Rap/Gansta: Perferences?

[JoeGKushner]

While talking about the series, the Shield, Morrus mentioned that he didn't care for the rap/gansta elements in it.

I'm not too fond of it either.

For me, I'm a 33 year old caucasian whose lived in Chicago most of his life.

To me, the lifestyle that is often touted seems just the opposite way of living a good life.

1. Treat women like sex objects. Not saying other forms of music don't do this so it's not a big issue but some of the lyrics here go way beyond the call of anything I've heard.

2. Thugs Life: Keeping it real... Okay, that I don't get. I'm ignorant and proud of it? Say what?

3. Fakers: This is probably the biggest issue for me. These teens driving the 50K cars living in the suburbs with their momma paying for everything have nothing in common with the gangsta lifestyel. What's the deal? Are they so bereft of parental involvement that they have to go into some imaginary lifestyle?

4. Violence as an answer: I guess this gets into the whole thug life but it doesn't take much to do great violence when you have a weapon and twelve dudes backing you up.

5. Music Talent: Sorry, rapping requires some rhyming talent, but most of these rappers sing worse than either Simpson daughter. Take away rap and make them sing and it's over.

6. Personal Taste: Just don't like it. I like some R&B, love Jazz (Miles Davis has to be one of the best performers ever), but with rap... Don't get me wrong, maybe I don't know what other songs like "21 questions" fall under, but I can deal with that.

What about others? For it? Against it?

 

[Crothian]

There is the occasional rap song that I like, but most of it I am not a fan of.

 

[Desdichado]

Not a fan. For most of the reasons you mentioned, but mostly the last. I simply don't like it because I prefer my music to be a little more... well, musical.

EDIT: Haha! I'm also younger than you! Although I turn 33 next week. Get those damn rapping kids off my lawn!

 

[Darkness]

I like Eminem.

Apart from that, I'm not really a fan but I very rarely listen to Ice-T, Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre or 50 cent.

 

[Krieg]

The irony is that rap started as a way of keeping inner city kids out of trouble. The current culture is 180 degrees from the genre's roots.

 

[Davelozzi]

I love gangsta rap. Sure, if you're judging musicians as role models, gangsta rappers come up short. But so do most good rock acts. The music world is full of drunks and junkies living debauched lifestyles, but that doesn't mean I want to restrict my listening to wholesome acts, many of whom are quite bland. The sad fact is that much of the best art is created by people who are totally screwed up.

You have to look at it as entertainment. Certainly a lot of gangsta rap is based on terrible things that really happen in the ghetto, but a lot of it is just way over the top boasting, som uch so that it's pretty difficult to take it seriously. And I think that's part of the charm.

For the record, my favorite gangsta rapper, hands down, is Ice Cube. I also have to give a special mention to the Geto Boys album The Ressurection, which is completely over the top violent, but hilariously so at the same time.

At any rate, I realize this opinion will probably be a minority one on these boards. After all, it's hard to defend gangsta rap, and frankly probably not worth the effort. If you like it, crank it up, if not, don't.

 

[Captain Tagon]

I'm only 20 and I still think rap is one of the worst things to happen to the American music industry besides Metallica.

 

[Henry]

I'll play thug's advocate for a bit.

The "keepin' it real" elements I hate, because it's just trying to perpetuate itself by shutting people out. While some people mean it to be "don't pretend to be something you're not, and be true to yourself" (Queen Latufah spoke on this before in an interview a few years ago), others mean it to stand for, "stay in this low-brow lifestyle, because it's what you are, and there's no changing that." Stupid concept to me, but what do I know?

As for the other elements, while taken to their conclusions they're nothing but destructive (the women as sex objects, the "money on my mind," etc.) they have an appeal. What's the appeal? They're FUN. It's a fun thought, especially when you're younger, to have nothing more serious on your mind than partying, gettin' a little high, hooking up with a non-bad-looking lady, and living it up like you've got lots of money; I get that. It's not a good way to go long-term, but I get it. There's nothing more required of you - you know your role, it's clearly defined, whether you're a woman or a man, and young girls enjoy it as much as guys do - it's not a one-sided thing.

But the end result? You party your life away, with nothing to show for it but (if you're lucky) a good-looking corpse.

Are they so bereft of parental involvement that they have to go into some imaginary lifestyle?

In many cases, yeah, that's about it. But I'm not going further there, because that's nothing(land) for debate here.

On talent, though, I differ. There are some mediocre rappers out there (Fifty cent and Little John, for example, who are to me glorified house DJ's), but then there are some ICONS in the field, some rap gods out there who can strike up a cadence that any drill sergeant would envy. LL Cool J is a Titan; So is (more recently) Trick Daddy, who's showing through now. Busta Rhymes is good, though maybe not great. He's more of an Enrico Fermi to LL Cool J's Einstein. There are some others out there who have real talent - just because they don't sing their rhymes doesn't mean that what they do is talentless. I don't fault Charlotte Bronte or Robert Frost for not carrying a tune, either.

For who I listen to, I'm more of a "pop gangsta." If the riff is good, and it's an upbeat or powerful rap, I can get into it. But I don't follow the underground, nor the unsigned popular artists, etc.

 

[barsoomcore]

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back changed my whole frickin' world.

Pauls' Boutique put me flat on my back for a week while I tried to figure out how something so incredibly cool hadn't existed since the dawn of time.

Three Feet High and Rising is still an album that doodles about in my head.

And that's just three acts: Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys and De La Soul.

I don't listen to much of the current stuff -- to me, rap stopped innovating around the early 90's. But there's lots of BRILLIANT music in the genre. Seconded on LL Cool J, and then there's Digital Underground, Salt n Pepa, Eric B and Rakim, Run DMC, The Jungle Brothers, Digable Planets -- great rap is great music.

I'm kind of surprised it's a discussion. Rappers aren't artists? Say what? I don't deny there's LOTS of crappy stuff in the genre, but Sturgeon explained that long ago.

I don't care for the gangster stuff much -- it just doesn't seem like a very interesting subject to talk about. But then it's been a long time since I was seventeen.

 

[JoeGKushner]

You know, when I think about it, I didn't even consider LL Cool J as a rapper, just a musician.

Heck, I remember Ton Loc. Is he a rapper too?