Jubilee wrote:Rap/hip-hop has been around for over 30 yrs., hardly a pimple on the music scene, let alone an "ethnic pimple" considering its influence on the music scene over the years. That being said, that particular genre of music is more rhythm driven and relies less on melodies which is likely what most (older) listeners find disconcerting.
As for the depressing senselessness of the lyrics...don't get me started on that one. I understand the artist are speaking to a certain perspective/reality, but my beef is most of the artists are too young and inexperienced at life in general to know how to write a song/rap that tells a story, paints a picture and conveys an idea. Most of it really is nonsense. I know a lot of musicians here swear by having artists write their own songs, but, IMO songwriting is a craft unto itself - and should be left to the professionals. Everybody who sings AIN'T no songwriter..but that's just me...
/rant

Good post. However, the music being rhythm driven has nothing to do with why I don't like it. I like rhythm. I also don't NOT like rap as a whole. Like Rock, there is good rap and there is bad rap. Most of the stuff I hear is negative and seems to be anti-everything. There is some really cool hip hop that I've heard, but I can't recall any names because it's not music that I follow.
What I most hate about rappers themselves is this "I'm a rich, pro gang, pro pistol, pro drug, pro ho, pro illiteracy, pro biotch-slappin' dude, and YOU, the youth of America, need to look at this as a good example of who you should be". Further, that image is being promoted as who our youth should be. The 'poopy pants', chains, sideways trucker hats, and illiterate posing are what kids are looking up to as roll models now. It's all BS and it's detrimental to young kids (my opinion). Hey, I don't want em to be little Wally Cleavers either, but I'm tired of the "I don't care about anything and I deserve everything" image that kids have today and I think a lot of it has to do with this image being fed to them.
I know, I know, I'm sounding like Friggin Jerry Falwell when his cousin started selling "Great Balls of Fire"... I know...
Rent the movie CB4 with Chris Rock. Great story behind it even if some of it was poorly executed. A rapper that's really clean and pretty wholesome can't make a living at it. So, he creates this image for he and his band. They're now ex cons from from Cell Block 4 (CB4). Now, all the sudden, they've all got gold teeth, guns, and are posing as these real baddasses. But it's just a gimmick and nobody realizes it. All the sudden, they sell millions of records.
I'm sick to death of rappers (black, white, green, I don't care)- selling this image to kids. I think that Bill Cosby was totally right when he lashed out against the rap community. Look at what's happened at some Rap Music Awards. Total violence in the theatre that celebrates the rap community's art.
I just don't like the 'hate' behind it all. Sorry, guess I'm just behind the times.
With Kanye, when he did that anti Bush thing during Katrina, that was enough for me. Whether I believe what he said or not, or whether it's true or not is not the point. The point is, there's a time and place for everything and THAT was not the time. It was the move of a spoiled punk. His record company should've dropped him.