I find lyrics to be the most important part of music (if the music has them). This is especially true for hip-hop and rap, where the lyrics are the core.
Imagine a song like Bob Dylan's "God on our Side" without lyrics. It would just be some guy with a weird voice and a harmonica.
Or how about Wu-Tangs "C.R.E.A.M" without the chorus "Cash rules everything around me"?
Or the "Sequentia" from Mozart's requiem. It sounds almost angry, distressed- odd for a piece meant to honor the dead. But the lyrics (translated) are "Day of wrath, that day
Will dissolve the earth in ashes". With the lyrics, it makes sense- it's invoking God's judgment.
Or "Rage Against the Machine" singing "A yellow ribbon instead of a swastika". You can't tell me the song has the same impact without such a pointed and radical statement.
People tend to ignore lyrics when they listen to vapid pop songs where the lyrics just serve as filler for a catchy melody/beat. In that respect, I suppose I don't blame them.
