Exotic cars, ice, players, bitches, bling What is wrong with Rap music?

[zonkers]

The whole "get mine", oversexed, misogynist, homophobic, gangster worhshiping culture is so small minded and materialistic, yet it is and continues to be a dominant force in popular culture. Though a a fan rap and hip hop for years, I think this needs to change.

[taterguy]

1. What's wrong with misogyny, homophobia and materialism?

How narrow minded of you.

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Status symbols for those who may otherwise have nothing at all?

Conspicuous consumption is proof of success. We should offer more roads to success to all aspects and sections of our society...

[supernova]

3. The most cynical, distilled form of The American Dream

poiled down to its essential elements: jewelry, cash, fast cars, and all the women you want.

[nomorenomore08]

7. DING DING DING!!! You got it!

nt

[LucyParsons]

13. How does this "American Dream" translate for women?

All the men we want? I'm confused.

[supernova]

16. Has nothing to do with us women

except as expendable semen recepticles.

It's not that there isn't worthwhile rap out there. There is, but the kind I describe is what brings in the $$$$$ and the notoriety.

[Madrone]

4. There is NOTHING wrong with rap music.

http://www.myspace.com/apollossun

http://www.myspace.com/thecoupmusic

http://www.myspace.com/mosdef

http://www.myspace.com/lyricsborn

http://www.myspace.com/theroots

http://www.myspace.com/deadprezmuzic

And that's just a drop in the bucket.

[zonkers]

21. thanks. Here's a few old school videos I hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIc_rVKGA1g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfUQdkhVZwM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv_-CCR-9x8

[ghostsofgiants]

5. To quote Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip...

Guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements of hip-hop and never will be.

Lots of good hip-hop out there that eschews those things though. Time to just give up on the mainstream. I did that years ago and have been much better off for it.

[redqueen]

18. "Time to just give up on the mainstream."

Amen.

[varkam]

6. The problem with rap is that you have a few artists that seem to...

...define the entire genre for people. A good amount of rap music is actually pretty insightful and profound, but you'll have to look past the Fiddys to find it.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

8. Bingo.

Thanks for adding this.

[Pierre.Suave]

9. Have you ever heard

Taleb Kwali?

(I think that is how it is spelled)

He seems to rap about social issues and social justice. I have heard him live and he was pretty good, and I HATE rap, so coming from me, that means a lot.

[zonkers]

10. I think I saw him on the Chapelle show. I will look him up. Thanks. My rap radar has waned ever

since the early eighties when I first became a hip hop fan, maybe just part of getting older. I realize it's not all about bling... but so much of it is.

[B3Nut]

11. Check out Michael Franti/Spearhead too

Insightful writer and a warm human being. Great guy.

[Forkboy]

24. Yup, Franti is HIGHLY recommended!

Awesome stuff.

[Dr. Strange]

12. THIS is what's wrong with rap music:

Or, at least, 80s rap.

[DS1]

15. bulululululululllllulu lulullllulululu

STICK EM!

buh hah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha



/somehow the human beatbox doesn't translate to text

[Shell Beau]

27. Awww, where is the love for the Fat Boys?

I did like their version of Wipe Out! Just sayin'!

[meegbear]

14. It summed up for me in a Sunday Bookdocks strip ...

Gramps and the boys are staring at the TV, and Gramps says:

Gramps: "He's got the car"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "He's got the house"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "He's got the money"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "He's got the pool"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "He's got the jewelry"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "He's got the women"
Boys: "Yup"
Gramps: "So why is he angry?"

[AnneD]

17. You forgot the grill...

yew ain't respectable wid out da dimmon grill.

Actually, you haven't lived till you heard French rap (I can't understand it very much but it's funnier than hell. I also like German and Punjabi. Check out MIA.

[bigwillq]

19. I like rap music.

Although the current crop isn't nearly as good as it was in the 1990s, early 2000s.

[harmonicon]

23. I think it's just moved

There's amazing rap in England right now.

Akira the Don is my favourite. He was going to be "the next big thing" in the US, but decided it was bullshit and bought out his major label contract with money he made from a film sound track.

www.akirathedon.com

[Nikia]

20. If we could all act like educated adults about this subject

And discuss what we hear as if it were art, which it is, then this sort of rap would not have a negative influence on anyone. In many cases, I think the artist is representing negative caricatures, not models for good living.
Unfortunately, not everyone who listens to it thinks like this, probably not even most.

[SydneyBristow]

22. Yeah you kinda have to search...

Another name I haven't seen here is Lupe Fiasco. He has had a few radio hits, but the other stuff on his albums, it's amazing. His lyrics blow away anything that is popular nowadays. He has other great artists on his tracks, and his beats are really unique. Examples: American Terrorist, The Coolest, He Say She Say, Little Weapon and my fave, Hurt Me Soul:

"So through the Grim Reaper sickle sharpening
Macintosh marketing
Oil field augering
Brazilian adolescent disarmament
Israeli occupation
Islamic martyrdom, precise
Yeah, laser guided targeting
Oil for food, water, and terrorist organization harborin
Sand camouflage army men
CCF sponsorin, world conquerin, telephone monitorin
Louis Vuitton modelin, pornographic actress honorin
String theory ponderin, bullimic vomitin
Catholic priest fondlin, pre-emptive bombin and Osama and no bombin them
They breakin in my car again, deforestation and overloggin and
Hennessy and Hypnotic swallowin, hydroponic coughin and
All the world's ills, sittin on chrome 24-inch wheels, like that"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X7Kvv9aT-8

Yeah, I'll take those rhymes over "I got money in tha bank, shawty what ya drank" anyday.

Syd

[Forkboy]

25. I was just listening to Paris last night.

His stuff is excellent. What more rap should be. Great lyrics (even caught some flak way back in '91 for his song Bush Killa).

Paris - Assata's Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTSI9UbUBq8

[Starbucks Anarchist]

26. Saying that stuff is "rap" is like saying Kenny G is "jazz."

The mainstream of any genre will always suck. You have to dig deeper to find the good stuff.

[XemaSab]

28. What do you have against exotic cars, ice, players, bitches, and bling?

:shrug:

These are all good things.

:shrug:

[Iggo]

29. Back in the early to mid 80s...

...when hair-metal videos were in heavy rotation on MTV, some of the same themes ran through those videos. It's a rock star thing, not a culture thing.

Those videos had about as much to do with a street level heavy metal lifestyle as gangsta rap videos have to do with a street level hip-hop lifestyle...which is to say, not a lot.