Opinions on rap music?

[htwho]

Rap is a style of music unique and part of African American culture.

To me, it sounds like a banshee or a dog barking with bass blasting. I can't relate to the lyrics because I never went through the struggle of living in the "hood" and not being able to life a proper life.

So to me, rap is irrelevant and utter rubbish but that's because it doesn't appeal to me.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

what i dont understand with the rap concept is, why do they keep on saying ''niga''....when the black community (which the majority of rap/hiphop derives from) try to move away from their oppressive era?

saying things such as ''a niga actin up ...and niga please'' .... really is degrading....im a white....and think its pretty degrading to the black community. :(

youre exactly right. Black people always talk about be oppressed by the Man, the government, and white people in general. but then you have these "rap artists" degrading themselves and others. they live upto stereotypes but then continue to bitch about it.... im sorry, rap about it. i'm really sick of the "thug" attitude... it's a stupid phase.

that being said, im sure there's rap on the other side of the spectrum. stuff that might actually be motivating and inspiring. i might listen to that.

[ThisSiteHasLostItsCharm]

If you wish to rap, you obviously can't sing. Rap is talking but it doesn't make sense and is mostly just words like word, homie, hood, ######, b*tches and so on.

[NateB1]

I agree with the above 4 or 5 replies. Music to me is a combination of a melody, harmony, and rhythm. Melody should be dominant, harmony should be secondary, and rhythm should be tertiary. In other words, when you turn down the volume to 1%, the faint music you hear should be the melody, not the thumping of the rhythm.

Rap has rhythm and that's about it. I personally can't stand it - it is insulting to my (relatively) musically trained ears.

My music preferences tend to go in the direction of Classical/Romantic/Early 20th century music style. There is nothing like a good interpretation of a Chopin or Rachmaninoff piece. :D

I know, I'm unique.

[Harlem39s Finest]

rap is crap.. simple

ignorant person no.1

If you wish to rap, you obviously can't sing. Rap is talking but it doesn't make sense and is mostly just words like word, homie, hood, ######, b*tches and so on.

ignorant person no.2

[(V)eGa]

If you wish to rap, you obviously can't sing. Rap is talking but it doesn't make sense and is mostly just words like word, homie, hood, ######, b*tches and so on.

Obviously you know nothing about rap and will never have a clue. There is ALOT of rap that doesn't use the N word or talk about b1tches, H0es or knocking a n1ggaz head off. Lupe, Common are a few. But All of you that say that rap isn't music would probably also lose your mind if your son/daughter came home with a minority.

ignorant person no.1

ignorant person no.2

You can't get across to these people. They obviously don't have an open enough mind to understand that while they may not be able to understand or relate so some of the rap out there, it is still music. It doesn't matter if you use REAL instruments, it's still music. To not like it, ok I can understand but to say it's not music is just ignorant. That's the problem with people, they take one bad apple and then relate that to all the apples out there instead of trying to understand that they are more apples and not all of them are like the CRAP that you have seen/heard.

[Neo-Phi]

You can't judge Rap by yourself....everyone likes a proper style of music.....( Even thought I hate listening to Rap....)

[Impact]

I don't like it. Half the time you can't understand what they're saying, and most of the lyrics are perverted or messed up. Also, the fact that most of it is "fake," (ie. not made with real instruments, but with software, etc), it doesn't seem like music even. It's not nearly as fun when all they do when they perform live is sing, not play most of the music that's in the song.

[.kvn]

Public Enemy were the only Rap orientated music I listened to.

Brilliant, concise, poetic, entertaining, thought provoking, controversial, critical and pumping.

Fight the Power.

[lnmnky]

I just don't get rap music. The same way I don't get Classical music or dance music, or pop-music.

I can't help what I like. I guess it's a combination of what I listened to when I was growing up and what my body says "You like this".

So yeah, I respect that it's good to some people, but it just doesn't do "it" for me. That's what makes music so brilliant.

[theresiststance2003]

Commercial rap is such BS. When people like Chingy, J-Kwan, and Soulja Boy are the figureheads for a genre, you know it's gone to crap.

Underground hip-hop is usually really good though (stuff like Souls of Mischief, Hieroglyphics, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Common, etc.). When it isn't all about the mainstream thug life rap image, hip-hop can be truly poetic. That's not to say the pioneers of rap were bad. NWA, Ice Cube, etc. were defining points of a genre.

The way that mainstream rap has gone is truly a disgrace, though. There's no reason for the crap that we hear on the radio, except someone is turning a profit by playing out the gangster thug party rap image. Unfortunately as long as preteens can still convince their parents to shell out the cash for this stuff, I'm afraid it won't go away.

[(V)eGa]

I just don't get rap music. The same way I don't get Classical music or dance music, or pop-music.

I can't help what I like. I guess it's a combination of what I listened to when I was growing up and what my body says "You like this".

So yeah, I respect that it's good to some people, but it just doesn't do "it" for me. That's what makes music so brilliant.

This is probably the smartest post in here. You don't have to like it but you understand that some people do and they are entitled to this. I just can't stand people saying it's not music. Music Production is not that easy. I use FL Studio and Reason to create music. Some Rap/Hip-Hop, some R&B and some rock.

Commercial rap is such BS. When people like Chingy, J-Kwan, and Soulja Boy are the figureheads for a genre, you know it's gone to crap.

Underground hip-hop is usually really good though (stuff like Souls of Mischief, Hieroglyphics, Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Common, etc.). When it isn't all about the mainstream thug life rap image, hip-hop can be truly poetic. That's not to say the pioneers of rap were bad. NWA, Ice Cube, etc. were defining points of a genre.

The way that mainstream rap has gone is truly a disgrace, though. There's no reason for the crap that we hear on the radio, except someone is turning a profit by playing out the gangster thug party rap image. Unfortunately as long as preteens can still convince their parents to shell out the cash for this stuff, I'm afraid it won't go away.

Well said. I won't say I don't listen to some of those artist - minus Soulja Boy, that beat is catchy but that southern **** sounds all slurred together. But yeah this post pretty much hit the nail on the coffin.

[hotdog666al]

Rap music is well over rated.

Some of it is good, ****ing Cypress Hill ALL the way!

[Nashy]

Can't have c.rap with rap.

[PricklyPoo]

I honestly like rap but lately they have been playing the same songs for months so I just listen to rock and other stuff.

[(V)eGa]

Can't have c.rap with rap.

You must like saying Crap and Rap in the same sentence?

[GuJu]

Was a big rap listener couple of years ago now its really messed up

crank that by sholja boy ....really thats what rap has turned to now.

still a big rap fan on select songs but now im more in to alt rock and indie

[xinary]

Was a big rap listener couple of years ago now its really messed up

crank that by sholja boy ....really thats what rap has turned to now.

still a big rap fan on select songs but now im more in to alt rock and indie

My opinion is that this topics title is flawed, because the word "music" should not follow the word "rap".

[duntkno]

for this to be a topic is retarded.

[DigitalE]

I don't enjoy listening to rap. It's all beat and has no tune, which gets really old really fast.

[and1direct]

Hip-hop has lost itself. But hey once in a while you get something intresting.

[LTD]

It died with Tupac.

[Lqv2015]

It died with Tupac.

...and Biggie.

[Doli]

Why do people judge all rap music based on a few songs they hear. Look at your favorite music genre, probably filled with a bunch of commericialized artist that dont represent the whole genre and trouble makers also.

[sanctified Veteran]

Like with all styles it has its bad and good sides. I used to hate Rap years ago (maybe some of you remember my constant bitching) but I've grown to respect it as another style of music. I still dont listen to it but I think anyone can appreciate it and for those who claim to be "musicians" and because of that disrespect that here is a fact: Many of the most important advancements in music production in the recent decade are by rappers and I am talking about studio people who know their business a lot more than all of us together. Live with that.