Hearing frequent sermons about the cult of album rock, I notice along with it is the inevitable mention of that terrible rap music.
I got to wondering, how terrible can it be? So I found some and absolutely love it!
Right away I made arrangements with two online rap radio stations to re-stream them during slow periods in my regular news, talk schedule.
Rap music is contemporary, as compared with the 50-year old album rock genre, is innovative, original, and lends itself perfectly to promotional or educational uses.
It can't be knocked anymore because I will rise to defense of rap music.
I've been told that RAP is CRAP with the C missing.
AMRadioLegend and the missing C
Even if that's true I like rap anyway and I think everyone will before it's all over.
I can appreciate rap, but I don't like it. The writer of the rappin' play Hamilton has been compared to Mozart; while that's way over the top, I can see the creativity that went into the music (and the theatrical performance).
Rap just doesn't do anything for me, personally.
And like the great Theodore Sturgeon once said, 90% of anything is crap. That applies to rap (and just about every other musical genre as well).
Carl says everyone will like it eventually???!!!!
Over my dead body.
You hit a nerve and I will now go on a small rant......Rap/Hip hop is not music. The people that make it have no musical talent, don't know what real instruments are, what chords are or what a melody is. It's audience are people who also have the same traits musically. Songs can make you happy, sad, make you think of a person, place, etc. How does rap do that? It's plain vulgarity. They don't sing about romance they sing about life in their bad neighborhoods.....that's where this stuff comes from. Just sound like you do out on the street put it to a synthesized "drum" and some electronic crap and you have...what....music?
Rap is great.....as long as I don't hear it.
Vulgarity Sells
Mark, I would have a good evening saying something about every part of your rant, but I will pick this one thing: " It’s plain vulgarity."
There's some vulgarity in some of it but not in all rap music, but why is that a problem? Culture in the U.S. is built on vulgarity. Have you seen most of the movies produced by Hollywood?
There's no guilt in being wrong.
Mark, you sound like my father did when I started playing rock music back in the 60's. He grew up during the jazz era, and wondered why I didn't like Bing Crosby and Hoagy Carmichael. This new fangled rock music sounded just like noise to him.
I think we all hold special regard for the music that we grew up with. A lot of what you're describing as rap music is really a sub genre called gangsta rap, which is particularly vile.
Rap music isn't for me. That being said, obviously a lot of people like it, and are growing up with it. I bet in 20 years, when jazz (or whatever) makes a comeback, those same people will be lamenting the demise of rap, and wondering what people see in this noise called jazz.
The Fair Thing to Say
By saying "what you’re describing as rap music is really a sub genre called gangsta rap" Artisan is breaking the subject down into important distinctions.
When the rap lyrics get foul and violate FCC language standards I think that's what we mean by "gangsta rap" and most stations would avoid it but otherwise it is protected speech under this country's Constitution.
I am new to the genre and have come to know that there is what we will call "smooth rap" which is FCC safe and has both poetic and musical quality, but it is anyone's right to dislike it.
Artisan mentioned the play "Hamilton" which I did not realize was a rap musical because of my bias against stage musicals. Yes, I hate stage musicals... all of them!
Wow, it seems like emotions are stirred by musical talk the same as with religion and politics. We humans are a touchy bunch.