Why do folks hate rap music so much?

[Goodieluver]

So Goodie, you can't see the points I am trying to make. Figures. You can have your opinion, that's fine. But, what makes you an expert on music? By the way, if you do criticize a pro athlete, it is helpful that you are an athlete, otherwise how can you judge someone's athletic skills? I don't watch soccer, and you'll never hear me criticize any soccer player for their athletic skills. Become familiar with a topic before you criticize it, otherwise you can look stupid.

Now, back to the rap debate. Goodie, have you ever really listened to rap music, or is the beat too "hip" for you? Not all rap is about "f*** this" and "bitch that". There are actually some very positive songs in rap. But you would never know that would you? As for Elvis, did he ever give credit to Little Richard? I don't remember that happening, so please let me know when he did that.

I wish you could meet Dr. Dre and tell him he has no talent for creating music. I wish you could meet Snoop and tell him he has no vocal talent. You would be laughed off the face of the Earth....

To the others you responded to this thread. Thank you. You are giving your viewpoints, but just be aware I am going to give counterpoints. To answer your statements Goodie, the reason why I am giving a counterpoint is the same exact reason people use when they disrespect other threads about rap. I am giving my viewpoint. Deal with it...

You should note i have never attacked or commented on the actual words being used. That has been the other people who complain about the genre for its negative connotations. Every counter and justification as to why "I" dislike rap music is for as "I" perceive as lack of musical talent in that music is not being created. So you should become familiar with what i am even saying before you should go on and make wrong assumptions. Also for personal experience i am a poorly learning guitar player and did my 30 page thesis on music history\evolution of so im not just some "close minded idiot who hates rap"

As for yet again the elvis\little richard discussion, which i dont even comprehend why its even being done, WHO CARES and has nothing to do with my points or discussion.

I would like you to go up to someone like eric clapton or jeff beck or van halen(you can choose, eddie or roth) and tell them that "Oh yer stuff? Its on par with this synthetically created stuff i made from a box and my computer." For christs sake, its almost like saying it takes talent to make a TECHNO song. Splicing beats together and finding words for them is not talent. Only one artist i will recognize with talent is LL COOL J, for the primal factor that he did MTV unplugged and managed to pull it off very well showing he did not depend on computers or artificial tones. And yes yes, ll cool j is hip hop, whatever, run how u want with it

So, if you dont like rap, you are disrespectful? You have also insulted everyone who may not like rap in your initial statement saying if you dont,like, yer close minded and are putting down a culture

 

[Goodieluver]

It's statements like this that make it hard for me to take anything you say seriously. It's obvious that you don't listen to rap and you have no idea what you are talking about. Rap artists write their music too. Great rap artists are made through their lyrics, not the beats. Even though a rap artist an instrument, it takes talent to make their beats. That's why certain people are sought out when someone wants to make a hot song. You even have people from other musical fields who are using rappers to help make their albums, i.e., Michael Jackson & Whitney Houston. Rapping takes a special gift. Rapping is very hard to do. You only prove your lack of knowledge of rap by you last statement. Eazy-E is a part of hip-hop, but you through his name out as if he were one of the greatest rappers ever. Eazy was more than a rapper, he was a businessman, or as Jay-Z would say, a business man. Please tell me how it doesn't take talent to effect the lives of millions of people the way N.W.A. did in the late 80's? Most of you claim you don't like hip-hop because of the content of some of the music. You can thank Eazy-E and the N.W.A. for that. And I guess Elvis wrote his music just like he wrote "Hound Dog" right?

I tapped my desk 5 times, pounded it 4 1\2 and then tapped it lightly 4 1\2 more times, is that the next hit?

Also, why should i throw out big names? Elvis was talented enough to play the music. Also my statement of easy E is to show how much i really care about rap. Ive been forced to endure several rap "concerts", and im subjected to it on a daily basis for over 2 hours at work(which i also find funny cuz unless the rap catalog is so limited) its nearly the exact same songs every night.

Everyone here seems to be discussing rap on a societal level, attempting to make it more special than what its perceived to be. Im simply arguing against it from a structural musical standpoint which is not touched on. To use a quote from dimebag Darrell
"if this is what its come to in this day and age, why dont we all just sample all our voices, drums,instruments and put them in a fucking computer type in the notes, timing and everything we want to play and let it do the work for us? I mean, what the fuck."

 

[kis123]

I have no comment.

Why? Because it was Tamia who made the statement, or did you run out of witty things to say in the Biggie thread?

The point I tried to make in the other thread was this; I didn't care much for BIG at all. He had a couple of songs I liked, but it was him I couldn't stand. But I chose to respect the thread and not post anything negative about him or his music. If Iwanted to do that, I should START MY OWN THREAD similiar to what Primetime has done.

If someone "you" respected and admired died and you started a thread about him/her, "you" wouldn't be too happy when people came in pissing on with negativity right? All "yous" being hypothetical of course.

In answer to Prime's question, I like old school rap that had meaning, fun, purpose, and message. Most of what I hear today basically hurts my ears; it disrespects and degrades women, and glorifies a thug lifestyle that lots of kids are buying into. Remove the music and read the lyrics and you have a mess most of the time in today's rap music.

 

[RobAce]

I started listening to Rap and Hip-Hop in the early 80's.
Groups like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Whodinni, UTFO (Roxanne, Roxanne anyone??), and all the way up to about 2000 where for me personally rap had progressed into something I no longer enjoyed.
I dont know what it was, it seemed it was no longer fun.
For those of you who now "hate rap" I challenge you to listen to some of the stuff from the mid to late 80's and early 90's. Not the "gangsta" stuff, try some A Tribe Called Quest, PM Dawn, De La Soul, Arrested Development, Kid N Play, Kwame the Boy Genius, Slick Rick, KRS-One...the list can go on for Rap artists that did not constantly talk about "bitches" or having or sex.
And for those that think rap is not art, its your choice....but then is poetry art?
Rap is poetry, set to beats. Simple as that.
I enjoy all types of music and still on a very rare occasion listen to rap from today, when I do listen to rap I listen to the old-school. The only types of music I cant stand is that loud guitar squeeling, head singer screaming, punker type of rock. And Im sure I dislike for the same reason many do rap.
I simply dont understand it, and do not enjoy it.
But I wouldnt go around trashing it, unless my opinion was asked and even then I show a moderate ammount of decorum.

Rob

 

[venray]

Most of what I hear today basically hurts my ears; it disrespects and degrades women, and glorifies a thug lifestyle that lots of kids are buying into. Remove the music and read the lyrics and you have a mess most of the time in today's rap music.

This is exactly why I dont listen....but then again I dont listen to country either..

(and I never could stand Elvis)

 

[Capnmad]

I didn't originally have any good sense about rap and what separated good rap from bad rap -- it was all just annoying. But because of where I work, given that the clients are frequently young and African-American, I was exposed to it over time and came to appreciate it.

Violent gangsta rap used to be the big thing, and it still has a hold, but it seems more and more the messages I'm seeing becoming popular are those promoting promiscuity and material excess -- not that they're any better, especially considering the elevated rates of HIV infection among African-Americans (relative to European-Americans), and the fact that the hard work that goes into achieving the much-vaunted prosperity is rarely even mentioned.

I do like music to have a worthwhile message. It's part of why I'm partial to folk music, and folk-rock. Bright Eyes (Connor Oberst), Josh Ritter and James McMurtry get me thinking. In the same regard, for rap, I'm partial to KRS-One and Common, among others.

But I'm also able to appreciate the skill and craftsmanship that goes into rap even if I don't like the message, or, more often, the message is mixed. Eminem, Tupac, Jay-Z... A lot of them glorify things I disdain, but judging it purely on artistic merit, putting aside biases of message, it's hard to deny that it is indeed art. And anyone who would presume that it takes no talent, I dare you to try to freestyle rap worth a damn. That's improvisational art, my friend. No doubt.

 

[cloudgazer2k]

i dislike (read: despise) rap for many reasons. one of them is that 99% of the rap "artists" out there make numerous references to rape, murder, illicit drug abuse, "pimpin' hoes", their bad ass ride, etc.../QUOTE]


I've been listening to hip-hop since 1979. I admit the rappers talk about a lot of negitive things in their music but I've never heard a raper talk about or glorify rape. Why would you want to rape a woman when women everywhere are throwing themselves at you??? I even asked my little brother (he's 30 btw) whom I consider " the Hip-hop God", had he ever heard a raper talk about rape. He couldn't think of one artist that did.
Question: I find it very interesting that so many White folks dislike or despise hip-hop when, according to record sales, that the majority of people(aprox 70 percent) who purchas hip- hop are white. Why is that?? Remember hip-hop was underground in the black commuinty for many years. These guy's and girls didn't get rich off of black folks..
Further more, why has cooporate america jumped on the hip-hop band wagon? Every movie trailer and soda commercial has a hip-hop theme to it. Just wondering.....

i also said that 99% of rappers, so there is still that teeny 1% that never has. and i don't dislike rap because it is popular...that couldn't be farther from the truth. easy listening is popular, and i don't listen to it, just like country. and though sales figures show that alot of us white people buy the CDs, i for one am not one of them, and plan to keep it that way. to each their own...just don't make me listen to it.

 

[Tickle Fiend]

i also said that 99% of rappers, so there is still that teeny 1% that never has. and i don't dislike rap because it is popular...that couldn't be farther from the truth. easy listening is popular, and i don't listen to it, just like country. and though sales figures show that alot of us white people buy the CDs, i for one am not one of them, and plan to keep it that way. to each their own...just don't make me listen to it.

99% of rappers? You don't even know what you're talking about.

 

[lespieds]

i dislike (read: despise) rap for many reasons. one of them is that 99% of the rap "artists" out there make numerous references to rape, murder, illicit drug abuse, "pimpin' hoes", their bad ass ride, etc...none of which i really care about. ... i do my best to ignore it, but sometimes the bass is set to the point that it sounds like the car is rattling apart as it ambles down the road...

Shortened for space...

Well sir, you said what I think, but in a much more civil manner.

And yes, fans of rap tend to think the rest of us want to hear that shit, and forcing a taste or culture on anyone does not work.
And part of why rap is going away - rappers want to be taken serious, why are they always talking about the aforementioned subjects?
Most styles of music die because the message and scene get out of hand.
Drugs is what killed disco, and several things killed rock [my favorite music]

Side note - OK maybe it is their culture, fine... What I hate worse than anything is the suburban kids who think they are thugs. Some W word...

 

[Tickle Fiend]

Shortened for space...

Well sir, you said what I think, but in a much more civil manner.

And yes, fans of rap tend to think the rest of us want to hear that shit, and forcing a taste or culture on anyone does not work.
And part of why rap is going away - rappers want to be taken serious, why are they always talking about the aforementioned subjects?
Most styles of music die because the message and scene get out of hand.
Drugs is what killed disco, and several things killed rock [my favorite music]

Side note - OK maybe it is their culture, fine... What I hate worse than anything is the suburban kids who think they are thugs. Some W word...

What makes you think that rap fans think people who don't like rap want to hear it? I'm a fan of rap and never have I thought that everyone likes or wants to hear it. And believe me, rap isn't going anywhere.

 

[isabeau]

i'm listening to rap right now on an online radio station...it's music, just like any other genre out there...and i'm a music major, which doesn't make me an expert by any means, but rap is definitely music..some good, some bad, just like all other forms of music out there.. you don't like it fine, don't listen..there are plenty of music types i don't like..country for example, but i don't knock those who do enjoy listening..

 

[drew70]

The most widely used oxymoron in America today is not "Military Intelligence," or "Jumbo Shrimp." It's "Rap Music." Rap and Music are antonomous with one another. Country, R&B, Rock, Blues, Opera, Classical...all are various forms of music, but rap is simply a monotone vocal set to a rhythm. The best you can realistically call it is "audio entertainment," which is pretty fucking generous in my opinion.

Rap caught on big, because it suddenly offered those with no musical talent whatsoever to become "artists" if only in their own mind. There's another oxymoron. "Rap Artist." But now, angry young malcontents suddenly had a pop venue through which to vent their anger at the world for not handing them the good life on a silver platter.

The good news is that the audio entertainment industry pretty much hit rock bottom with rap. There is literally no further place it can sink.

When lyrics are delivered in a monotone, the correct adjective to describe this quality is "monotonous." That's literally what it means. And that's what this ticklish guy hate's most about rap. It's monotonous.

 

[chicago]

The most widely used oxymoron in America today is not "Military Intelligence," or "Jumbo Shrimp." It's "Rap Music." Rap and Music are antonomous with one another. Country, R&B, Rock, Blues, Opera, Classical...all are various forms of music, but rap is simply a monotone vocal set to a rhythm. The best you can realistically call it is "audio entertainment," which is pretty fucking generous in my opinion.

Rap caught on big, because it suddenly offered those with no musical talent whatsoever to become "artists" if only in their own mind. There's another oxymoron. "Rap Artist." But now, angry young malcontents suddenly had a pop venue through which to vent their anger at the world for not handing them the good life on a silver platter.

The good news is that the audio entertainment industry pretty much hit rock bottom with rap. There is literally no further place it can sink.

When lyrics are delivered in a monotone, the correct adjective to describe this quality is "monotonous." That's literally what it means. And that's what this ticklish guy hate's most about rap. It's monotonous.

Anyone who makes statements like this not only have no clue about rap music, but music in general.

Rap resulted from Funk, R&B, disco, and soul. It is definitely not monotonous. It's actually quite the opposite. If you like or know poetry at all, listen to a rap song and you will find many examples of assonance, alliteration, imagery, metaphor, and other figurative language.

The gangsta rap of the 1990s has given the genre a bad name. Because that style of rap was so popular, most people think rap is all about misogyny, drugs, and violence, when in fact there are hundreds of artists out there who rap about other, more positive, things.

As for rap music being the venue for angry malcontents, you can say that about any genre. Punk in the 70s, Metal in the 80s, even the Rolling Stones and the Who.

The problem is not rap music, but what type of rap music is popular. That being said, 90% of popular music today is garbage. To find good music, you have to do a little more work than turning on your tv.

 

[drew70]

Anyone who makes statements like this not only have no clue about rap music, but music in general.

All I know is that I've been obsessed with music since I was a toddler. I took music theory in college and aced it. I've been to more concerts than I can count. I played keyboards in three bands simultaneously during the 80s. I've been playing guitar since 1974 and piano since 1968. I've written, composed, arranged, and recorded my own originals.

I have no idea what you consider a "clue" but I think I'm as musically qualified as the next guy, at least well enough to render an opinion on rap. I stand by my earlier comments.

 

[Tickle Fiend]

Some of you seem to feel that rap is not a talent. So I guess you people feel you can do it? Peoples talents are things that not many others can do. I'm sure that none of you people who make ignorant statements about rap could ever do it, whether you wanted to or not.

 

[maniactickler]

I think im going to buy a beastie boys CD and see what all this fuss is about.

 

[subZer0]

In response:

I'd like to say that it is a good idea to keep the other thread as clean from opinions instead of what it was created for by creating this one, so good on you, primtime.

I like some rap songs. It's like any other genre. I'm mostly Metal/Rock anyway, but it doesn't stop me liking whatever pleases me to listen to. Granted, I do hear some God-awful rap songs in my opinion, but I also hear some God-awful R&B, Nu-Metal, Metal, Rock, Dance, Trance, etc, etc....

However, primetime, I have an observation; why do you invite people to whinge moan, etc, about a particular genre of music, but then immediately ask those people to bear in mind that their distaste insults an entire culture? Surely, if you have encouraged a medium for venting such distaste, you expect there to be negative opinions about it?! And why, if they have opinions, should they have to bear that in mind? If I dislike a particular sport, and I have a valid reason for it, I don't expect to have to bear in mind that the followers of that particular sport may be offended. I expect everyone to have their own valid opinions, and that they respect mine.

Thanks for your time!

 

[cloudgazer2k]

99% of rappers? You don't even know what you're talking about.

call it a rough estimate. and believe me, i know plenty. i come from an area where many of my neighbors listen to rap, especially the underground stuff.

and rap really isn't a talent, in my opinion. i write poems and songs for the hell of it, and anyone that can rhyme worth a damn can rap. and forgoing the route to actually use decipherable words, the songs are filled in with "uh, yeah, uh", or a numerous amount of "WHAT?!"

to be fair, heavy metal can be just as unintelligible, if not having its own "dark side" like rap...but at least the people that write heavy metal can follow their own rythm and beat instead of ruining a classic song to fill in the blanks with lyrics about "killin' pigs".

Tickle_Fiend, you seem a bit more offended about some of the opinions expressed in these posts. i'm sorry if i have little respect for people that make millions off of selling their records, and go spend it on 24 pairs of shoes, or huge, ugly medallions, or cars with solid gold trim. and i am really sorry for not having any respect for rappers that get caught with drugs and make a big scene out of it. now, sure, rappers that use drugs may be in the minority, but the ones that do seem to be in the public eye the most. and kids actually idolize them...

 

[Strider]

I see no talent or skill in people who do not create music. They take a beat box or synthesizer, make some catchy beat, tune or simply take an already established tune, add speed or a diff beat to it, and consider that an accomplishment. No thankyou, you can respect someone who learns to play guitar and writes a song.

Why don't you attempt to freestyle sometime. Let me know how well you do.

I'm not even that into rap, but the only reason someone could seriously believe there's no talent involved in it is if they simply don't know what they're talking about.

 

[chicago]

I find it funny the people who feel the need to pontificate so much on how rap is garbage, are the people who have never bought, let alone, listened to an entire rap album from beginning to end.

They have to justify their knowledge of hip hop music by saying, "Hey! I know about rap music! My neighbors all listen to it!"

:-/

 

[cloudgazer2k]

I find it funny the people who feel the need to pontificate so much on how rap is garbage, are the people who have never bought, let alone, listened to an entire rap album from beginning to end.

They have to justify their knowledge of hip hop music by saying, "Hey! I know about rap music! My neighbors all listen to it!"

:-/

i can admit to listening to several rap albums. didn't enjoy it, but i tolerated it. was all some of my friends listened to. and i can honestly admit that, once upon a time, there was a rapper or two i actually liked. but these days the quality of rap has degenerated, and i can no longer find myself liking it for any reason.

 

[Tickle Fiend]

I think im going to buy a beastie boys CD and see what all this fuss is about.

If you do make sure you get Paul's Boutique.

 

[Tickle Fiend]

call it a rough estimate. and believe me, i know plenty. i come from an area where many of my neighbors listen to rap, especially the underground stuff.

and rap really isn't a talent, in my opinion. i write poems and songs for the hell of it, and anyone that can rhyme worth a damn can rap. and forgoing the route to actually use decipherable words, the songs are filled in with "uh, yeah, uh", or a numerous amount of "WHAT?!"

to be fair, heavy metal can be just as unintelligible, if not having its own "dark side" like rap...but at least the people that write heavy metal can follow their own rythm and beat instead of ruining a classic song to fill in the blanks with lyrics about "killin' pigs".

Tickle_Fiend, you seem a bit more offended about some of the opinions expressed in these posts. i'm sorry if i have little respect for people that make millions off of selling their records, and go spend it on 24 pairs of shoes, or huge, ugly medallions, or cars with solid gold trim. and i am really sorry for not having any respect for rappers that get caught with drugs and make a big scene out of it. now, sure, rappers that use drugs may be in the minority, but the ones that do seem to be in the public eye the most. and kids actually idolize them...

I'm not offended with anyones opinion. It's just that you people who don't listen to rap are making statements w/o knowing what you are talking about. Rap is much broader than most of you will ever understand. I just can't respect the opinion of someone who doesn't listen to it. And when I say listen, I don't mean hearing a few songs on the radio or seeing a few videos on TV. I mean REALLY listen to it.

And it's not just rappers that get caught with drugs. All types of people, famous or not, do drugs. When rappers get caught with an illegal substance it's almost always marijuana. Musicians from other genres smoke marijuana just as much and even do other things. Rock artists are the ones who get addicted to very serious drugs and often have to battle their addictions for a great period of their life. The same reasons that make you hate rap can be found in other genres as well. And I am not advocating the use of drugs or saying one is good while the other its bad. I'm just saying that there are drugs that are worse.

 

[Tickle Fiend]

i can admit to listening to several rap albums. didn't enjoy it, but i tolerated it. was all some of my friends listened to. and i can honestly admit that, once upon a time, there was a rapper or two i actually liked. but these days the quality of rap has degenerated, and i can no longer find myself liking it for any reason.

That same claim is also used by people who like rap. Older people are usually the ones who don't understand rap, especially those who grew up in a world w/o rap or with very little. There are people who listened to rap in the 80's and 90's and don't like the direction that rap has taken. People don't like how a lot of it sounds the same. People don't like the messages that they feel are sent through the music. People don't like the use of words such as "bitches" in the music. I understand peoples complaints with rap. I understand that the content of a lot of the songs are the same but that won't stop me from listening to a song or CD that I feel is hot.

When I hear rappers rapping about smoking weed, selling drugs or killing people that they are telling me I should do it. They are saying what they did/are doing. A lot of the time they are telling people that they shouldn't do what they did or do. There's a rapper named Young Jeezy who many people feel is part of the problem with rap. He raps a lot about drugs(especially cocaine) and all the other things some people don't like about rap. He has a song called J.E.E.Z.Y. on his latest CD with the chorus:
Jeezy like to drink
Jeezy like to smoke
Jeezy like to mix arm and hammer with his coke
Jeezy at the trap
Jeezy like to grind
Jeezy bout his paper
Cuz Jeezy like to shine

When I hear something like this I'm able to feel it w/o feeling like he's telling me to do anything he does. I don't drink, smoke or do drugs but I still can like his music because I think it sounds good. I can listen to Young Jeezy one minute and Common the next and N.W.A. or De La Soul after that.

When people become older I think they understandably begin to find fault with this type of music. I have different standards from a guy who is older and has children. When it comes to kids I understand the fear that people have about the effect that rap can have on them. In my opinion, that's for the parents to handle. They should monitor what their kids listen to. They can still listen to rpa becuase rap is much more than what we are exposed to most of the time. I don't want to be penalized in any way because of what someone else does becuase of rap.

And lastly, when it comes to the use of the word "bitch" I have no problem with it. I would have a problem if someone was saying that all women are bitches but that's not the case. I think people should realize that there are bitches in this world, whether you like it our not. And rappers, as well as other musicians, come in contact with a lot off bitches. If they want to rap about their experiences and encounters with a bitch, or if they want to rap about a fictional/metaphorical bitch, they have the right to do so. You know why? Becuase in the words of the legendary N.W.A., "A Bitch Iz a Bitch."

 

[slap'n'ticklee]

As with anything, music included, people get very emotional and opinionated with it and the 'labelling' can happen.

For me, I'm one of the people that aren't keen on rap music or the hype/media that surrounds it.

Music means a lot to me I love a lot of genre's, but, mostly bands that I can go and see live that play their own instruments and I can feel it when watching it.

I've never been one to love regular pop music, I like individuality, people that write their own lyrics and compose their own music.

The older I get, my tastes have broadened, but not with rap, sorry, but that doesn't mean to say I have less respect for people that do like it, because I don't, if its something you feel for then get on with it and enjoy it 🙂

We all have our own tastes in everything day to day as long as we don't throw it down peoples throats, its all about choice.