"I'll admit, I: A: came here to see how stupid you are to have that phrase in your sig/as the name of a blog; B: came in here and bash rap with a fellow idiot"
Chances are, if you agree with that statement, you're either extremely stupid, or a conformist who struts around with ACDC and Led Zeppelin shirts from Target. See, if you sincerely don't like it, fine, that's understandable, but you probably haven't listened to the right rap. If you hate it, you're stupid and don't deserve an opinion.
"Alex, I'm slightly intrigued so far, but what is the right rap?"
Good, inspired lyrics, good flow, honest presentation, humble subject matter. Rap that isn't manufactured garbage, and isn't there to create a new dance, become a trend, or to make money.
Soulja Boy, I'm pointing at YOUUUUUUUUUU.
"Can you point me in the right direction to start out?"
A great example of rap at its best is in the early '90's. My personal favorite rap from this era comes from the group A Tribe Called Quest. Very insightful, meaningful, inspired lyrics. No guns, no violence, no garbage. Tribe's album The Low End Theory is by far one of my favorite albums ever. They tell stories in a poetic, flowing method, and are certainly ear pleasing. From the song 'Show Business':
"Yo, I gotta speak on the cesspool
It's the rap industry and it ain't that cool
Only if you're on stage or if you're speakin' to your people
Ain't no-one your equal
Especially on the industry side
Don't let the games just glide
Right through your fingers, you gotta know the deal
So Lord Jamar speak, because you're real..."
Even back then, there was a huge deal of bad rap among the good stuff, and the talented writers recognized it.
"But what about modern rap? It's all about fucking bitches and shooting other people!"
Yes, the shitty rap is about those things. How many rappers a year do you hear about on the news getting arrested for murder? One to two, every other year or so, MAYBE. Old school rap didn't suffer from this as much as modern stuff does.
"Alright we covered the 90's, what about the new millenium?"
One of the most talented rappers of this decade is Mos Def. From his song 'Mathematics':
"It's five dimensions, six senses
Seven firmaments of heaven to hell, 8 Million Stories to tell
Nine planets faithfully keep in orbit
with the probable tenth, the universe expands length
The body of my text possess extra strength
Power-liftin powerless up, out of this, towerin inferno
My ink so hot it burn through the journal"
Extremely intelligent, well thought out, rhymes well, flows well, everything.
Most mainstream rap is needlessly aggressive, as, going off the path a tiny bit, comedian Mike Birbiglia states in one of his jokes:
"Rap has changed a lot since I was a kid. It was so innocent! It was just like "Ribbity rap rap raptastic!" It's just gotten so arbitrarily aggressive you know? Rappers now are like "It's 2005 mofo!" And I'm like, you're mad about the date? You gotta pick your battles man, I mean, you get mad at that, no one's gonna believe you when you're mad at real stuff. You're like the boy who cried 'mofo'."
And he is correct. Most of it is pointless ramble about things that never really happened. Good rap takes on personal accounts of growing up in rough neighborhoods, the dangers of the music business, etc.
"Conformist prick! Everyone says old school rap and underground/non mainstream rap is the best!"
Hm, the word 'best' is subjective, in music, there's no such thing as best. But as far as my personal preference, there is very little modern mainstream rap I would consider 'good'.
Of course, someone out there is always gonna like Soulja Boy, and someone will always refuse to appreciate rap, listen to it, respect it, etc., and stick to whatever it is that they do like. Music is a huge, diverse medium, and you can't knock it til you try it.
G-Dog_666 wrote on Aug 27th, 2008 at 6:56pm : *retarded comment*
Alright, I see your point, but you don't have to be a twat about it.
The theme of this blog is a "hey, give it a chance" rather than "rap > all", so learn the meaning of the word elitist before you use in such a dumb fucking way.
"See, if you sincerely don't like it, fine, that's understandable, but you probably haven't listened to the right rap. If you hate it, you're stupid and don't deserve an opinion."
Read it. Read it again. Again. Got it yet? Probably haven't listened to the right rap. No elitism, no shoving my thoughts down your throat. The word hate is used in the sense that people say they 'hate' it because it 'isn't music', 'lacks talent', etc. I'm never one to think I'm high and mighty because I'm strongly opinionated and believe I can make a decent argument.
Do I truely give a fuck about who likes what? No, certainly not, people are entitled to their opinion as long as they have a reason, and aren't blind to what's really out there and don't make ridiculous judgments such as your own. And of course this would fuel arguments, that thought hovered in my head as I typed every letter of this blog. Do I care? No. Did I try to insinuate conflict? Never. Try pulling your head out of your ass and grasp the concept of this blog; don't knock it til you try it.
I don't like any form of rap. The idiots talking about "Bling", making money and sex turns me off from the rest of the good rap. It seems like anyone who talks about that stuff and has a premade beat can make millions. There are some rappers that are decent because they don't talk about that stuff. Or atleast I've never heard it from them. Like...fort minor, or whatever they are called. They have a pretty sad song that isn't about that shit.
I don't like any form of rap. The idiots talking about "Bling", making money and sex turns me off from the rest of the good rap. It seems like anyone who talks about that stuff and has a premade beat can make millions. There are some rappers that are decent because they don't talk about that stuff. Or atleast I've never heard it from them. Like...fort minor, or whatever they are called. They have a pretty sad song that isn't about that shit.
That's my thoughts.
Eh, you gotta give it a chance. Don't let the bad rap deter you from what's good.
Clever ploy to get people to read your blog. tbh, I was thinking "prepare for a pointless rant about how much rap sucks" You presented your argument well and I can say that
I'm still going to avoid rap whenever possible for many reason.
I've had this discussion many times with friends, and you presented it really well. Rap can be lyrical genius if its executed the right way. Sweet read.
I like 90's rap. I can tollerate some of the new rap, but they only play the shitty kind on the radio. Very rarely do you find a good rap song as u describe it on the air, and that sucks cause it limits what most listen to. No wonder those who like rock give rap such a bad name. They hear the shit on the radio, they assume that's how it all is, and they dont bother looking for any good rap.
Also, you are completely correct. I just wish u didnt use that title to lure people here. (then again, to say what people generally agree with will attract more attention than what most people disagree with. i doubt u would have gotten any hits had it been titled "The "Right" kind of rap" or something like that).
Ah, thanks. People automatically assume 50 Cent and Soulja Boy etc. represent rap as a whole, and refuse to believe anything else.
Haha, I figured using that title would lure in just about anyone that saw my sig or came to my profile. I'm definitely not trying to change anyones mind or create propaganda, just trying to open some minds and enlighten some people on what they're missing out on, whether they actually read through this or not. Thanks for reading/complimenting/adding
mmm Aesop Rock. There's a fucking poet. You're not gonna find that wit or lyrical prowess anywhere else.
...and i hate rap. I listen to mostly death metal and hardcore. Aesop is the only thing I can stand and respect.
I don't really like rap, mostly because these days it's all pretty much fake. All they do is take a drum machine and a few other studio effects and stuff. Then the rappers themselves can't really do half the stuff they sound like they can do. For example, especially for long passages where you wouldn't have time to take a breath, they'll record one line and stop, record the next line and stop, etc. I don't really mind the old stuff where it's pretty much just a drummer layin down some funky groove, and a bassist improvising on top of it, but I don't like any of the new stuff.
Well i disagree with the first part, beats can be artificial and still sound good, though a live band is nice too. I'll agree with the fast passages part though. Little studio tricks like that can be annoying, and when most of them perform live, they can't catch their breaths, though some like Twista and Lupe Fiasco use this effect just to clean up the sound and production, but can flow live as well.
i read one fourth of your blog and all i can say is i hate rap BUT!!.... i alsot totally agree that i mainly hate the rap you hate too as for everything else.....im not srue im really into any kind of "rap" but im not a metal head of led zepllan and ac dc i actualy dont even liek ac dc very much at all, .....btw i liek hardcore metal, oldchool punk,punk rock, post hardcore, pop punk
Thank you soooooooo much!!!!! You have opened my eyes to the great world of rap!!!!! I now see the error of my ways!!!!! From now on will listen to the RIGHT rap as perscribed by you! No more listening to the types of music I want to listen to and leaving out the ones I don't. How could I ever have had my own opinion on music and actually thought I could stand by it?
This blog is just as elitist as the "OMG RAP SUCKS BALLS! IT ISN'T EVEN REAL MUSIC!" blogs and threads and just another bandwagon to jump on. You get a kick out of believing you hold the moral high ground liking rap when others don't. So what? Some people don't like rap and some people don't want to like rap. Boo hoo. You keep on listening to what you want to and others will do the same. Arguments are fuelled, not finished by blogs such as this because as much as you may try, you can objectify the subjective.
thank you for that. haha most people think im stupid saying that i like rap but not lil wayne or any of that other stuff. outkast is a good example. they write raps that have meaning, not just all about how they're better. a good example:
"Your white tee, well to me, looks like a nightgown. Make your mama proud, take that thing two sizes down."
jonathanonfire wrote on Aug 25th, 2008 at 1:02am :
mmm Aesop Rock. There's a fucking poet. You're not gonna find that wit or lyrical prowess anywhere else.
...and i hate rap. I listen to mostly death metal and hardcore. Aesop is the only thing I can stand and respect.
I recommend you some Immortal Technique, El-Producto, Sage Francis, Blue Scholars, Nas, and Atmosphere.
G-Dog_666 wrote on Aug 27th, 2008 at 4:56pm :
because as much as you may try, you can['t] objectify the subjective.
<----here
I don't think that your helping your case with a cliched sardonic attitude.
That's funny. You state to let people live with their convictions (Some people don't like rap and some people don't want to like rap. Boo hoo. You keep on listening to what you want to and others will do the same), but your quote up there says not to do so if your for showin who the chumps are.
What happened to living by your convictions?
True, it may not be the most effective way of handling things, but who wants to be a fucking robot only able to assert the objective?
Fuck that.
Ummmm, I don't insult peoples music. And I came in here to call you an idiot for bashing it. But I get all my clothes at Target, cause I'm poor. Hell, I'm wearing a Pink Floyd jacket from Target right now. You're hurtful.
Just because it isn't played on a guitar doesn't mean it's a not a real person playing it. It's not like you just grab a laptop and say "Computer! Make me a platinum album!" It's played by a real person on a keyboard. Although some rappers don't make their own beats, all the good ones do.
As for the lyrics being terrible, here's a verse that explains how the mainstream rap industry has made you think that way
Now you keep everybody's eyes on charts and schedules
And old trends, trying to stack gold bars and medals
They want vessels, void and dark
The industry wanna make stars instead of music, it's the smarter special
Because art at a level this real can be harder to pedal
It's the work of a market that settles
For second rate, kill the true artists, martyr the rebels
That's the system and it's straight from the heart of the devil
rap is dodgy...... most of the time. you get some good rappers who don't actually waste their time singing about "slappin yo bitch" and shit. :P i used to listen to eminem when i was 9 or something...... i went straight...... lol
i like old school snoop dogg and dre, but thats it. Probably cause thats when rap lyrics actually meant something, well that and im a southern boy at heart
firefox385 wrote on Dec 27th, 2008 at 7:29pm :
i dont think rap is shit. just not my style of music. i hate how people always say that other genres of music are shit just because they dont like it.
and i agree with this
Clancy 13 wrote on Feb 17th, 2009 at 2:06am :
rap is dodgy...... most of the time. you get some good rappers who don't actually waste their time singing about "slappin yo bitch" and shit. :P i used to listen to eminem when i was 9 or something...... i went straight...... lol
You guys should go listen to some Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Atmosphere, P.O.S., Murs, MF Doom, Eyedea & Abilities, Immortal Technique... all great rap with meaningful lyrics.
see i'm not a fan of rap, but i respect the good rap. not like the over-produced garbage, but the stuff that actually has point other than "i'm getting paid a shitload for this."
ive never heard any rap i like. don't give me a bunch of links saying 'if you don't like this you're ignorant'. I'm allowed to like whatever music i like and i dont like rap. Fair enough some of the rappers are good at writing lyrics etc i just dont like the music.
I'm getting into a bit of rap, mostly old stuff although even though he gets bashed all the time I like Lil Wayne, he has catchy songs and incorporates some rock into some of his songs.
One of my favorite rap albums is The Roots' Things Fall Apart. You should go check out that one too if you haven't. And I'm taking some recommendations from your post.
I was actually interested in the blog until I read the holier than thou bullshit at the beginning. However, I forced myself to read on to see if it was interesting and it was. Congrats.
my problem with rap is the concept of sampling. it bugs me. each song should be unique in ways besides lyrics. lyrics are for expressing the music, music is not for complementing the lyrics. poetry is not music. lyrics are for musicians to use to add depth to vocal melodies and nothing more.
| My Profile
Rap is a terrible excuse for music. blog
Dre is legendary (Y)
