Rap Music: Offensive Music Promoting Racism, Sexism and Violence?

Originally posted by Lana
I'll do it and save him the time....

Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap. Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap. Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap. Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap. Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap. Rap is not a genre. Rap is a verb. Hip hop is a genre. Not rap.

😐

Thank you, Lana.... *sigh of relief*

MovieJunkie > I'm pretty sure your mind is made up, but I'll speak my piece anyways. The level of creativity and brainwork that goes into good hip-hop dwarfs all other genres. If it's politically motivated the ideas and opinions come at you rapid-fire leaving you with much more to think about. If it's just about "word-play", you can hardly touch hip-hop in cleverness or clarity of expression. And to say that this type of music simply promotes sexism, violence, and racism, means you haven't taken the time to find quality work. There's bad music in every genre... I go out of my way to find GOOD MUSIC.

... even in country and western... 😐 ... (Willy Nelson & Johnny Cash)

Cinemaddiction > There are tons of hip-hop artists that have a deep love for music, community, and a statement on the state of the world. If it comes out angry and jaded at times, you should listen to the meaning and feeling behind the words. Alot of times it's all about the frustration of being poor, suppressed, and forgotten about. Many times it's the only OPPORTUNITY that they see is available or respected. So if they grab that OPPORTUNITY and run with it, how can you be mad at them?

Originally posted by Darth Jello
moviejunkie, that's just about every style of music, especially that swill that mtv unashamedly calls "punk rock" (yellow card, avril lavigne, spank 182, good charrlotte, green day, etc.)

well I agree about blink, but green day's punk...me thinks 😮
but comparing AVRIL LAVINGE to green day? nahuh

and lana and MCmike, I very much dislike underground hiphop... I dunno why but I enjoy listening 50 cents, Dr Dre, Eminem, etc.
but when I listen to underground hiphop... I dunno Im not interested in it

Rap music is really good in my opinion. I have no bad things against it. I mean it doesnt inspire me or anything.

Jurrasic 5 kick 50cent in the face, then piss on him whilst he cowers in pain on the floor.

What i meant to say is there music is far superior

Originally posted by leonheartmm
even though this is gonna make me seem very narrow minded and conservative{which im definately NOT}, i will have to completely agree with the statement.

Some rapes does included alot of talk on sexs vilence and that sort of thing but not all of them do.And just because they do does not mean we the listeners have to go do it just because we heard them talking about it.JM 🙂

Originally posted by Jackie Malfoy
Some rapes does included alot of talk on sexs vilence and that sort of thing

Yes, most rapes do!

lol i was going to point that out, but didnt have the heart to!

Originally posted by D-Double
The level of creativity and brainwork that goes into good hip-hop dwarfs all other genres.

What a fricken' ridiculous statement that is! Pure an utter bullsh*t.

So am I to believe that Dr. Dre's creativity and musical acumen far exceed that of Bach's or Brahms'? Forget Muddy Waters or B.B. King, Missy Elliot is a musical wonder compared to their catalogue. Why listen to Dave Evans or Stevie Ray Vaughn on the guitar when you can listen to that creative genius that dwarfs them known as Eminem?

You should have followed your exceedingly flawed statement with "IMHO" or some other caveat that did not end up making you look like a completely biased and misinformed fool.

As for Jackie's statement, I just shake my head and weep.

Originally posted by KharmaDog
Why listen to Dave Evans or Stevie Ray Vaughn on the guitar when you can listen to that creative genius that dwarfs them known as Eminem?

Don't forget the human beatbox. Pure Genius!

Originally posted by KharmaDog
As for Jackie's statement, I just shake my head and weep.

Originally posted by botankus

Kharma, you must cry a lot. [/B]

Since frequenting this board I seem to cry daily. Anyone have a tissue?

Originally posted by Jackie Malfoy
Some rapes does included alot of talk on sexs vilence and that sort of thing but not all of them do.And just because they do does not mean we the listeners have to go do it just because we heard them talking about it.JM 🙂

finally something we both agree on!

A) Eminem is shit. He's been shit since the Marshall Mathers EP. If you're about to try and debate pro-Eminem, I'd advise against it.

B) Hip Hop is great if it's done right. Which no mainstream artist seems to be able to grasp in today's world. There are many underground Hip Hop artists making great contributions to music.

Originally posted by D-Double
The level of creativity and brainwork that goes into good hip-hop dwarfs all other genres. If it's politically motivated the ideas and opinions come at you rapid-fire leaving you with much more to think about. If it's just about "word-play", you can hardly touch hip-hop in cleverness or clarity of expression.

C) HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA.

Zack De La Rocha is the best Hip Hop lyricist to ever live (or certainly top 3) and he trails most great Rock lyricists by a long long long way.

No Hip Hop creativity is gonna match a band of great musicians.

As far as "cleverness" and clarity of expression. There's more of that in one Tool song than any Hip Hop ever.

-AC

You had me until you said Zack was the best hip hop lyricist. He's a great lyricist, but not the best at making rap lyrics. His lyrics are much better if you judge them as rock lyrics rather then if you judge them as rap lyrics, really. He doesn't write rap, he writes rock. Half the time his lyrics don't rhyme and when they do it's only on the end of a bar. The whole thing that seperates rap lyrics from all other lyrics is the fact that they rhyme, flow nicely to a beat, and stress on things like wordplay, punchlines, metaphors, etc. If I was to judge his lyrics as rap lyrics they wouldn't be very high on the list to be honest.

How do you "write" by genre? Bit of a riduclous statement.

They wouldn't be very high on your list? Well it's lucky that I said they would be on mine, in my post then isn't it?

He writes lyrics and he raps them, so I put him against other people who write and rap their lyrics. Is that ok? The fact that he doesn't do it traditionally doesn't mean you can say he doesn't "write" Hip Hop, then be a hypocrite and say he "writes" Rock.

Apparantly alot of Hip Hop legends think he's Hip Hop. You gonna argue against KRS-One and Chuck D? Coz be my guest.

-AC

i grew up around rap and the shit you hear on tv shouldnt even be placed in the rap catagory..all that jiggy shit is wack..if anything uptight white ppl get offended by it cuz there scared....any one stupid enough to believe that music can influence your lifestlye that much is a moron..its music ppl!! You dance to it...you lttle kids on here really need to grow up once you step into the real world youlll realize the music you listen doesnt dictate you....stopp blaming music and start blaming the president who lies to the nation...just an idea

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
How do you "write" by genre? Bit of a riduclous statement.

They wouldn't be very high on your list? Well it's lucky that I said they would be on mine, in my post then isn't it?

He writes lyrics and he raps them, so I put him against other people who write and rap their lyrics. Is that ok? The fact that he doesn't do it traditionally doesn't mean you can say he doesn't "write" Hip Hop, then be a hypocrite and say he "writes" Rock.

Apparantly alot of Hip Hop legends think he's Hip Hop. You gonna argue against KRS-One and Chuck D? Coz be my guest.

-AC

Zack rap's his lyrics to rock instrumentals. He is "rapping" in the sense that he isn't singing, but that still isn't hip hop music. If he were to try to rap that way to a hip hop beat it would sound terrible. Too many syllables in a bar, lack of rhymes, no flow... those are rock lyrics. They are great rock lyrics, but rock lyrics nonetheless.

No, I'm pretty sure that's just a style of Hip Hop rhyming, not a requirement to be classed as Hip Hop lyricist, members of Wu-Tang Clan often didn't flow or rhyme, they're not Hip Hop? Or their style just didn't employ that?

I never said Rage were Hip Hop, I said Zack is a rapper. When did this become about the music he rhymed to? I just stated that he was the best Hip Hop lyricist because believe it or not, I believe him to be. Most of Evil Empire has heavy Hip Hop-esque drums and bass, as does The Battle of LA. Have you heard Mic Check? That song is more Hip Hop than most Hip Hop. Just because the music is by a band not a computer, doesn't mean they couldn't do Hip Hop.

IF he were to try and rap that way to Hip Hop? Well well well, I suppose I was imagining his songs with DJ Shadow, KRS-One, Dilated Peoples and Saul Williams then was I?

No, they're not Rock lyrics. They're lyrics rhymed while the band play Rock music. The very fact that he's rhyming puts him closer to Hip Hop than Rock.

-AC

Hardly rhyming at all and disregarding the number of syllables in a bar is a style of rhyming? It's a very simple and akward style of rhyming then. I'd like to know what work from the Wu Tang you're referring to before I can comment. They may experiment here and there, but most of their songs do follow the patterns of hip hop lyricism.

The music he rhymes to matters because rock instrumentals allow for less rhymes, stretched bars, etc. You have a right to think he's the best hip hop lyricist, all I did was disagree. It's not the fact that they play live instruments it's that their instrumentals are much closer to rock then hip hop so of course rhyming over them and rhyming over a looped beat is going to create two totally different styles of lyrics.

He has done a few rap songs but I assumed you were going off the majority of his work and not a couple odd songs when you called him the "best hip hop lyricist to ever live."

Masta Killa hardly ever rhymes, neither does Cappadonna. GZA in his early days was very irregular.

Depends how you define Rock though. Zack isn't gonna be able to drop a freestyle over something created by Opeth. Rage were more than capable of creating Hip Hop, have you heard the Renegades album? Have you seen the live collabo they did with Cypress Hill? The fact that they can make heavy Rock doesn't mean they can't make Hip Hop, they have...and Zack has rhymed on it. I class that as more Hip Hop.

-AC

Renegades was really close to hip hop and wasn't purely rock, you're right about that.. it's the closest thing Rage has to a hip hop album. I guess if you wanted to, you could classify some of those as hip hop lyrics. They still aren't purely hip hop in my book, but it's a difference of opinion.

I wasn't aware that you were judging off one album. I don't see how one album can qualify someone as the best to ever live, but whatever. Really, I prefer the lyrics on their self titled album to Renegades.