member Username: Mightymagician Post Number: 59 Registered: 11-2002 |
>>>Will there be "Oldies" stations playing Rap in 10 or 20 years? That depends on which "oldies" station you listen to. A radio station that plays the the beatles has a different audience than the one that plays cameo. there could be a hip hop oldies station one day. the rap genre itself and its audience are still too young to tell, and alot of the artists dont care if their music is mainstream. there is no genre of music that is for everybody, and rap is no different. I could argue that all classical, heavy metal, country, jazz, blues, or any music gernre sounds the same (ever heard reggae music?), but since i listen to an appreciate them all i know better than to dismiss it that way. | ||
| Hubert Otlik (Hugh)
Member Username: Hugh Post Number: 855 Registered: 1-2002 |
There's a difference bw/ rap and hip hop, and there's even a great bifurcation in the intent and "message" contained therein. Rap, essentially, was hip hop; it's start cam from mc battles and b-boxing on the streets of our modern metropoli and was a venue for aring the frustartions, etc. of that life. It's the same parallel that lay with jazz, blues, etc. Only in it's , gross, commercialization did this ecclectic and poignient artform become distrorted into a commodity, and after which time the industry which made it it commodity did it begin to mold the artists; anything flashy, violent, etc. sold and the sales encouraged the shaping of the commodity the a&r's were handling and not coincidentally did the people trying to break into the field followed suit. Anyway, there's a lot to be heard in hip hop, and a number of fantastic talents, and messages, to be learned from, to some that haven't had an interest b/c the mainstream has turned you off I suggest looking up groups like: common, black star, talib kwali, pharaoh monce, etc. Classics like ericb & rakim's "let the rythem hit 'em", and for those like bill who don't like the extent of sampling look up "the roots" a hip hop group that plays all their beats, and has NO DJ. There's more, too... RE: the violence, well, that's an endemic part of the urban struggle and I've heard prose about it by the above artistst that unveil the degree of violence beautifully, and I've also head the death row mainstream barage. Anyway, I'm very musically obsessed, and listen to it all, just b/c I have to... | ||
| Jack (Gilles27)
Member Username: Gilles27 Post Number: 980 Registered: 3-2002 |
A guy at work used to have a button that read: The "c" in "rap" is silent. To me, it's like heavy metal; a majority of it is the same-sounding s**t. I like some rap songs, but then again, there isn't any genre I love 100% of the time. I prefer to take songs, albums and groups on an individual basis. | ||
| Jeff B. (Miltonian)
Member Username: Miltonian Post Number: 340 Registered: 12-2002 |
Will there be "Oldies" stations playing Rap in 10 or 20 years? No. It's all disposable. A generation with no lasting musical heritage. Sad. Those of you who enjoy Rap and the artists whose material you consider relavant, do you think you will be listening to these CD's for years to come? I'd be interested to know. Or does it all go into the trash barrel when someone new comes along? | ||
| Dave (Maranelloman)
Intermediate Member Username: Maranelloman Post Number: 1801 Registered: 1-2002 |
Arlie, the sign must be on the Texas side of the state line, hence the newer trucks & electrification. LOL! I had a feeling you'd respond to that sign!!! | ||
| Michael Basic (Sensational1)
New member Username: Sensational1 Post Number: 9 Registered: 2-2003 |
Not all rap music is about sex, drugs, and killing people. If you like underground rap music, check out Jedi Mind Tricks, Unknown Prophets, and Sage Francis. Some good stuff! | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Intermediate Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 1245 Registered: 5-2002 |
Dave, that sign can't really be here in Arkansas. That pickup truck in the background is less that 10 years old. And I see power lines in the background. We ain't got no 'lectric 'round here. | ||
| Dave (Maranelloman)
Intermediate Member Username: Maranelloman Post Number: 1800 Registered: 1-2002 |
Rap music sucks. It also encourages physical violence & sexual depravity against women, violence against police, and absurd levels of drug use. And that makes it suck even more.     | ||
| Jay Grande (Jay)
Intermediate Member Username: Jay Post Number: 1374 Registered: 10-2001 |
Wm you hit the nail on the head! I also love old funk like Parliament Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, Earth Wind and Fire, The O Jays, even the Temptations. That's where the music sprang from and that is real music! I didn't think that anyone would take the time to read that essay, but I have to say it really put things into words for me, it's exactly how I feel. | ||
| wm hart (Whart)
Intermediate Member Username: Whart Post Number: 1216 Registered: 12-2001 |
So, essentially, the protesters became caricatures of the very establishment they were railing against. And, in the process, the thing got commercialized to the point where its no longer an "edgy" artform,but just more excrement from the machine that tells us what to drink, drive, •••• and eat. I down with that. My partner, the chuckster, rep'd Run DMC, Rick Rubin and Def Jam, Public Enemy, NWA, Young MC, that old Interscope label that Suge Knight was part of, etc. ad naseum. Some of those guys (not necessarily the ones mentioned or omitted) were bright, and cool. Others were not even musicians, or poets. But, ultimately, when the industry just keeps cranking out a "genre" and its stale, they wind up taking the hit. (Remember what happened to the disco label Neil Bogart had). And, things change all over again. The "edge" is with the indepedents, etc., 'til it becomes mainstream. Personally, i don't do alot of rap listening, although alot of the beats and tracks are samples from earlier black funk music. I used to listen to Bad Brains alot. Snoop makes me laff, though. | ||
| JT (Mightymagician)
Junior Member Username: Mightymagician Post Number: 58 Registered: 11-2002 |
I grew up on it. loved it. The artists then had something to say, even if they didn't, they were at least innovative in some way. ever heard someone who could freestyle rap? When its done right, its incredible. especially when people would 'battle rap' to see who was the best. the stuff from the late 80's and early 90's to me was the best. Today its a different story though, some of it is good, most of it is crap. Its no longer an art, its a media stunt to sell records. And DES, you are my new best friend. People that know the artist Paris and appreciate his music are as rare as Enzo owners. | ||
| Jay Grande (Jay)
Intermediate Member Username: Jay Post Number: 1371 Registered: 10-2001 |
Rap today has changed for the worse. Gone are the Days of Grand Master Flash and the Furious 5, Kool Moe Dee, Sugarhill Gang, Big Daddy Kane, RUN DMC, Public Enemy and the other originators of the music. Even the old timmers who are still around like LL Cool J have sold out to profanity and the Bling Bling show off mentality. Here is a great essay written on Hip Hop and it sums up the way I feel. I grew up on the stuff and unfortunately I haven't heard one good rap album in the last 10 years. This may be long but I believe it sums up what many people are thinking. F-Hip Hop! An Essay I know you've been thinking it. And if you haven't, you probably haven't been paying attention. The art we once called hip-hop has been dead for some time now. But because its rotting carcass has been draped in platinum and propped against a Gucci print car, many of us have missed its demise. I think the time has come to bid a farewell to the last black arts movement. It's had a good run but it no longer serves the community that spawned it. Innovation has been replaced with mediocrity and originality replaced with recycled nostalgia for the ghost of hip-hop past, leaving nothing to look forward to. Honestly when was the last time you heard something (mainstream) that made you want to run around in circles and write down every word. When was the last time you didn't feel guilty nodding your head to a song that had a 'hot beat' after realizing the lyrical content made you cringe. When I heard Jam Master Jay had been murdered, it was the icing on the cake. A friend and I spoke for hours after he'd turned on the radio looking for solace and instead heard a member of the label Murder, Inc. about to give testimony about the slain DJ's legacy. My friend found the irony too great to even hear what the rapper had to say. After we got off the phone, I dug through my crates and played the single "Self Destruction." The needle fell on the lyrics: "They call us animals, I don't agree with them, Let's prove �em wrong, But right is what were proving �em" The only thing that kept me from crying was my anger trying to imagine today's top hip hop artists getting together to do a song that urged disarmament in African American communities, or promoted literacy, or involved in anything bigger than themselves for that matter. I couldn't picture it. All I could picture were the myriad of hip hop conferences where the moguls and figureheads go through the motions and say the things that people want to hear but at the end of the day nothing changes. No new innovative artists are hired to balance out a roster of the pornographic genocide MC's. In their place, we're presented with yet more examples of arrested development - the portrayal of grown men and women acting and dressing like 15 year olds. Balding insecure men in their mid 30's making entire songs about their sexual prowess and what shiny toys they have and you don't. The only hate I see is self-hate. The only love I see is self-love. All one needs to do is watch cribs and notice none of these people showing off their heated indoor pools or the PlayStation Two consoles installed in all twelve of their luxury cars have a library in their home. Or display a bookshelf, for that matter. No rapper on cribs has ever been quoted saying: "Yeah, this is the room where I do all my reading, nahmean?" To quote Puffy in Vogue magazine Nov 2002: "Diamonds are a great investment... They're not only a girl's best friend, they are my best friend. I like the way diamonds make me feel. I can't really explain it, its like: that's a rock; something sent to me from nature, from God, it makes me feel good... It's almost like my security cape." If rappers read, they might know about the decades of near-slavery endured by South African diamond miners. Or the rebels in Sierra Leone whose bloody diamond-fueled anti-voting rampages leave thousands of innocent men, women and children with amputated limbs. Often, hip-hop's blatant excess is rationalized with, "We came from nothing." That statement rings hollow given even a little bit of context. African Americans have been "coming from nothing" for 400 years. That didn't stop previous generations of artists, activists, and ancestors from working toward a better situation for the whole, not just themselves. It's grotesque to see such selfish materialism celebrated by a generation who are literally the children of apartheid. The time has come to re-define the street and what it means to come from the street. Yes, criminals & violence come from the streets, but so do men and women who live their lives with kindness, and within the realm of the law. The problem with making 'street' or 'realness' synonymous with criminality is that poor black children are demonized. You never see the image of middle class white children killing each other promoted as entertainment. I respect the ability of an artist to explore the darker side or extremities of their personality but when that's all there is, there is no balance. In previous years, NWA existed simultaneously with Native Tongues, Cypress Hill and Digable Planets, Gangstar and 2 Live Crew. There's room for thugz, playaz, gangstas, and what have you. My issue (aside from the fact that rappers spell everything phonetically) is that they have no heart. Rappers reflect what has become a new image of success where money is its own validation and caring is soft unless you're dropping a single about your dead homie. Question: Why haven' t these so-called "ballers" gotten together and bought a farm, a prison, a super market chain, or chartered a school? But they all have clothing lines. Smells like a sucker to me. The lack of social responsibility from people who claim to 'rep the streets' is stunning. Yet we still have had the hearts and minds of most of the world. We negate this power if we don't step up to the plate. Our perspective needs to change; our whole idea of power needs to globalize. Gangsta shouldn't be shooting someone you grew up with in the face; "Gangsta" is calling the United States to task for not attending the World Summit on Racism in South Africa. "Balling" shouldn't be renting a mansion; it should be owning your own distribution company or starting a union. Bill Cosby's bid to buy NBC was more threatening than any screwface jewelry clad MC in a video could ever be. As a DJ, it's hard: I pick up the instrumental version of records that people nod their head to... and mix it with the a cappella version of artists with something to say. It is expensive and frustrating. But I feel like the alternative is the musical equivalent to selling crack: spinning hits because it's easy, ignoring the fact that it's got us dancing to genocide. There are plenty of alternatives today but you'd never know it through the mass media. Hip-hop has become Steven Seagal in a doo-rag. Meanwhile, media radar rarely registers artists like Cannibal Ox, Madlib and the whole Stones Throw crew, Bless, Saul Williams, Bus Driver, Del, Gorillaz, anything from Def Jux, Freestyle Fellowship, Anti Pop Consortium, Kool Keith, Prince Paul, •••• Public Enemy... the list goes on for ever. I get some solace from knowing and supporting these artists, and from the fact that around the world from Germany to Cuba to Brazil to South Africa, hip hop's accessibility and capacity for genius is still vital, thriving, and relevant. And yes even amongst the bleak landscape in this country, wonderful things do happen. Like Camp Cool J and various artists donating money to research AIDS and even lend their faces to voting campaigns. Russell Simmons, among other socially conscious endeavors, led a rally to stop NYC's mayor from cutting the school budget and donates part of the proceeds from his sneaker sales to the reparations movement. The lack of coverage of efforts like this is as much to blame as any wack MC with a platinum record. I'm not dissing the innovators of the art form, or those of us who got it where it is today. I will always play and support what I feel is good work. I guess this rant came more out of what Chuck D said at the end of Self Destruction: "We've got to keep ourselves in check," and no one has checked hip hop for some time. I've entertained the idea that I might just be getting old. But if it's a function of my age that I remember hip-hop as the peoples champ, so be it. I was raised on a vital art form that has now become a computer-generated character doing the cabbage patch in a commercial, or a comedian 'raising the roof.' That's not influence to me, that's mockery. Hip-hop my friend, it's been a great 30 years filled with great memories, and it's been fun to watch you grow. We've got dozens of broke innovators and plenty of mediocre millionaires out of the deal, but I really need my space now and we've got to go our separate ways. I will always love you, but it's time for me to move on. Yo, what happened to peace? Peace. | ||
| Eric Eiland (Eric308gtsiqv)
Member Username: Eric308gtsiqv Post Number: 856 Registered: 11-2001 |
I'm with Willis Huang too.....for the most part I prefer classical, jazz, mostly 80's, and new age. | ||
| Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member Username: Lawrence Post Number: 646 Registered: 4-2002 |
I don't like rap at all. I like classical and some modern. I also do not like country music. | ||
| William Huber (Solipsist)
Intermediate Member Username: Solipsist Post Number: 1027 Registered: 9-2001 |
Like Taek said "Some good some bad." same thing goes for most rock, country or other types of music. Some of the rap bands I like. are listed below. Beastie boys Public Enemy Eninem Boo Ya Tribe Urban Dance Squad etc... | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 877 Registered: 11-2002 |
Lawrence, If by that you mean mostly bad, but few really good, then yes in my opinion. But mostly I am into classical music or engine noises. Don't mind some of the newer music either. All in all, I don't listen to much music at all. Just to relax, which is why I find classical to be my favorite. Cheers | ||
| Matt (Matt_lamotte)
Member Username: Matt_lamotte Post Number: 400 Registered: 10-2002 |
I like some of it. I'm not really into the gangsta rap but I enjoy the beats that rap has. There is all different kinds of rap and all different kinds of artist. I don't blame those that do not like it because there is definitly crap out there that is noise but that goes for all kinds of music. I personally can't stand country music and living here in the south it's enough to drive me mad. However I still respect it as a form of music and to each his own. | ||
| Lawrence Coppari (Lawrence)
Member Username: Lawrence Post Number: 645 Registered: 4-2002 |
Quality rap music...is that like airline food? | ||
| Matthew J Germane (Mjgermane)
Junior Member Username: Mjgermane Post Number: 84 Registered: 1-2003 |
I hate it as well. My brother loves it, and he told me a pretty funny thing the other day. I do not know the artist or the song but he said that some lyrics from a song said "Pulling up in my 550 Modena" I thought that was pretty funny. | ||
| Tony Roberts (Pantera)
New member Username: Pantera Post Number: 23 Registered: 6-2003 |
I am with you Willis! | ||
| Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Member Username: Stickanddice Post Number: 873 Registered: 11-2002 |
As with just about everything. Some good some bad. I don't have a particular problem with it. It does get annoying when it's blaring out of car stereos, but that true with pretty much all types of music. Cheers | ||
| Willis Huang (Willis360)
Intermediate Member Username: Willis360 Post Number: 1300 Registered: 8-2001 |
Don't like it either. I'm more of the classical, jazz, and stuck-in-the-80's type of guy. | ||
| Tony Roberts (Pantera)
New member Username: Pantera Post Number: 22 Registered: 6-2003 |
I cannot understand what they are talking about.It all sound's the same to me! | ||
| DES (Sickspeed)
Advanced Member Username: Sickspeed Post Number: 4502 Registered: 8-2002 |
Love it. Most of the mainstream rap music you hear today is, in my opinion, complete crap... However, you can find quality rap music, if you look a little deeper than MTV or Hot 97... Smut Peddlers, Mudkids, Copywrite - those are some underground artists who hold their own and aren't always spewing garbage... Paris is another rap artist whose message should be heard more often than 'Diddy's'... Bobby the Brown Bomber (now known as the Brown Recluse), out in California, is one of those artists who should be all over the mainstream scene; awesome lyrics, a definitive style and some sweet music backing him up make for some dope tunes... He's a member of The 5th Illament, whose other members are also talented artists... What about rap music don't you like, Tony...? | ||
| Tony Roberts (Pantera)
New member Username: Pantera Post Number: 20 Registered: 6-2003 |
Hate It,How about you! |