Originally Posted by markl
That said, I think rap has built-in to it some things that will not stand it in good stead over time. Rap eats its own and discards it's "stars" after one or two hits and then moves on to the next thing. Very few rap artists have been able to rise above and simply *last*. Out of all that music, you can count them on both hands. No one gets to have a "career" in rap. This makes it a lot like disco, which was also a producer-driven form of music with disposable "stars" with the hit of the week. Nowadays, disco is best enjoyed either ironically by younger people (it's still a lot of fun), or nostalgically by Volvo-driving soccer Moms who were there the first time.
Rap relies very heavily on slang terms and street speech and slang terms have a shelf-life that instantly dates the song. It's all "23-skidoo" eventually. Hard to relate to without giggling. "Gee grampa, did you *really* think this was *cool*? Also, rap music likes to name-check brands and current fashions. Today's Gucci and Prada are tomorrows Todd Oldham sold at K-Mart. Or just plain gone. Who's going to want to hear a song about "my Adidas" or your bangin' new Escalade in the year 2060? It would be like hearing a song from the 20's about the singer's hot new Model A. It sounds quaint and silly over time. Rap concerns itself way too much with contemporary pop culture references that are destined to be meaningless. Where a form like the blues, it's all general stuff about life, stuff that's eternal, so you can still listen to it hundreds of years later and still relate.
No one can "cover" these songs. They'll never end up as standards or classics. They're all way too specific to the artist that is rapping them, because he raps about himself, his specific environment, possessions, friends, etc.
All the big names in rap (such as they are) realize that rap music is like Logan's Run-- once you hit 30 it's all over. I mean, do you *really* see Eminem fat and bald at 50 rapping his hits about his Mom, or Ass Like That? (Ass Like That, for example has references to modern stars he's lusting after, eventually they're all Shelly Winters, Doris Day, Annette Funicello, and it will just be GROSS ). How silly will that be? Jay-Z gets it, rap's a young man's game, that's why he's getting out. It's not the most mature form of music on the block, it's subject matter is often extremely juvenile, puerile, focusing on hustling, partying, thugging and getting some booty. People get older and their concerns change, but rap will remain frozen in place, eventually it will stop speaking to its audience and they'll move on. After a while, today's rappers will just look silly rapping that stuff. Although they said that about rock 'n roll, too, so we'll see.
Anyway, I see rap as being a lot like Disco. It will be forever locked into a certain place and time, later to be enjoyed ironically (or as a guilty pleasure)by younger people, and nostalgically by the people buying it today. I think it has too many limitations for much of it to really stand the test of time.
But who knows...
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