There are people here in R&P that appreciate rap and hip-hop...right?

Question

I know that Rock music gets trashed sometimes in the Rap section, but there is a lot of trash-talk here when it comes to Rap and Hip-Hop...I know I see it quite a bit. But there are people here who actually do appreciate it...at least a few of us, anyway?

I am not as well-versed as I should be in all things Hip-Hop, but I do appreciate what it brings to the table. And I was listening to the Ices (that's T and Cube), De La Soul, Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, etc. right along with the Rock and Pop I grew up with. It's another little part of my musical upbringing.

So even if you aren't a fan, can you appreciate its contributions to music? And if you are a fan, who are some of your favorites?

Dave - Body Count rocked!

Rckets - there are a lot of parallels between rock & rap. People in here post that rock is dead, and get responses about how they are not hearing everything that's out there. You said the same thing about hip-hop and I think that's true.

squishy - I loved Arrested Development...they were great. And also on the more R&B end of things, I really liked P.M. Dawn.

Morning, Prof! I totally agree - there is a science to rap and hip-hop that most people couldn't understand. It relies just as much on timing as any other form of music does. I would like to see what the doubters could deliver...it wouldn't be much, I'm sure.

Dani - KRS-One is another good one.

Master C - I heard House of Pain on the radio the other day...awesome.

Bowzer - I completely forgot about Wu-Tang...

Answer 1

I do like Rap/Hip Hop along with countless other genres as well. While rock/alternative is my fave, I do have my list of faves in this genre and just to mention a few.....LL Cool J, Tupac Shakur (an all time fave), Eminem (another all time fave), Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg (I love Doggystyle..a classic), The Beastie Boys, Run DMC (another all time fave), Too Short (Life's Too Short..1st rap album I bought by myself), Coolio, Arrested Development (Mr. Wendel...love it), Blackeyed Peas, Fugees, and I absolutely love Missy Elliott (Under Construction is my favorite album by her....Get Ur Freak On fave song), and I have a soft spot for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, not necessarily in the league as the others, but I've always loved Will Smith!

Answer 2

Mornin Sookie.

This was a failed crusade of mine. Drives me nuts. I'm not a huge hip hop fan, but I definitely like some of it. There is some really great hip hop out there. Too many rock fans, I think generally kids get so rock miopic and use these blanket generalizations, basically calling it thug music (a way of abreviating most of the criticism that I've seen) and somehow think that it's easy to create.
When I was working in studios for a while I worked on some hip hop so I've seen it from the creative level and I've had friends show me some of the good stuff. The fact of the matter is that it's like any other music. The mainstream isn't great for the most part, but there is a lot of great stuff. Dr. Octogon/Kool Keith, Jurassic 5, Mos Def/Blackstar, Talib Kwalie, the Roots and the groups you mentioned are really great acts. These guys are musicians through and through. I mean, yeah, anyone can put together a drum loop and throw a keyboard riff over it, just like it doesn't take a ton of learning to learn power chords and write a basic rock tune. The thing that makes you a musician is being able to do things, create things that people will want to listen to. A lot of rap contains melodies, complex cadences, in some cases harmonies. The Roots do play as a full live band, and even when they don't have you ever tried to scratch. Working the faders, lining up the beats, making it sound cool, plugging the right records in together. It's not easy and like any other type of music you have to be very good at it to become a professional. Everyone plays guitar, why don't all of these failed musicians just become djs or mcs if it's so easy. It's because it's not.
The idea that hip hop artists can't sing is completely false as well. Mos Def for instance has a very cool singing voice, the guys from Jurassic 5 use a lot of harmony in their music. Even just a guy rapping has a melody that they have to follow, the listener needs something to follow, and on top of that the cadence is very important. You have to be inventive with your sylables. The real test that I always come back to is why does your average person sound like an idiot when they try to rap? Of course it's because it's so easy. It's just ignorance. People are too quick in all sorts of music debates to confuse not liking something with not being talent driven.
I would just challenge anyone who says hip hop is easy and anyone can make it, make a rap song and show it to me. I guarantee it will be awful. If it doesn't then you have a right to your opinion and we can agree to disagree.

*****************
I heard that dude got busy in a Burger King bathroom.

Answer 3

I grew up with a lot of old school rap like Run DMC and The Sugarhill Gang, so on some level I guess I have appreciation towards it. The problem today is what the majority of it has evolved to. For every awesome group like Jurassic 5 or A Tribe Called Quest, there are about another hundred or so like Eminem or Jay-Z which are pretty awful. Again, there likely is a lot of good rap and hip hop that might exist that isn't hitting my radar. But who has the time to listen to everything? The sheer amount in rock music alone is very staggering.

Answer 4

I like almost all types of music
My Top 10 rap songs are
1 Natural Born Killaz-Ice Cube & Dr Dre
2 Mind Playin Tricks On Me-Geto Boys
3 Co-ck The Hammer-Cypress Hill
4 Murder Was The Case-Snoop Dog
5 All On My Nut Sac-Da Lench Mob
6 Hits From The Bong-Cypress Hill
7 It Was A Good Day-Ice Cube
8 Body Count-Ice T
9 Dre Day-Dr Dre
10 Mama Said Knock You Out-LL Cool J

Answer 5

I appreciate Rap and Hip Hop to an extent..... I do not like the new age hip hop or Gangster rap etc etc... I remember rap that seems along time ago when every second verse wasn't about killing, maiming, homosexuality,who sucks,they sucks,drugs rule,he's not cool etc etc.... That being said some of my favorites are.....

The Sugar Hill Gang
Fu Shnickens
Public Enemy
Run DMC
Heavy D
A Tribe Called Quest
De La Soul
Maestro Fresh Wes...

Answer 6

I am a huge fan of 80s/early 90s rap..........artists like KRS-One & Boogie Down Productions, Afrika Bambaataa, Whodini, Sugar Hill Gang (who I was lucky enough to see live), Run DMC, Epmd, Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, Eric B. & Rakim.....I could keep going....but I won't

I do occasionally like some later artist, but that seems to be few and far between. It seems like there is numerous 1 or 2 hot wonders now that just fade away to never be heard from again. My favorites of the late 90s and today are The Roots, Common, and Musiq Soulchild

Prof......good call on Mos Def....I almost forgot about him, since he seems to be more into acting these days

Answer 7

I did grow up on some Rap. But I got into the wild rap

Artists like:

Sir Mix a lot
L'Trimm
Egyptian Lover
Trick Daddy
Trina
Some Snoop Dogg too

Those are the only rap groups I used to listen to 10 years ago.

Answer 8

Well, being a child of the 80s, you'd have to be deaf not to have been slightly influenced by the early rap artists that made waves in the early to mid 80s. I've always respected Run DMC and The Beastie Boys. I can tolerate a handful of Eminem songs, and I enjoy NWA and all of the solo albums that came from it.






NP: "Beth" - Kiss

*** Good call on Digital Underground, James... "The Humpty Dance" does.... uh, rock.

Answer 9

I was a fan of rap when it first came out. I probably still have my Grandmaster Flash record as well as The Sugarhill Gang. I am not a fan of gangsta rap like Snoop Dogg. Hip Hop is just a word to describe dance music, and some of it is ok.

Answer 10

I do appreciate it. I don't listen to it that often but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some hip hop albums. I've even seen some live shows from Kool Keith, Jurassic 5, Too Short, and Black Eyed Peas (do they count?) to name a few.
I'm nowhere near into it as mush as I was in the early-mid 90s. I loved House of Pain, Onyx, Naughty By Nature, etc...
I do miss Skee-Lo (I heard he got a little bit taller, and did in fact, became a baller).
I'm also not afraid to admit that Kris Kross still makes me Jump!