Rap verses Rock

[ParanoiA]

I have heard examples of it. But I've also heard the opposite -- pure glorification, without a down side.

 

What about references to "the game"? I've heard so many cliche lyrics that touch on that after the negative like "that's how it goes when you play the game.." As if the drug game was perpetuated out of necessity. No one has a choice. You either deal drugs and prostitution or....something horrible...like...a...job...a minimum wage job... aaahhhh!!!!

 

Is that negative or positive? I'm not really sure. They use "the game" to define their degree of bad assness, while they appear to draw negativity to it describing the death or some similar consequence of it.

[GutZ]

People like 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Nelly, etc make rap look bad...when people think rap they think of these people.

 

It's unfair

 

But there are good rappers out there.

(older mostly but)

Public Enemy, Rakim, Mos Def, Poor Righteous Teachers, Krs One, Common, Roots, Tu pac, Immortal Technique etc.

 

Here's one song. I am not say that they are Genius level lyrics here, but it not the dumbed down, guns and hos crap we hear everyday because that's not what rap is, and alot of rappers are pissed like:

 

Krs- One - Knowledge is supereme

 

[ CHORUS ]

The word I bring to you today

is Knowledge Reigns Supreme

You got no time to joke and play

cause Knowledge Reigns Supreme

While others play that game for fame

their concepts bring you stress and strain

But blessed are those that know my name

is Knowledge Reigns Supreme

 

[ VERSE 1 ]

Why do I call myself God when I'm speakin?

People always ask me this question when I'm teachin

What you gotta understand is that Kris don't exist

The only existence is God conciousness

And God consciousness is what exists as Kris

Your ego tells you that you're doin all this

You amidst a mister professional lyricist

I get rid of this forever, it only gets better

Kris from the universe you could never sever

Cause there is no Kris, only the universe, remember

Goin a little deeper you can check me

My whole campaign is about livin life correctly

But don't respect me, respect the universe

Iit's her verse that I disperse

And free you from the curse of the Spaniards

The French, Portuguese and English

Check me as I sing this

Science of mind, I bring this

 

[ CHORUS ]

 

[ VERSE 2 ]

I bring you out the cave and change how you behave

Everything you see is really particles and waves

Not to mention your visual extension

Is ruled by perception, guiding your every direction

If you really want money your mentality must switch

If you really wanna be rich you gotta act like you're rich

You can't act like a b**** if you wanna be a lady

You can't get the gravy if you're sittin around lazy

You can't be in the hustle if you ain't lookin for trouble

You can't be single if you know you're really double

You can do it (yeah) we can do it (yes)-acapo

 

This guy have been around a long time...people like him get diluted by the mainstream "rap", it's sad. If you compare this to rock of almost any age....parent would rather let there kids listen to rap.

 

There are specific places even organizations that try to promote postive and intelligent rap music...you never hear about them ever!

 

http://www.intelligentmuzik.com/

[Haezed]

Right...glad you're on board. In this thread we're talking about if the gangbanger hip hop music industry is really any different than the "**** the man" music we listened to in our youth.

 

The F the man music of earlier years was basically telling the man to leave young people alone, not condoning violent crimes. "Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone!" The 60s at least had a peaceful yearning quality from what I can discern even though there were some more radical groups.

 

Here's a simple test everyone can take: Name then ten songs from your youth which were the most misogynistic. Lay em out there, the ones that degraded and diminished women to the worst degree. (Feel free to exclude any that used the B word in a positive sense.)

 

After this assignment, we'll see if they are really comparable to the ten most misogynistic I can find from today's gangbanger rap.

 

True, but how can they shock us when we've practically wrung all of the shock we can muster up til now? I'm not advocating that, I'm just suggesting that maybe these three categories are the line we're drawing - whereas our parents had similar black and white lines drawn that divided our music. They probably used similar terminology and passion behind their arguments.

 

Some lines need to be drawn and not all are the same. We would all condemn a song celebrating random murder of grade school children and that line shouldn't yield to a younger generation's need to shock. The same holds true for songs which are racist, pro-Nazi or misogynistic.

 

Hmmm..maybe they were right? Maybe 100 generations ago we shouldn't have pushed any further and we wouldn't be at this point? Just a thought...

 

The line is difficult to draw but that doesn't mean gangbanger rapsters aren't a mile on the wrong side of whereever it should be drawn.

[Haezed]

Ok, but I want to point out that just a few months ago Hillary Clinton was talking about government censorship of video games if the industry's self-policing efforts aren't improved.

 

Given the need for moderate support for a Democratic victory in November 2008, and the current make-up of Congress, it's not hard to read the writing on that wall.

 

Damned liberals.

[Haezed]

Humor break:

The ten worst rap lyrics:

 

10."First family will gradually lift that a*s up like gravity."

- Lil' Fame (of M.O.P.) ("Half and Half")

 

9."I like the way ya a*s move to the beat You a freak, that's summin you can be."

-J-Kwon ("Show Your Ass")

| Listen | Album: Hood Hop |

 

 

8."Young, black, and famous, with money hangin out the anus."

-Mase ("Can't Nobody Hold Me Down")

| Listen | Album: No Way Out |

 

Now, that's the type of money I definitely don't wanna be messing with.

7."I like them black, white, Puerto Rican, or Haitian Like Japanese, Chinese, or even Asian."

-Chingy ("Balla Baby")

| Listen | Album: Powerballin' |

 

Wow, I didn't realize that China and Japan weren't even part of the Asian continent

 

6."I'll break it down for you now, baby it's simple If you be a nympho, I'll be a nympho."

-50 Cent ("Candy Shop")

| Listen | Album: The Massacre |

 

Well, what do you expect from an artist whose stage moniker in itself constitutes a grammatical mishap?

5."Thirty-two grams raw, chop it in half, get sixteen, double it times three. We got forty-eight, which mean a whole lot of cream Divide the profit by four, subtract it by eight We back to sixteen..."

-Foxy Brown ("Affirmative Action")

| Listen | Album: It Was Written |

 

This holds the world record for the worst mathematics on a song.

4."Got a Bill in my mouth like I'm Hilary Rodham."

-Ali G (Grillz)

| Listen | Album: Sweat/Suit |

 

No comments.

3."D.D.T. the b**ch, I can go for some hours Let Parlae hit, together we like twin towers."

-Pimpin ("Freaky as She Wanna Be")

| Listen | Album: On Top of Our Game |

 

A bad joke gone badder.

2."I watch my back when I'm walkin, I watch my mouth when I'm talkin. My glock cocked when I'm crawlin."

-Mike Jones ("Scandalous H**s")

| Listen | Album: Who is MIke Jones? |

 

What's next? I watch my ears when I'm hearing, I watch my sight when I'm seeing...?

1.Now you know that I'm the Queen of Miami All that loud talkin lyin save that sh*t for your mammy Sounds like "blah, blah blah, blah bla blah-bla" I'm like uh-huh (uh-huh) okay (okay) Whassup (whassup) SHUT UP!"

-Trina ("Here We Go")

[ParanoiA]

This guy have been around a long time...people like him get diluted by the mainstream "rap", it's sad. If you compare this to rock of almost any age....parent would rather let there kids listen to rap.

 

There are specific places even organizations that try to promote postive and intelligent rap music...you never hear about them ever!

 

http://www.intelligentmuzik.com/

 

Actually I hear plenty of good hip hop on the radio. It's mixed up with the crap though, of course. But, you're right, most of us have no idea, but then not being a listener, we have ourselves to blame.

 

Keep in mind though, we're only kicking on the really bad stuff.

[ecoli]

Why not both?

 

see: Gym Class Heroes

[Pangloss]

Is it just me or are some of the posts in this thread out of order?

 

Did we finally pass the mis-marked posts from the server crash?

[ParanoiA]

I initially thought the same thing, but looking it over I don't notice anything out of order.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

This thread was created after that problem occurred.

[ecoli]

Humor break:

The ten worst rap lyrics:

 

Ali G shouldn't be on that list... his role is satirical.

[Haezed]

Ali G shouldn't be on that list... his role is satirical.

 

 

How about # 2 on this list:

 

2. "What's Beef?"

NOTORIOUS B.I.G.

 

[The album cover is taken from the perspective of a child being snatched.]

 

 

Don't they know my nigga Gutter ****in’ kidnap kids?

**** ‘em in the ass, throw ‘em over the bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

Ummm…What?

 

Did you just say...

 

When we first heard this line, we reacted like Chris Parnell upon hearing Ron Burgundy tell San Diegans to go **** themselves: ‘Why Biggie? Why!? You were our hero and now you have to go and ruin it with your poop mouth!’

 

Don’t get us wrong, violence in rap is, for the most part, acceptable across the board. Whether you’re talking about slapping a woman (Eazy E, “Boyz N Da Hood”), shooting a cop (Ice T, “Cop Killah’”) or cutting off and mailing someone’s body parts to them (Jay Z, Nas, Biggie-All The Time) we’re all for it. The violence is all part of trying to get ahead in the game, and that, for some reason, is okay.

 

But bragging that you hang out with people who enjoy the act of kidnapping kids, raping them and disposing of their bodies by tossing them into a river? Well, that crosses just about every line that rap has been tip-toeing up to this point in time. Saying you’re friends with Pablo Escobar? Bad ass. Saying you’re friends with the Atlanta Child Strangler? Ummm, not cool, really in any circles. Firing off shots in a crowded lobby (Nas, “NY State of Mind”) is great, we just don’t want to hear how you like ****ing hitch hikers with a buzz-saw before turning them into a skin suit (Biggie, “The Album He Probably Would Have Made Were He Still Alive”).

[Sisyphus]

Most of those "ten worst" are pretty obvious parodies, and some of them are pretty funny. Perhaps you should lighten up?

[ParanoiA]

Most of those "ten worst" are pretty obvious parodies, and some of them are pretty funny. Perhaps you should lighten up?

 

I agree with your basic attitude, but....what is the line with parodies? How far can you go before "lighten up" is an understatement?

 

Can I just do anything I want or say anything I want, as long as it's a parody? I don't mean legally, I mean socially.

 

That said, I absolutely love Borat. Ali G is cool, but I haven't seen too much of that show.

[Haezed]

Most of those "ten worst" are pretty obvious parodies, and some of them are pretty funny. Perhaps you should lighten up?

 

Did you notice how I started that list with the two words "humor break." The ten worst list was mostly poking fun, not an attempt to find the really scummy lyrics. They are stupid more than parodies. Is it okay to parody the parodyers (if that is a word)? Back at you with the "lighten up."

 

I know you don't want me to ligten up about a song that speaks of the kidnapping and rape of kids? These are random things I found online with 20 minutes without any effort to scrape the bottom.

[Sisyphus]

What, you think that song inspired a lot of child molestors, do you?

[Haezed]

What, you think that song inspired a lot of child molestors, do you?

 

No idea. I'm responding to a thread topic entitled "Rap versus Rock."

[ParanoiA]

What, you think that song inspired a lot of child molestors, do you?

 

Yes. When your thoughts are validated by others, it helps to rationalize the act. More armchair psychology.