Why do people listen to rap?

Question

I am not trying to offend anyone---I am studying the diversity of people and the reasons they listen to rap. I'm not a fan of rap myself, but can you give me some good reasons that you listen to rap and what rap has to offer for you? thanks so much ♥

Answer 1

I listen to a wide variety of music including:
Jazz, Rock, Rap, Dance, Techno, Grunge, Metal, Country, Bluegrass, Pop, and all 80's music.
Anything with a good beat and a good hook.

I am a 37 year old married male.
I have 5 children ranging from 16 yrs to 18 months in age.
I am half Korean and half Native American, originally from Tennessee, now living in Texas.
I have been to 28 different Schools all over the world, and have worked in 7 different States at approximately 60 different companies.

Answer 2

Hmm...I noticed something about everyone's responses. People either love rap or hate it with a passion. All music tell a story. Not all rap is about money, 'hoes' and drugs just like not all country (which im sure is the polar opposite to rap) is about trucks, someone's dog, or Nascar. Take Will Smith for example. What does he rap about? People associate rap with popular mainstream artists such as 50 cent, Eminem and often lose sight the 'other' type of rap. But I guess thats how we as humans were taught to see things. It doesnt hurt to keep an open mind when judging music. It is still a form of art. I myself listen to rap because I enjoy the beats as well as some of the lyrics. Its poetry no matter how you look at it.

Answer 3

I listen to rap simply because I enjoy it. Why I enjoy it... I will explain. Many people dislike rap because it "glorifies" violence and misogyny but like with most forms of entertainment, it should be taken with a grain of salt. If you can look past the surface and really listen to the music as opposed to hearing it like most people whom dislike rap, you can hear more than just senseless rhetoric. Let's draw a comparison to movies for example's sake. If you take a movie like Kill Bill, and watch it with the no volume, all you see is a bunch of pointless killing. Swords and knives and shotguns and so forth. But when you listen to the movie and pay attention to the details, it's great despite the violence. Rap is the same way. If you only hear the profanities then you aren't really trying to see the whole picture, because around a little foul language you have some very talented lyricists. So I listen to Rap for the same reasons anyone listens to any kind of music, because I like it. I can dance to it. I can relate to it. I can vibe to it. It can lift my spirits. It can do anything any other genre of music can. However, keep in mind, that like with movies, there is good Rap and bad Rap. I'm not gonna tell you all rap is great, I just want people to know there's more to Hip-Hop than strip clubs, guns and drugs.

Answer 4

I agree 100% with "Bre" and "hjr228" on this one. So since both of them have pretty much taken the words right out of my mouth, I'll just post this as an addendum to their excellent answers...

From the perspective of someone who grew up listening to rap since it's early days, I can say that in general, rap provided a voice for our generation. It provided an opportunity to those who wouldn't normally have a voice in society (particularly young, poor Black people) to be heard. It gave us somebody and something we could relate to and identify with. What most people forget (and what some people don't know at all) is that initially, rap music was not only about partying and having fun, storytelling, bragging about one's lyrical skills while roasting another emcee, etc. It was also about speaking on social, economical and/or political issues affecting Black people in America. That's why it was (and still is, in some cases) so popular for us. And although this is not really true as far as mainstream rap goes, I can tell you from experience that underground hip hop still speaks volumes.

Answer 5

Personally, I don't listen to rap but I would guess that people that do listen to rap can connect to the lyrics or the songs mean something special to them. Or, they could just listen to it only to fit in with people they hang out with. They also could have listened to it as long as they can remember and it has become a part of them. Basically, it all really comes down to personal preference.

Answer 6

people listen to rap because like the beat and it makes them dance, but i mean good rap not like one's with cussing and also some people listen to it because rap expresses how that someone who made the song feels or what has gone through in their life. For that reason the only way to let it out is thorugh their music.

Answer 7

Most rap songs (if you listen to the lyrics) are a story of a person's life losing a friend, parent, or sibling are usual plots

Answer 8

I listen to rap because I can to relate to it, even the degrading lyrics can be related to some of the people I know. It's weird but rap and r&b is all I listen to.

Answer 9

i listen to some rap, and metal, and a bunch of other genres. a lot of the more popular rap is crappy, but sometimes if you look for it you can find some good rap songs.

Answer 10

I listen to rap because I am from Atlanta and I grew up around it. This is also the reason I listen to bluegrass. What a dichotomy!