Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences
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I cannot understand how anybody in his or her right mind can actually like rap or hip-hop ‘music.’ For one thing, music entails melody and beauty, which both forms lack. The only way I can understand the existence of rap and hip-hop is as political cry, social discussion, racial identification, etc., and as such, I can see why these forms originated. However, most rap and hip-hop today have nothing to do with discussing social issues, as they may have in the beginning. My question is, how many people today actually enjoy rap and hip-hop – as opposed to convincing themselves that they enjoy it, because they want to fit some image.
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Name : Idearte, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Humanist, Age : 36, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I agree with you on rap and hip-hop music. However, I can think of many other forms of music which lack melody and beauty. I feel that you are correct on the origin of this genre. For example, Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’ was a slap-in- the-face song directed towards ‘White America.’ Most rap/hip-hop music is meaningless, carrying no important message, such as many forms of pop music. (N Sync, Puff Daddy, Backstreet Boys, etc.) I’m not a fan of heavy metal, but just because I’m not, doesn’t mean that those who enjoy it are ‘not in their right mind.’ I detest rap/hip-hop, but I also feel that you are unfairly targeting a specific genre of music because of the race of the originators. I doubt people ‘convince themselves that they enjoy it, because they want to fit some image’ considering that a surprising 70% of rap/hip-hop albums are bought by Caucasians. [A statistic stated by ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ at http://www.BillOReilly.com] ‘Satanic’ rock is just as destructive as rap/hip-hop, if not more. I have yet to hear anyone complain about Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne, or his popular ‘hit’ show ‘The Osbournes.’ [I say ‘hit’ because I find it unfortunate that we’re bored by quality shows like ‘The Cosby Show’ and choose to idolize shows like ‘The Osbournes.’] I see it as the epidemic of double-standards. Moral standards should be enforced upon all people, not set aside for the ‘privileged.’
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Name : Anna, Gender : F, Race : Black (Ethiopian)/Indian (East India), Religion : Jewish, Age : 19, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class,Hello Idearte. I can certainly understand your disdain for this particular genre of music. Personally, I’m a fan of certain hip-hop artists and I enjoy listening to some classic rock. You have the right not to like hip-hop; it’s a matter of different strokes for different folks. I loathe death metal, opera and country music with a white-hot intensity, but that’s just my personal tastes. Metal (especially death metal) doesn’t entail melody and beauty either, but these musical styles are still popular. Every individual has the choice to embrace or reject the various styles of music. It’s subjective; it’s in the eye of the beholder. One man’s ear-piercing racket may be another man’s music.
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Name : Lynn-H22492, City : Lexington, State : KY, Country : United States,…if everyone enjoyed the same things. I think it has less to do with being in ‘his or her right mind’ and/or ‘convincing themselves that they enjoy it because they want to fit some image’ and more to do with the fact that some of it still does have a message, some of it is good to dance to, some of it has lyrics which are catchy and/or funny, and the list goes on. I would also like to remind you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Just because you can’t hear the melody or find the beauty in hip hop and rap music, it doesn’t mean that it’s not there. I think that perhaps you should reread your question. You appear to be making a judgment, rather than really asking for an answer.
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Name : Julie27040, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 24, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,That’s the same way I feel about country music or heavy metal. Just because you don’t like a certain type of cultural expression doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with it. You don’t understand it, obviously. People who listen to rap music or hip-hop can most of the times identify with what it is saying. Young white kids that listen to it are the ones trying to fit an image.
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Name : VirginQueen24850, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 22, City : Ft. Payne, State : AL, Country : United States, Occupation : Exotic Dancer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,I enjoy hip hop very much, and that’s why I became a DJ. When I was younger, I used to listen to hip hop for the beats, and not necessarily the lyrics, because I didn’t understand what was being said. But after a while, you begin to mature and listen to the music for more than just what is being said but how they are relaying the message. Being in my mid-20s, I can see how someone wouldn’t want to listen to hip hop, because of what the radio and video saturate the consumer with – 20-inch rims on trucks, $200,000 cars, furs, $50,000 watches, etc. All those material things being shown on videos and rapped about in songs is supposed to be what you can achieve if you work hard at what you do. Instead, the label, along with the promotion staff, push the idea of ‘you need to have this’ in order to boost the sales of artists’ albums, and sell their songs.
It’s the radio tunes that you are referring to that are lacking the melody and beauty you have mentioned. I can also see how you can see how it lacks those two things, because all it is now is recycled hits from the ’80s, manipulated to refresh the listener where the original song came from, and to make it catchy. But in the world of hip hop, there is such a thing as a sample, which is where a section of the record is used, then arranged and reworked, or is repeated, and then extra drum kicks and basslines are added, to create a new beat, so as not to make it sound just like the original song. Listen to Bobby Caldwell’s ‘Open Your Eyes’ and then listen to Common’s ‘The Light.’ The Bobby Caldwell song had a section sampled, then was reworked to make what the Common song sounds like.
Being a DJ, I listen to more than just hip hop, because all the beats originated from old soul from the ’60’s and ’70s, and learning the artists from whom these artists sample gives you a greater appreciation for where the music comes from.
Take this into consideration: there are two types of people in hip hop – the rappers and the emcees. The emcees are the ones who don’t need a gimmick to sell their albums, but just the skill of their vocabulary to move the crowd. Rappers are the ones who need a gimmick to sell their image and music.
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Name : Alphonzo, Gender : M, Race : Asian, Age : 25, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : DJ, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,Unfortunately, today it seems most rap is offensive toward women and is focused only on attaining items of monetary value – the ‘bling bling.’ I mean really, that guy 50 cent’s new CD is titled something like ‘Get Rich or Die Trying.’ Now THERE’S a good role model for our nation’s youth. I prefer rapper-vocalists like Lauryn Hill. She sings and raps about love, peace, humanity and other good stuff. I really love Aaliyah’s music too, she always sang about really positive things, if you listen to the words. Basically, there’s a lot of good stuff out there, if you open your mind and your heart.
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Name : Nia20210, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Brooklyn, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : art student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,Your definition of music is inaccurate. Music is like love; it can’t always be explained, nor does it have to make sense to everyone to be appreciated by many. For example, music can entail playing the piano, or banging on a brass pot. You would be surprised at how many people enjoy hearing the pot. I enjoy rap and hip hop as well as many other types of music, and contrary to what you may believe, I am not using them as political cries, or for racial identification. I seriously doubt these judgments would fly in the country music world (perhaps these perceptions have something to do with the type of people most commonly associated with rap and hip hop; perhaps their language, style or maybe their skin color?) I could probably guess that you turn rap/hip hop off the radio or TV the moment you hear them. How, then, can you judge these types of music when you probably don’t know the first thing about them?
You are wrong about hip hop and rap not discussing social issues. This clearly shows that you don’t know the first thing about either type of music. If you want to talk about rap and social issues, contact the king of hip/hop, Russell Simmons. Before judging, you should probably have a real taste of rap and hip hop. If you end up not liking either, get over it. I am sure there are types of music you enjoy that I couldn’t stomach. That’s just what makes us all different. Not everything is meant for us to understand, and sometimes, prejudiced feelings get in the way of our attempts to understand.
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Name : Dominique, Gender : F, Age : 20, City : Houston, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Scientist, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,I’m not a fan of the genre but am of a few genres that many people are also not favorable of, like country music and extreme metal. I’ve found that one’s taste in music is not only built on images, but also on what they hear all the time. With music like popular rap, which is available all around MTV, cars, commercials, etc. people begin to become familiar and accustomed to it. Besides, though I dislike most of it, rap music has its merits. The drums and rhythm are like no other music before it, and are very catchy to the ear. Plus, even if the music is lacking, there is a whole culture, including breakdancing, graffiti, fashion and politics, that goes along with it, that many people find interesting and deep. Music has always been different strokes for different folks and probably always will be. That’s why new music is always coming out and there litterally is something for everybody.
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Name : Seamus28230, Gender : M, Age : 23, City : Charlestown, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Construction, Social class : Lower class,I love rap and hip-hop. It doesn’t matter what you think of it. I cannot see how anyone in their right mind could stand rock or heavy metal ‘music.’ To me it sounds like a bunch of noise and nonsense that has no logic at all. That doesn’t mean people who like it are stupid. It’s just my opinion, just like your opinion is your own. You don’t have to understand or like hip-hop. Its following is enough of an example of how well it can thrive – even without your approval.
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Name : Tha-Real-Deal24731, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 22, City : P-town, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,Not all music has to be about political cries, social discussions and racial identification. Music is a form of creativity that allows you to express yourself. Plus, just because you might not understand some issues that rappers and hip hop artists sing about today doesn’t mean they’re not valid forms of music. Also, you might want to take other forms of music into account, such as classical and electronic, when saying that rap nowadays doesn’t express any issues, because, last time I checked, neither of those forms of music are known for their political cries, expression of social issues, etc. And for the record, I like rap only a little bit, but I still consider it a valid form of music that’s valuable to many people worldwide.
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Name : Andromeda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Agnostic, Age : 17, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Beatniks recited poetry to drums in the 1960s, which was a similar musical movement to rap and hiphop. I don’t understand how some country music, which sounds like the whine of a mosquito, can be listened to without agitation, so I suppose we all have different taste.
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Name : Jessica, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Huntsville, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,There is a reason why no occupation on earth pays like a rap/hip hop/pop artist. Making $8 to $22 million on one CD is no joke. People like me buy them. For example, take the ‘hottest cat out there,’ Eminem. There are humans who buy his CD, like me, and I bet fewer than than .000000001 percent of them are trying to fit an image. Hop hip and rap won’t go away, so don’t waste your time wishing. For those who don’t want to have anything to do with country or classical music or political issues, there is rap, hip hop and pop. Music doesn’t have to portray special views to be enjoyed; it just has to sound good.
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Name : David-R25851, Gender : M, City : Fontana, State : CA, Country : United States,I have a love-hate relationship with hip/hop. On the one hand, rhythm and hook are enjoyable and fun and make you wanna dance. On the other hand, the lyrics and attitude that accompany the songs are so negative – glorifying violence, male bravado, anti-intellectualism and poor grammar and glamorizing ghetto life, etc. I think (hope) most people listen to it, enjoy it and get on with life, but some emulate and adopt its speech, mannerisms, etc., and this is when it is destructive. At that point there is a downward spiral of declining interest in academics or leading a respectable life, followed by a victimhood mentality that blames the more influential in society for the ghetto existence – even though they revel in being in such an environment. This is not just a distant assessment of ‘those kinds of people,’ but comes from my living in the ghetto and being around people who complain about it but refuse to adopt a lifestyle that allows them to escape. It’s quite sad.
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Name : Jay31351, Gender : M, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States,Many people enjoy hip hop/rap or whatever term you would like to call it. Everyone has different tastes, and music means different things to different people. You may have a (huge) dislike of hip hop, and I may have a huge dislike for whatever kind of music you like. I don’t listen to music that doesn’t appeal to me. It’s not difficult.
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Name : Hyps, Gender : F, Age : 27, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom,
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