Why does rap always involve bad grammar (examples: I "ain't no" (double negative) "holla" (not a word) back girl and They see me rollin, they hatin (shouldn't it be "they are hating me" or something?)
Don't blame it on race either, because I see this happen with all rappers regardless of skin tone.
What gives? Is it that hard to rhyme without it sounding crude and illiterate? Several poets are able to pull it off just fine and I don't see how rap is any more difficult. It's basically poetry with a looped sample or drum beat in the background.
2006-09-26 17:23:00 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
It bugs me that you use the word "Always". Using your method of criticism, let me ask you this. Why does the rock n' roll lifestyle ALWAYS glorify the use of drugs?
To answer that question for you, it doesn't. Likewise, rap doesn't ALWAYS involve bad grammar.
Music is art and rap is one avenue of channeling that art.
This same argument could be made about Blues music, but you only singled out rap? What gives with that? You could have quoted BB King or Muddy Waters, but you chose to quote Chamillionaire and [unfortunately] Gwen Stefani.
Artists are often called "pioneers" for breaking the rules and creating their own form. Why can't this "rule breaking" be applied to the English language as well?
2006-09-26 22:53:43 · answer #1 · answered by Black&Orange 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clutch pokes at this phenomenon in their song "Careful With That Mic":
So tell me:
When you took the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test, did you know the answers or did you guess?
You rely on gimmicks to amuse your fans and act all urban to jack up your sound scan.
What's the matter with you?
How come you rhyme monosyllabically? Is atrophy shrinking your entire vocabulary?
Your style's like garbage cans, meant to be taken out on a weekly basis.
Ever since your first record you've been in a state of suspended animation
You look like Snuffalupagous and Australopithecus, me, Cray, you, abacus
But enough about you, let's talk about me and how single-handedly I redefined the
science of radio astronomy
Making Noble Prize winners question their notions of reality
Oh but I digress, you play Sorry and I play chess
Queen's pawn to E3, checkmate
go get some Percasets
2006-09-26 17:39:14 · answer #2 · answered by Eegah 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, #1, music is not about having good grammar. It's about saying something meaningful (which is obviously not the part you're looking for), making a good beat that makes someone want to dance, or whatever...
#2, it's culture that you don't understand. It's not a race thing, it's a socio-economic thing. Ebonics and slang or whatever you want to call it doesn't come out of middle to upper class suburban America.
Open your mind. Don't worry about the grammar, that's not the important part.
2006-09-26 17:29:02 · answer #3 · answered by AD 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There's a perception in the rap community that they are outside of the mainstream of conservative, traditional America. Part of this is a perception that speaking with perfect grammar represents acquiescense to the established order that rap tries to rebel against. Therefore refusing to use perfect grammar can be a sign of this rebellion.
2006-09-26 17:26:27 · answer #4 · answered by videocrew 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Part of it could be considered "African American Dialect", part of it could be due to the lack of education (regardless of ethnicity) that generally comes from life in poverty, part of it could be the desire to follow the trends that have been going around in hip-hop for years. Regardless, if you have a problem with it being a negative influence on today's youth look to the parents, not the artists. Sadly, it also appears to be our culture anymore, we idolize uneducated athletes, artists, actors; and ignore doctors and teachers.
2006-09-26 17:35:29 · answer #5 · answered by (b) 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i think you are completely right thats why i think 2pac is the best rapper i still think his words were more like poetry and there was not as many double negatives in his music
2006-09-26 17:25:48 · answer #6 · answered by CHERRYSCION 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mtv, guess. i imagine anybody is entitled to there own theory and choose. who i'm to say one is misguided or authentic. all i visit ever wish to understand for particular is self. myself. i in my opinion merely hear to metallic. now playing: neaera - harbinger
2016-12-02 03:43:17 · answer #7 · answered by behymer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, right between that and all the bad spelling and grammar it is like we are speaking in tongues here...annoying is it?
2006-09-26 17:25:47 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rap and hip hop is bad for our youth today. You can tell a great deal about the new generation by their spelling and grammer.
2006-09-26 17:25:05 · answer #9 · answered by Art The Wise 6 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Rap is not a language
Why are referring to it like it has some significance to it
2006-09-26 17:28:50 · answer #10 · answered by 4 strings 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋