ok... first lets get all the cliche`s out the way....

- too much violence
- disrespects women
-cusses too much
- videos have too much ass-shaking

but this doesnt apply to all rap so im just wondering - what do ppl really have against rap music?

rap with a real message, real emotion, real poetry = fine by me.

rap with "all my bitches and hoes, up in my crib, drinking bacardi, as if it were thier birthday", "gangstas", "bling", "ice", saying that rape and shooting is ok and is part of a real man's life = shut the f**k up.

every genre of music has brainless lyrics, sad to say, and rap is no exception. but for all the "G-units" and "dipset"s theres a JMD or a C.A.D.E.T.S. the hip-hop scene, like other types of music, is become commercialized, which is what we witness when we hear these despicably untalented "artists". Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it as hip hop has given its soul to corporate america, making the brainless puppets that you hear on your radios rise to the top, and the real talent of the industry, sadly sink to the bottom.

i think rap is just fast talking with music in the background. i like rock wayyy better.

BUT rap isn't always about sex and drugs. just only in the US. other countries have rap music about politics.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4950692.stm

mmm for me, i know there are some pretty good rap writers out there. but i don't really find rap all that interesting cuhz to me, it's not music and it's sorta pointless to listen to, considering how a lot of rappers rap extremely fast and you can't understand what they're trying to say anyways..

I honestly don't know what to add on to that list, but you've pretty much covered it. A few rap songs aren't all that bad, like 'Best Friend' by Diddy, a couple of songs by Will Smith, or 'Jesus Walks' by Kanye West. It all depends on how you look at the song, really. Best Friend talks about Diddy's relationship with God, and how God has helped him to succeed and gave Diddy faith in God even when things were going rough. Jesus Walks deals with religion as well; there definitely isn't any booty-shaking in those two music videos.

Of course, there are some pretty bad rap videos out there, with nothing but girls, cars, and grillz [how repetitive]. Those are the sort of rap songs that make some of the actually detailed and expressive raps look bad.

People don't like rap becaause they don't understand the history. They just think rap is what they see on the T.V when it's not. I can't put my finger on why people hate rap yet they love bands like rancid where the lead singer is rapping it's odd to me. rap isn't always about sex and drugs there's rappers like common and mos def wjo rap about life you just have to look for it

Why do i dislike rap? I think there are other ways express one's anger besides colorful language in rap songs. I already hear enough eff words in school and from 10 year olds mouths, I don't want to hear it from music.

Yemmerz f**king wins this thread, close please. (in this case disregard my signature)

all the points trashinng rap are from pl with so little knowledge of it. like i said, the "rap" on th radio is commercialized and shud be put in the pop music category. standards are very low: all you havr to do is rhyme the last syllable and ur golden...

the rap on the radio really isnt that good anymore
cept for like 3 songs

^ Agreed.

I actually like old school rap better.

most people probably don't like rap because its not their taste.
i can't stand it personally
it gives me a headache



i agree with that..

I agree with what you've listed...as too what rap music has been portrayed.

I like rap...just not all of it. Some of it is degrading...like for instance,

I'm a big fan of p. diddy...but after he said one line in his "I need a girl" song:

"Asian women be changing my linen.." I was like...

It's stuff like that...that make it hard for me to be a hard-core listener.

I like reggae music instead. Some of it can be degrading...but most of it is uplifting!
I guess rap is a tool that most people use to make a statement...or flaunt their money and what not.

gimmie a break... u guys read into music too much. yeah they do degrade women but thats usually in their club songs that they put on the radio or harder sh*t they go on... the same dudes that say songs like that turn around and record how much they love their girl or sh*t like that... its not as one-sided as everyone makes it seem its just an easy cliche to point to but do yur research

ha ok.
Let me speak my peace on this since, I rap/sing.

I honestly believe that out of every genre of music with the exception of country, hip-hop today is the most pathetic excuse for music EVER

It's just so damn frail

I get tired of listening to it, and even though I try not to contribute to the repetative garbage, I get tired of participating in a genre thats just so corny


For the first time in the history of america, there is no music that black people can be proud of

None

Of course there are good artists, specific artists, such as mos def and little brother, but as far as a movement, as far as whats being PUT OUT, there is almost nothing


we've lost our soul, our consciousness, our meaning, our essence


everything that went into the forms of music that we cultivated has been lost


from the deep significance of slave spirituals, to the blues, the jazz, to rock n roll, to reggae, to early hiphop


it's all gone with the bullshit that y'all support today


when hiphop first started, up to about a decade ago, it was a music that we could hold for ourselves,and be PROUD of


when outsiders tried to step on it, we could be proud of it, and say, hey, this is hip-hop, we love it, and its our message, its our cry for help, its all we have, its us telling you how we live, and the struggles we go through


when critics tried to censor hip-hop, we could stand up and defend it


we could say, you can't censor hip-hop, yeah the messages are rough, yeah the messages are gritty, but its just the built up pain from the harsh urban life style, its just what goes on in the streets, and we have to be heard too

people started to respect hip-hop as an art form


because even though it was hard, it was still productive in the message and as an outlet



but now, what do we have?


Laffy Taffy

f**king Laffy Taffy



how the hell do i defend Laffy Taffy? or the other hundreds of songs like it?


how do i explain to somebody the significance of an art form where the most popular song is Laffy Taffy?


you can't



but on some real sh*t, i've been on a retreat from rap for a couple weeks, going onto a month actually, only rapper I listen too is myself.

it signifizes how far we've come through the hard times.

its an epic song that displays how we got through our troubles and tribulations.

and how we can now shake our "Laffy Taffy" freely and get white people to buy anything. :D

hiphop itself is supposed to signify how far we've come through hard times
how we've gone from slave music, to something that every damn race can jam too
it's supposed to be our pride
our way of saying we made it
how the hell are we showing that with songs that have no significance whatsoever?

There is nothing wrong with rap.
Theres plenty of wrong with commercial rap.
All that "shawty shawty crunk crunk get low g unit" sh*t gets old, and frankly, its stupid.
Listen to some Immortal Technique, his shits real.
It'll enlighten you.

Immortal Technique isn't even all that underground anymore.
Too many people listen to the kid. And he needs some new material.
Listen to some MF Doom, and Some 9th wonder and LB.

Just because he's not "underground" anymore, doesn't take away from his ability as an artist and lyricist.
And Vol. 3 is coming out soon.
But Technique actually makes you THINK when you listen to his material. Something which is lacking in, I'd say about every rap song on MTV.

Ah I made a double post.
My bad.

typh-a-knee well said.

lol Laffy Taffy....that's a good example!

and I agree on getting tired of most commercial rap music. To me...I like it for the moment, then it gets old fast.

damn i really hope u are not serious. hip hop is hardly the sorriest excuse of music out right now. first of all, hip hop is so broad today there are soooo many forms of rap... yeah commercial rap right now might not be the highest quality of music i think we've all established that in this thread, but u gotta be out of your mind to disregard all the other artists who dont' get the mtv shine or radio airplay but put out dope ass sh*t... and even if u dont like the music u cant say that theres no meaning, essence, consciousness, blah blah blah blah considering u said yourself "its just what goes on in the streets, and we have to be heard too", the streets are all about selling crack, looking fresh, and f**kin bitches... if u have a problem with that then pick up sum f**kin talib kweli. its like i said, not all rap music is degrading, but ppl wanna lump all the sh*t together. there are sooooo many artists that are nowhere near today's stereotypical commercial rapper so if u really care ask around im sure u can find a recommendation. for someone claiming to be a rapper u are full of sh*t and dont kno anything, instead of defending yur trade u sit there and trash it w/ the rest of these jokes

Sorry did you read my whole post
Of course there are good artists, specific artists, such as mos def and little brother, but as far as a movement, as far as whats being PUT OUT, there is almost nothing

thanks. now stfu.
tard.

Heh. Nice one typh-a-knee.

And its pretty obvious that rap as a whole and in general, is utter generic garbage.
And again, like other people stated, there are a few gems who stick out. Not many, but there are some.