why do you like the music you like?

[Pharcyde]

Some people might disagree with the fact that I consider Rap a genre of music, and that's cool. To tell you the truth, I actually understand where they're coming from. Let's face it, the vast majority of rappers and some producers don't even know the very basics of music theory. Although Soulja Boy can Superman that ho with the best of 'em, I'm pretty sure he'd get that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face if handed a sheet of music and asked to identify its key. But since Rap is widely accepted as a legitimate form of music, I continue to label it as such.

My love for Rap (yes, I love that [censored]) stems from my respect and admiration for some rappers' lyrical ability. And when I refer to lyrical ability, please don't assume that that is restricted solely to content. I fully concede that the content of most mainstream Rap lyrics can be summed up by the following list: bitches and/or hos, money, jewelry, guns, drugs, and braggadocio (forgive me if I've left anything out). I measure lyrical ability by things like the creative brilliance some rappers exhibit when referencing the aforementioned staples of the genre's content. For example:

I was the n*gga with the mask on
That would yak dudes for jewels.
Ain't gotta say it.
That dude's the truth.
Make me put that tool to use,
And these n*ggas'll be in the game shakin
Like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
-Joe Budden, "6 Minutes of Death"

I also take storytelling prowess, flow (defined by Wikipedia as "rap delivery... defined by prosody, cadence, and speed"), and content (when offered) into account when I try to gauge a rapper's lyrical ability.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of Rap songs that have absolutely terrible lyrics. Cuz a hot beat and a decent hook make it pretty easy to ignore [censored] lyrics imo.

Sorry for writing an essay, but I felt like I needed a damn good explanation for why I like Rap considering I'm only the second person in this thread to mention it.

[Coffee]

Some songs, I like the lyrics.
Some songs, I like the tune.
Some songs, I like both, and I play those the most.

I have a fairly diverse taste in music, going from Ennio Morricone to Jeff Buckley to Metallica. However, I've thought about the quality that is the throughline for the songs I love the most. To me, the best songs have a desperate, urgent quality to them, as if the composer/performer will burst if they do not perform the song. Give me any piece of music with emotion and blood in it, and it's a winner.

I am also a songwriter, and I can report that my perspective has changed as I've grown older. The truth is, most people hear the beat first, then the music, and then, only then, the lyrics. I grant that there are plenty of folks who are different, but I've found the most success when I focus on a smooth, clear melody, and worry less about lyrical coherence.

We can argue lyrics all day long, but if the music isn't there, lyrics are like clothes on the line without pins.

[katyseagull]

For me it's almost all in the tune and the melody. I can't tell you how many times I've looked up the lyrics to a song that I love only to realize how stupid they are without the music behind them.

[Kimbell175113]

Good post, Pharcyde. One of things I like about rap (at least in theory) is that it takes lyrics seriously, more so than rock or pop or country usually do.

One thing that comes with my lyric-centric view is that I have an appreciation for a wide variety of styles and uses of lyrics. It's not as though I have a fixed idea of what "good lyrics" means, and I dismiss any song that doesn't qualify. When I hear a new song, I have an irresistible compulsion to memorize every word, and it forces me to get acquainted with a lot of different... I guess 'personalities' is the word I'm looking for. And when you pay that much attention to something, you can't help but start to feel a connection to the writer. It's a fun thing.

But whatever, I know I'm in the minority, and it's not as though I hate music for its own sake. I have nothing but love for the songs istewart mentioned. (And it's not as though The Decemberists don't know their way around a pen; I think I may have to fight you to have that song on my side of this dichotomy.)

[soah]

I rarely even hear the lyrics in a song I listen to. I'm a very visual person so in most cases, even if I can hear the lyrics clearly, I fail to understand them because they are very rarely meant to be taken literally. So even if I can hear each word of the song, it's not until I see the lyrics in print that I understand the point of the song at all. In many cases, I enjoy the song more once I understand the lyrics... but it's hardly a priority.

On rare occasions, horrid lyrics can be enough to make me dislike a song... but for the most part, they are pretty meaningless to me since I'm rarely even paying attention to them.

I listen almost exclusively to metal. There are a lot of negative connotations associated with metal. Some of them are well-deserved. The lyrics are often violent or in some way anti-social. Some of the musicians are genuinely horrible people (although they are in the minority). But the music is fascinating. Most people are turned off by its speed, abrasiveness, and atonality... it is certainly not easy to get used to. But it is not just random noise. Just as mainstream music has its own rules, each metal subgenre has its own. It has its own complex rhythmic structures. The melodic elements sound wrong to the untrained ear because they rarely adhere to the major or minor scales that are used by most music. But they do abide by the rules of other musical modes. Another confusing element of metal is that the melodic and percussive elements are so deeply intertwined that they cannot really be separated. With few exceptions, metal songwriters tend to be extremely gifted. And playing the music is no small feat either (I seem to recall Metallica saying in an interview that their change in style was at least partially due to the difficulty of performing their songs).

So I guess I've described the music pretty well... I suppose that doesn't really explain why I like it though. That's much harder. Something about the intensity attracts me to it... there's nothing like taking a nice melody, and then getting someone to play a double bass drum over it as fast as humanly possible.

edit to add: since metal lyrics can rarely be understood at all, I find it interesting to look them up sometimes. Some of them are absolutely hilarious. While morbid lyrics are pretty much par for the course, not all bands actually take them seriously.

[mflip]

[ QUOTE ]
Some people might disagree with the fact that I consider Rap a genre of music, and that's cool. To tell you the truth, I actually understand where they're coming from. Let's face it, the vast majority of rappers and some producers don't even know the very basics of music theory. Although Soulja Boy can Superman that ho with the best of 'em, I'm pretty sure he'd get that deer-in-the-headlights look on his face if handed a sheet of music and asked to identify its key. But since Rap is widely accepted as a legitimate form of music, I continue to label it as such.

My love for Rap (yes, I love that [censored]) stems from my respect and admiration for some rappers' lyrical ability. And when I refer to lyrical ability, please don't assume that that is restricted solely to content. I fully concede that the content of most mainstream Rap lyrics can be summed up by the following list: bitches and/or hos, money, jewelry, guns, drugs, and braggadocio (forgive me if I've left anything out). I measure lyrical ability by things like the creative brilliance some rappers exhibit when referencing the aforementioned staples of the genre's content. For example:

I was the n*gga with the mask on
That would yak dudes for jewels.
Ain't gotta say it.
That dude's the truth.
Make me put that tool to use,
And these n*ggas'll be in the game shakin
Like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
-Joe Budden, "6 Minutes of Death"

I also take storytelling prowess, flow (defined by Wikipedia as "rap delivery... defined by prosody, cadence, and speed"), and content (when offered) into account when I try to gauge a rapper's lyrical ability.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a lot of Rap songs that have absolutely terrible lyrics. Cuz a hot beat and a decent hook make it pretty easy to ignore [censored] lyrics imo.

Sorry for writing an essay, but I felt like I needed a damn good explanation for why I like Rap considering I'm only the second person in this thread to mention it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well written. I'm a huge rap fan and it's almost entirely for the lyrics. Beats do have an influence but it's as important how the rapper's delivery matches up with the beat as the beat itself is. I love finding new tracks with lots of creativity in the writing.

Very nice choice using a Budden lyric. These are from the same verse in that song.

Hat low, there's not a weak link in my squad
I'm LL, in too deep, I'm thinking I'm God
Far as rappers, I'm thinking their frauds
Call them all rubix cubes cuz I really used to think they were hard.

So if you want to get fresh like a mentos mint
then it'll tempt those men
with clips longer than Leno's chin.

They ain't super or luigi or mario ain't found that power
Plus they couldn't spit fire if they found that flower.

Edit: This is also the reason I enjoy listening to rap battles. They are completely lyrically focused and the winner is determined by who can write better punches.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
Music is much more important than lyrics. I'm a big fan of songs that are either constantly changing or build up, adding more and more layers of instruments with each verse. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder, "The Bleeding Heart Show" by The New Pornographers, "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" by The Beatles, and "The Crane Wife Part 3" by The Decemberists are some examples.

Female vocals usually are a big plus for me though.



[/ QUOTE ]

same here...although sometimes a gorgeous song like The New Pornographers Go Places perplexes me with its lyrics:

Yes a heart will always go one step too far
Come the morning and the four corners I see
What the moral of the back story could be
Come with me, go places

And a heart will always stay one day too long
Always hoping for the hot flashes to come
For the glue to dry on our new creation
Come with me, go places

Come head on, full circle
Our arms fill with miracles
Play hearts, kid, they work well
Like classics play aces
Stay with me, go places
Once more for the ages

Yes a heart should always go one step too far
Come the morning and the day winding like dreams
Come the morning every blue shade of green
Come with me, go places

Come head-on, full circle
Our arms fill with miracles
Play hearts, kid, they work well
Like magic, play aces
Stay with me, go places
Once more for the ages

Come one now, come all ye
This story breaks free here
Tales from the back pages
From somewhere, Encida
Deus ex machina
Good morning, Christina

Come head on, full circle
Our path blocked but sure we'll
Make records, then set them
Make copies, win races
Stay with me, go places
Once more for the ages

I love this song but... say what???

[Shadowrun]

I like both pretty equally. I like the decembrists, my two favorite songs being o valenica and perfect crime (with crane wife coming in 3rd) from that album.

I like rap as well, but I dont really like Joe Budden. When i hear him, i cant help but remember "pump it up". I like things like "Hip-Hop is Dead" by NAS a lot more.

[Kimbell175113]

This thread got good fast.

The best song from The Crane Wife, imo, is "The Island." It sounds great, I could listen to that [censored] all day on repeat, etc. BUT if you don't take some time to absorb the lyrics you are missing out on 60% of the song. That right there is an epic story about a place and the vicious crime that happens there. Now I can't listen to it without feeling the emotion and horror of those characters, which is of course intensified by the music. It all fits together beautifully, and I feel sorry for the people (who I know exist) who own this album and listen to the songs and never get this layer because they don't place enough importance on the lyrics.

[tarheeljks]

i listen to a lot of rap and pride myself on listening to the good rap that doesn't get much mainstream credit. even so, i still listen to a lot of crappy rap/hip hop (which is basically pop). often they are songs i've heard at parties that have good rhythms and are fun to dance to.

my taste in music outside of rap values technical proficiency and good vocals. i'm an ex-drummer, so i will listen to pretty much anything w/exceptional drumming and/or good rhythm. i think that's why i'm able to listen to some pretty awful rap-- the lyrics are admittedly terrible, but the beats can be fantastic. a lot of times i just play it as background music and dissect the beats. regarding vocals: it doesn't necessarily matter what they are saying, sometimes i just like hearing a beautiful voice.

it's not that lyrics mean nothing to me, but i won't write off a song b/c the lyrics are terrible.