Yes, we know your name is Mike Jones. We don't care.

[Aces McGee]

mason, [ QUOTE ]
There is a huge positive rap movement that has been around since the very beginning with people like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, carried through by people like Common and even Kanye.


[/ QUOTE ]

Honest question, but because I'm not well-versed (!) in rap history. When you say "from the very beginning," do you mean the beginning of rap as a genre? Has Tribe been around that long?

Also, [ QUOTE ]
You could say the exact same thing about rock/metal and white people.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is true. The point I would make if I was defending ZeTurd's case, however, is that any negative effect that rap music has on young black people is more detrimental than any negative effect that metal has on young white people, due to the unfortunate social history and climate in this country.

-McGee

[Jon1000]

[ QUOTE ]
Kanye is a terrible rapper, imo, but an insane, sick producer. I'm not really a big rap fan, but my sense is that this is the generally accepted view?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I think most would agree. He is a pretty [censored] rapper, but his beats are amazing. That's the way that I feel about most of the Hip-Pop that's coming out and getting major radio play right away. It's kind of sad that of the mainstream stuff, Kanye actually represents more of a dedication to lyrical content

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
Honest question, but because I'm not well-versed (!) in rap history. When you say "from the very beginning," do you mean the beginning of rap as a genre? Has Tribe been around that long?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I meant from the beginning of the genre. De La Soul and Tribe are the oldest positive stuff that people still really listen to today, but even before them you had Grandmaster Flash whose stuff was very positive. I don't really know enough about proto-rap before him to name specific tracks and artists but until the late 80's and early 90's almost all rap was positive.

Edit: Check this page for a little background and a big list of artists that are almost all positive and not about killin n's and effin b's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscious_hip_hop

[Jon1000]

[ QUOTE ]
mason, [ QUOTE ]
There is a huge positive rap movement that has been around since the very beginning with people like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, carried through by people like Common and even Kanye.


[/ QUOTE ]

Honest question, but because I'm not well-versed (!) in rap history. When you say "from the very beginning," do you mean the beginning of rap as a genre? Has Tribe been around that long?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, since nearly the beginning. Commercial hip-hop/rap's birth = mid eighties. Tribe came around in the late eighties.

[bottomset]

[ QUOTE ]
The hip-hop you see/hear on the MTV/radio pretty much blows. There's still a ton of good stuff out there, you just gotta look for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah but even the best stuff today doesn't come close to what was coming out late80s through around 97

[ZeTurd]

[ QUOTE ]
ZeTurd - I'm not sure what you're saying, exactly... heavy metal has strong cultural / behavioral (region specific of course) roots, influence, and expression in today's culture.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, heavy metal is actually a genre I know a bit about. While there's often elements of nihilism in the music that is reflected in the culture, I find it a stretch to compare that to the glorification of violence, thuggery and misogyny often found in gangsta rap. There's a difference between your average teenage rebellion and getting involved in the kind of criminal activity that's "advocated" in gangsta rap. To which degree gangsta rap is a cause or whether it's just a reflection is hard for me to say, but I can't think it's helping.

Then there's the separate problem of negative stereotyping. Black people, as a group, are still struggling to achieve equality in society, and (gangsta) rap is doing nothing to combat the negative stereotypes that need to be overcome before that can be fully achieved.

[xxThe_Lebowskixx]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
every 2pac song sounds the same.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good?

[/ QUOTE ]
yeah but still the same.

[hanimal]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've been listening to some older rap (2pac, eric b/rakim, wu-tang etc.) Anyone else think that rap nowadays sucks compared to rap in the 90s?

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Little Brother, Apathy, Celph Titled, the rest of Demigodz, AOTP, Vakill, Percee P, Supastition, etc. The only people who think rap sucks now are the people who aren't bothering to search around for good music.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly, people who say music sucks these days are [censored] lazy. Music is not a spectator sport, you have to be an ACTIVE participant. There is plenty of good music out there.

[Patton4]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ZeTurd - I'm not sure what you're saying, exactly... heavy metal has strong cultural / behavioral (region specific of course) roots, influence, and expression in today's culture.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, heavy metal is actually a genre I know a bit about. While there's often elements of nihilism in the music that is reflected in the culture, I find it a stretch to compare that to the glorification of violence, thuggery and misogyny often found in gangsta rap. There's a difference between your average teenage rebellion and getting involved in the kind of criminal activity that's "advocated" in gangsta rap. To which degree gangsta rap is a cause or whether it's just a reflection is hard for me to say, but I can't think it's helping.

Then there's the separate problem of negative stereotyping. Black people, as a group, are still struggling to achieve equality in society, and (gangsta) rap is doing nothing to combat the negative stereotypes that need to be overcome before that can be fully achieved.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't want to turn this into a political/social argument, but I'm gonna assume you don't know very many black people. Your point is pretty silly.

[Jon1000]

I actually agree with his assessment of the majority of pop rap. I don't see why the point is silly. Am I missing something? I feel the similarly about the use of the word [censored] among black people.