Why does rap get the brunt of the focus as music without substance? What does Reggaeton Hair/Glam/Sleaze metal Drum & Bass positively contribute to society artistically or musically ? Its wrong to rap about "sipping on sizzurp" or smoking weed directly. But its okay sing a bunch of subliminal verbiage about drugs as long as you're holding a guitar?
eh...maybe you and some others specifically. Black Soul music doesn't really sell much to the masses anymore, though... Ghetto entertainment , in general (movies,TV,music,etc), from blacks sells more than say a black love story or a black drama. Spoiler I like rap...and even a lot of the gangsta rap when I feel it's giving a true depiction of their life and past lives. To me, it can be soulful. It's still emotions expressed in a song. This business about rap being dead is silly though. It's not like rock where it's popularity is based on quality, talent, and originality. It's more like Pop, Country, and R&B - it's really popular when it follows a formula. Being different in those genre's gets you a nighttime gig at a lounge/bar, because the masses don't support it.
To clarify, are you implying that Rap, Pop, Country, and R&B are devoid of quality, talent, and originality and only rip off what came before? Or are you saying that groups generally don't become popular in Rock by following a formula? Or am I reading that wrong entirely?
No. I'm saying Rap, Pop, Country, and R&B are most popular when they follow a formula. Quality, talent, and originality aren't as strongly encouraged by listeners in those genres and the artists with it (and yes, there are many with it) aren't typically big money makers. Rock artists are generally encouraged to be different (and yes, there are many who follow some formula) but they don't have the same pressure to sell out. Really my point was to draw a comparison. People who hate rap because of a lack of unique talent typically aren't listening to what's at the top of the pop, country, and R&B charts either. Now, if they just don't like the way it sounds (or don't think it's music at all) then that's a different story. And really, that's a big part of the problem. There's only so many people who buy rap, if you're only selling to a small percentage of them then you just aren't selling much.
Correct It is more about the INDUSTRY and AUDIENCE than about the Genre What is on the Radio . . is only what they THINK will sell. What has SOLD before. What sounds like it will sell based on what has sold before. When a NEW SOUND comes out .. . and is popular within a year. . . you got 18 bands with the same sound because the Industry wants some of that NEW SOUND MONEY and they either manufacture a band with the sound . .. or just find other bands with it .. . . and then flood the market until the NEW SOUND is now the NEW GENERIC SOUND Sucks when you find your voice . . then find that it is lost in a crowd of Johnny Come Latelies who stealing 'your shine' <-- Riley-Fied Rocket River
(Sorry rep commenter, putting the comment here) I don't think that "Rap is teh suxxorz!" really explains much of anything here ... If the opinion is rap isnt an authentic form of music in the first place, thats PLENTY valid. If you don't like that rap gets used as a platform to project things that are undesirable, plenty valid. But its the notion that music OTHER than rap is even providing a shiny example of purity? Yes, cuz rock has NEVER tried to promote any "LEWDNESS".
*last rant* What does BLACK METAL really help promote? (Not gonna consider it a sub-genre, will just call it ROCK) People will brag about how its led to bloody MURDERS and suicides and untimely deaths. The "27 Club" has rock stars who died from pure overindulgence. But because it was expressed "artfully" then really murders through rock has more "social significance". Or, that will be promoted as being more "interesting"...Or the overindulgence in rock will be considered just "having a good time". Basically its better to cloud and murky up the messages with layers of vagueness, and to be suggestive without being obvious. (Or its better to be a miserable detached SAD SACK) Thats the deciding factor there, if you can master THAT artful approach. Take the hard messages by themselves from rap and rock with no music to distinguish them, we see no one's exactly trying to promote devoting our lives for Christ.
You obviously haven't heard much from her. Robotic she is not. Probably her most distinquishing vocal attribute is she can really mix things up. She's all over the map. Not a huge fan of hers but I give her credit that she has her own style in a music industry where style often gets you no points. My biggest complaint is she tries too hard to look freaky but whatever sells. I'm not mad at her as she's one of the few mainstreamers who at least tries to do some different things (musically). I love how some of you on this thread are bashing rap with a theme that it isn't a real art form and will never last ....which was exactly the same argument about rap thirty years ago. lol. Just waiting for you to yell at the kids to get off your lawn. btw, nice nip.:grin:
Deciphering what you are saying here is a task. No one in the 27 club, for example, is "black metal." "point of no return" however is lyrical recklessness, in my opinion. I don't believe for one minute that immortal tech is interested in promoting change with the kind of lyric that says he'd rather go down in a blaze of glory than go to jail. "Living in the hole, lookin' at the world through a crack But **** that, I'd rather shoot it out and get clapped" If this is the message to those that are in that situation, and if they end up following his advice, then he is an indirect cause of many deaths. His song only promotes a certain live fast/die young mentality, it does little to expose the problems of his community and deal with them in an effect manner. And why is that? Because real songs like that don't sell the amount of albums that he is after. A dope lyric and a fantasy of apocalyptic living sells records. Immortal tech is part of the problem. Contrast him with pac: In this lyric 2pac defines a problem, and the implications behind it, that a black welfare person is a waste of space in the eyes of the powers that be, but instead of promoting the lifestyle he instead tries to humanize the act by saying that he stole the purse because he was hungry and then ends the lyric by trying to appeal to the powers that be to find common ground with one another. This is revolutionary rap, not the BS immortal tech spews.
You picked ONE song from ALL of pacs 100s of songs to denote his desire to change the world through his music? You must have forgotten all of pacs other songs that outline his life of drugs, gangs, running trains on unsuspecting hoes, his love for fire arms, allusions to his involvement in murder(s), masturbation, affinity for strippers who may or may not have performed fellatio upon him while sharing his sockful of cocaine. What = the Basso of rap.
She's not always robotic but she has rapped that style before. Either way she's definitely not the best thing in Hip Hop right now not even close.
Hip Hop and Rap is not dead; the industry is just pushing out one-hit wonders since album sales are steadily declining from all the bootlegging. But there will always be the hidden gems you just have to look for. Like the great DJ Quik, who is not only a rapper but an actual musician. The man writes, produces, raps, and mixes his own ****. Why is he not on the radio? <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BEsqKd0K7jg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> E-40 is still dropping heat and having his rhymes jacked without getting any credit. <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/om0gcM-YExI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> And then there is dope new rappers like Strong Arm Steady that just aren't getting the shine they should because of the crap on the radio. <iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h-fN8bbOfJs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> So this chick is definitely not part of the solution; she is part of the problem with rap music on the radio. Thank god for mp3s and auxillary cables and cds.
