[gaucho]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle So are you telling me that you could lose the 'words' and just enjoy listening to the 'beats'?

Two of my favourite artists make instrumental Hiphop: DJ Shadow and RJD2.

One of the 4 "elements" of Hiphop is DJ'ing (sometimes called turntablism when used to make music). This part of Hiphop has lived in the shadow of rap in later years, but recently it's becoming popular again. You all should check out the movie 'Scratch'. Somewhat offtopic: Graffiti and breaking also live on in the underground.

I also have to say that rap and hiphop are not two different types of music, where rap is the commercial and hiphop is the underground. Hiphop is the name of the whole culture(rapping, deejaying, beaking, graffiti). Somebody (KRS-One probably...) once said that Hiphop isn't something you do, it's something you live.

Like most of you I can't appreciate the mainstream crap rap and I was more into rap when I was younger, but there still is artists that give me hope that Hiphop has the right to live as an artform: All of DefJux, Blackalicious, The Roots, J5 and more, but unfortunately they are outnumbered by the "killaz and the 100-dollar-billaz".

 

[mtkversion]

Another thing is people need to stop making the distinction between " hip hop " and " rap "

" Rapping " is what " Hip Hop " artists do.

I find a lot of people trashing MTV highlighted artists just because they're " commercial " and " sold out " when they don't even listen to most of their stuff to find that those artists are sometimes making songs so similar to the style of " underground " artists that they'd like it ....

I sure like those quotation marks ....

 

[DeeJayBump]

Yes, a distinction NEEDS to be made between "rap" and hip-hop.

Rap is all the folks rapping about money, bitches, cars and material things essentially over the same recycled beats. Hip-hop artists, on the other hand, are strictly about the verbal skills and quality beats.

Big difference. It has nothing to do with the folks being on MTV selling-out, but rather the difference between what the artists are SAYING.

 

[AIM9x]

the rap vs hiphop debate has been going on forever. It's somewhat subjective so an explanation is just blurting out an opinion.

He asked for rap, so i'm gonna go into rap. I personally enjoy some of what is now called old school gangsta rap. 2-pac was the greatest, and Eazy E was hillarious. Snoop Dogg is a sellout, but Snoop Doggy Dogg was great. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube both have a nack for finding the greatest beats. I'm a big fan of Xzibit, and I also like a rather large number of DMX's works.

I'm not going to tell you to start liking rap, but don't simply say "rap is the most horrible genre ever invented." That's just ignant.

 

[Zanth]

I don't like it but I think it is viable. Whatever floats your boat and all that.

I detest gangsta rap...but tolerate some other types, I grew up on DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. I really like Unkle and DJ Shadow and Tricky and Morcheeba, Massive Attack but all of these are more akin to Drum and Bass, Trip Hop...rather than rap or gangsta rap.

 

[mtkversion]

Quote:

Originally posted by DeeJayBump Yes, a distinction NEEDS to be made between "rap" and hip-hop. Rap is all the folks rapping about money, bitches, cars and material things essentially over the same recycled beats. Hip-hop artists, on the other hand, are strictly about the verbal skills and quality beats. Big difference. It has nothing to do with the folks being on MTV selling-out, but rather the difference between what the artists are SAYING.

nope, this is just the backpacker mentality.

I used to be one of them sad to say ...

Talib Kweli, Gangstarr, Non Phixion, Jedi Mind Tricks ... you could all call them hip hop artists but they rap about violence ( i.e guns ) in some of their songs ... so wheres the difference between them as hip hop artists and " rappers " ??

 

[Vagamus]

I used to like rap pretty well, almost as much as i like rock still, but it went down the toilet when i got into electronica... it just bores the hell outta me to listen to the majority of it now. I still keep some good old school stuff (some bone, 2pac, ect...) but they barely ever make it on to my headphones anymore.

It was actually before i got into electronica that i started declining my rap exposure, after a while they new stuff becomes the same old sh!t, or seemed to, as if everyone sold their souls to the RIAA or something. Originality in lyrics went far far away it seemed.

I used to think of rap as takin that beat ya liked from a song (tho, sometimes original), looping it sort of, addin some decent lyrics to it, but i realized the good stuff really isn't that way... its the stuff i don't like that is formula in such a way. To me its the same idea as pop and modern alternative/rock. All seems to be cookie cutter, almost no one stands out in the US Music market anymore.

Anyways, my $0.13.

 

[ryanhayn]

what a disgrace of a topic this is. What? if you are truly open minded, and accepting of all human beings, you know, an "american" (or just plain decent person if not american), you will have no problem with rap. it involves beats, lyrics, instruments, and an audience, just like any other form of music. it pisses me off when people play all high and mighty just because they're stuck in their own world of negativity and can't accept something as harmless as "rap" music. the fact is, it's part of american culture. hmm...american and culture, these words just don't seem quite right on the same page. anyways...so ya..people like to perform it and people like to listen to it...let them be...don't hate...they're not bothering you.

forgive my lowercaseness...i'm lazy....and i'm not quite sure why i'm posting on this four year old topic. just bored. bored and lazy. i should take a nap. but the music sounds too good.

 

[EyeAmEye]

Snip, snip

 

[ywd]

Rap is (was) a great genre that has been ruined by bet, mtv, the radio, and the "Gangsta" mentality.
I listen to a bit of rap, such as Black Star, Talib Kweli, Eric B. and Rakim, A tribe called quest, etc.
EDIT: No poll option fits me, as i listen to rap on occasion, but not as my primary genre.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Rap is slang for talking..When I think of music I think of people singing..Is rap 'real music'?.. It's based soley on the listeners opinion of what he/she thinks music is.. Much like talent. I find Eminem to be talented, (pre 2002) others might think he's a vulgor, untalented twit..

 

[tjkurita]

The degree of closed-mindedness in this thread is depressing. Hip-hop/Rap is a musical genre and like any other it has its geniuses and its poseurs. I truly believe that sampling and production are valid methods of making original music, and that the great lyricists are operating on an artistic level higher than many, many current musicians.

These artists are expressing themselves. Interpreting the world in a way that is unique to them and yet can somehow be understood by anyone who cares to take the time to listen. They are making the subjective the objective, and that is one of my primary requirements of art. I can connect with the lyrics despite the fact that it is not my culture and when I do I can experience something of what the artist has experienced.

That would be enough. But when you combine the above with the intricacy of a lyricists "flow" and word choice as well as the beats, samples, and original material that the producer combines to back the lyricists you also introduce a great deal of technical ability that very few are able to master.

Listen to "Illmatic" by Nas or "Enter the Wu-Tang" by Wu-Tang clan and you will hear masters of the craft and the art.

 

[Aman]

Gangsta rappers and Jay-Z aren't rap artists. They're corporate voodoo dolls. Many of these rap moguls are very smart people, and would be managing Wall Street companies regardless of their involvement in the music industry - but as far as the musicians go, they do not represent the best of the hip-hop genre. There are all sorts of hip-hop artists that have important things to say, and unique ways of saying them (nothing lazy like inventing your own words, etc. - some of them even use INSTRUMENTS! gasp

).

There's absolutely no reason why somebody shouldn't be able to enjoy more sophisticated arts like classical and jazz, just as much as hip-hop.

 

[Jasper994]

Your poll is dumb! I can't like rap without having it be my favorite type of music?!?

I'm sensing small-mindedness around here...

I like rap quite a bit. I'm listening to some Bone-Thugs right now actually. I listen to all kinds of music though and wouldn't call rap my favorite. As with all music, whether it's good or not depends upon who is listening. Everyone's taste is different. Also consider that every genre of music has as much if not more garbage than great stuff.

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjkurita /img/forum/go_quote.gif The degree of closed-mindedness in this thread is depressing. Hip-hop/Rap is a musical genre and like any other it has its geniuses and its poseurs. I truly believe that sampling and production are valid methods of making original music, and that the great lyricists are operating on an artistic level higher than many, many current musicians. These artists are expressing themselves. Interpreting the world in a way that is unique to them and yet can somehow be understood by anyone who cares to take the time to listen. They are making the subjective the objective, and that is one of my primary requirements of art. I can connect with the lyrics despite the fact that it is not my culture and when I do I can experience something of what the artist has experienced. That would be enough. But when you combine the above with the intricacy of a lyricists "flow" and word choice as well as the beats, samples, and original material that the producer combines to back the lyricists you also introduce a great deal of technical ability that very few are able to master. Listen to "Illmatic" by Nas or "Enter the Wu-Tang" by Wu-Tang clan and you will hear masters of the craft and the art.

I completely agree.