Rap or Crap?

[sabbath]

Why does rap need a moral message to be enjoyable? I don't get any moral message out of an episode of The Simpsons, or a Quentin Tarantino film, or a game of Warcraft. But I enjoy all these things just like I enjoy (some, not all) hip-hop.

 

They don't need a moral message, but they at least have to mean something.

 

Not like hey yo mommah shake yer ass, shake yer fender benders + more crap = mainstream rap + 50 cent and snoop dog w/ their clones + whoever mariah carey and jlo double with in their videos...now that's rap trash.

 

Heck I enjoyed Slim Shady/Stan/Cleanin' Out My Closet by Eminem.

 

I enjoy a lot of senseless things, even to the down right stupid like Wild Boys in MTV. They're pretty dumb, or act like it, as though they were the missing link from the primates to the homo sapiens, but they give me a good laugh.

 

But generally, I appreciate things with some sense in them. Like scienceforums.net for example.

 

I do think the Simpsons have a moral message btw. Don't eat too much donuts or you'll end up like Homer.

[Callipygous]

Let's just hope they run out of ideas to sell their "artists". I'm sick of listening to the crap they produce. Them and their crappy songs.

 

 

um... change the dial?

[ecoli]

Let's just hope they run out of ideas to sell their "artists". I'm sick of listening to the crap they produce. Them and their crappy songs.

 

For some reason, I don't think that's going to happen. The rap fan-base isn't sick of hearing the same songs produced under different titles for the last ten years... I don't think they'll mind another 10 more.

[The Spith]

its the.... eye of the tiger! its the.....

 

...thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rivals

 

But to the OP:

I voted 'crap' because I assumed the question was 'do you think rap is crap?', rather than a rap lover asking people if they listened to rap or other genres, which he would dub 'crap'.

[bascule]

It's like a jungle sometimes... it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

[alice]

For some reason, I don't think that's going to happen. The rap fan-base isn't sick of hearing the same songs produced under different titles for the last ten years... I don't think they'll mind another 10 more.

 

It's sad. I hope there will come a time when rap becomes the opposite of crap. But then again, not all of us like or hate rap...so others will still think of it crap.

 

I listen to some rap. Some of Eminem's raps are great. But when he collaborated with D12...hell broke loose. Some rappers here are great too...but not all...they rap about the silliest things. The beat is what I like...so I just pretend I don't understand the words they say so I won't feel silly.

[Callipygous]

The worst part about rap is that it has no timeless value. We'll still be talking about Elvis and everyone will still know the lyrics to American Pie 50 years from now, but names of rappers like Chingy and Snoop Dogg are going to be completely forgotten.

 

 

im really curious why you think that, seeing as how elvis was once seen in very much the same way as rappers are now. him and his hip shaking.... its dirty and sinful and our children need to be protected from it...

 

(and while many rappers may be forgotten i think snoop dog is one of the more likely to keep his fame. similar to 2pac)

[alice]

It's how it is. So let's leave it at that. People will get tired of it. Rap will soon crash into the rocks and be apart from the wave.

[mike90]

Well in my opinion ( ha cant get me NOW) almost all popular music is mindless and very similar sounding. I would have to single out rap as the genre with the most persistent negative messages in its music however. I'ts hard to find any rapper that has had a lot of mainstream success rapping about anything but ho's, their excess of bling, who they just shot, etc. However i don't hear enough people talking about how horrible most mainstream music is these days. I'm a big rock fan but lately I've heard some of the most disgusting lyrics since i started listening to the radio again. A song i hear at least once a day in my car seems to have no lyrics other then how the singers girlfriend is a : crazy bi***, he loves it when shes on top of his ****, and he loves the way she f**** him. I find this song so offensive i always change the station, and a lot of times its playing on the other rock station i listen to at the SAME TIME. thus leading me to beileve this is a very popular song atm. Instead of being angry at the record companies for giving the people what they want, maybe we should just be ashamed that people want to listen to crap like that at all. Without the demand crap music wouldnt exist

[Callipygous]

or maybe the overwhelming popularity of this kind of music is a sign that its really not crap, and that you are the weird ones for not liking it. maybe those who find it offensive are just more prudish (for lack of a better word) than the majority of the modern generation.

[Hades]

the evolution of rap produced a culture that has a need to be rich; or to appear rich in the smallest sense. black guys driving in escalades, chrysler m's, bmw's, and most importantly, older luxury cars like acuras only have it for the name. Its just to look sophisticated and its being perpetuated by the continuation of the culture. its what we think is required of us. when 110% of your paycheck goes into a car, youre probably a d-bag. rappers rap about that shit because thats all they know; theyre ****in idiots. Its almost discgraceful to listen to a rapper talk because its such a monumental ****in task. some exceptions exist like LL and the conscience rappers.

[alice]

Well in my opinion ( ha cant get me NOW) almost all popular music is mindless and very similar sounding. I would have to single out rap as the genre with the most persistent negative messages in its music however. I'ts hard to find any rapper that has had a lot of mainstream success rapping about anything but ho's, their excess of bling, who they just shot, etc. However i don't hear enough people talking about how horrible most mainstream music is these days. I'm a big rock fan but lately I've heard some of the most disgusting lyrics since i started listening to the radio again. A song i hear at least once a day in my car seems to have no lyrics other then how the singers girlfriend is a : crazy bi***, he loves it when shes on top of his ****, and he loves the way she f**** him. I find this song so offensive i always change the station, and a lot of times its playing on the other rock station i listen to at the SAME TIME. thus leading me to beileve this is a very popular song atm. Instead of being angry at the record companies for giving the people what they want, maybe we should just be ashamed that people want to listen to crap like that at all. Without the demand crap music wouldnt exist

 

You're actually right. I used to like punk rock, but then I grew tired of all their whining. They can't get over the fact that the world is what it is. Crappy and full of sh*t. I also love rock, but lately, rockers sing about the dumbest things. Just like your example.

 

So I guess, these composers/artists just ran out of good juice. Rappers...well...I don't know about that.

 

It's the public's fault. Some of my acquaintances rap along to the rap of whoever rapper it is. And if you listen to it intently you get the underlying meaning. That they want to have sex....blahblahblah. I told them about it once-that they were rapping about that. That if one didn't know it was a rap, he'd think the girl wants to do it with him. They just smirked and ignored me. So what the hell. Let the rappers do their thing...it's what the public wants.