What is the point of RAP?

Danny1969

Drew_fx said:

Rocker;684573" said:

@unclePsychosis, no you misunderstood my posts. When I listen to music, I want to hear what is being said or what is going on. I listen and am open to liking any piece of music. I heard a guy rapping on a Dublin street and have no idea what he was saying. The words were completely lost in the sound. For all I know he could have been rapping about busses being late. Is it unreasonable to wonder why he bothers if nobody can understand a word he is saying? If you are in Dublin check him out, he operates at the O'Connell street / Talbot street junction.

You keep saying this idiotic stuff.... things like "why bother if nobobdy can understand a word he is saying" ... don't you understand how ignorant and solipsistic that sounds? Let me spell it out for you - NOT EVERYONE IS HARD OF HEARING

I think you misunderstand ... I think Rockers saying he can hear it but can't understand it. There's been many a time I haven't understood what a Rappers been recording either and my hearing is fine. Poor diction, stumbling etc. Some guys are really good and can rap really quick and you can understand every word. Others not so much

Drew_TNBD

Yeah, some musicians are shite.

Big surprise.

Drew_TNBD

And LOL at Gil Scott Heron not being RAP.

Oh my dayzz...

EricTheWeary

Drew_fx said:

And LOL at Gil Scott Heron not being RAP.

Oh my dayzz...

Again, he had a long and varied output much of which wouldn't fit with most descriptions of rap. 

Although he had lovely clear diction...

Moss

Posted on another thread, but http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e84mxj/acts/aqx84f#p02v3jmq

holnrew

I don't understand lyrics on any music really. I still enjoy it though.

UnclePsychosis

Danny1969;685026" said:

Drew_fx said:

Rocker;684573" said:@unclePsychosis, no you misunderstood my posts. When I listen to music, I want to hear what is being said or what is going on. I listen and am open to liking any piece of music. I heard a guy rapping on a Dublin street and have no idea what he was saying. The words were completely lost in the sound. For all I know he could have been rapping about busses being late. Is it unreasonable to wonder why he bothers if nobody can understand a word he is saying? If you are in Dublin check him out, he operates at the O'Connell street / Talbot street junction.



You keep saying this idiotic stuff.... things like "why bother if nobobdy can understand a word he is saying" ... don't you understand how ignorant and solipsistic that sounds?



Let me spell it out for you - NOT EVERYONE IS HARD OF HEARING





I think you misunderstand ... I think Rockers saying he can hear it but can't understand it. There's been many a time I haven't understood what a Rappers been recording either and my hearing is fine. Poor diction, stumbling etc. Some guys are really good and can rap really quick and you can understand every word. Others not so much

No, we understand perfectly. We understand that because Rocker can't understand what someone is saying that means that he thinks no one else can either. We understand that he has heard a shit rapper at least once and has written off the whole genre on that basis.

Yes - some rappers are rubbish. It's probably the world's most popular music style (in terms of sales) so that's statistically likely. But the point is that nobody with any sense writes off rock music because they don't like Nickleback, so why would you write off Rap music because some busker you heard in Dublin was rubbish???

Nobody would be having a go if he'd just said "I don't like rap" - but he hasn't done that. He's just invented entirely nonsensical and illogical justification for why an entire art form is "pointless". It's idiotic at worst and trolling at best.

Snap

Rocker, I hear you.

For you, to enojy rap you need to be able to hear the words clearly. Fair enough.

Rap is also about the vocal meter, and rhythm, where the voice is being used as a percussion instrument almost, so the actual words are not so important as the sound they are making.

Also, if you don't "get" a genre of music, that's fine too, each to their own and that.

Gil Scott Heron not rap? He's one of hip hop's fore fathers. The fact that some of his tracks weren't full on rap fests doesn;t detract from that.

Rocker

Thanks @Snap. Since my last post I did actually listen to my GSH disk. And I can hear what you have written about. Many thanks too to @Danny1969. You understood that my problem was in trying to understand what was being said in something rapped.

strumjoughlamps

Rocker said:

When the lyrics are spoken so fast that nobody can understand what is being said. Sounds more like a machine gun than a song IMHO

so if it is understanding lyrics that is your problem you didn't really need to single out rap.. same can be said for Punk... or Shane MacGowan..??

Danny1969

Mmm if it's musical and melodic  then I don't need to understand the lyric .... I enjoy the notes and the way the notes of the lyrics interact with the underpinning chords. I enjoy Opera despite not understanding a word of it. With rap it is generally essential to understand whats being said though ...... that's the point of it. I produced and played bass on a song called Coke n Rum for example and it was just rap over over my bassline and some beats. Understanding what the guy was rapping about was crucial as the lyrics were clever ... quite devoid of melody but heavy on humour 

Bucket

fuk da h8rs

Eminem is one of the most freakishly talented lyricists I've ever heard, and fantastic at delivering said lyrics.

Bucket

Given the tone of this thread I don't know if the Wow I received for that was ironic or genuine. I hope it was the latter.

Drew_TNBD

Bucket said:

Given the tone of this thread I don't know if the Wow I received for that was ironic or genuine. I hope it was the latter.

I'm a big fan of Eminem. Infinite, Slim Shady LP, and the Marshall Mathers LP are three of the best rap albums ever.

Drew_TNBD

Brilliant album.

ICBM

Sing For The Moment is one of the most powerful lyrics I've ever heard.

Drew_TNBD

UnclePsychosis

Gang Starr is one of my favourites:

BigLicks67

I don't know what the point of RAP is and I've got to admit 90% goes over my head, a bit like modern metal and 80's poodle hair Rock does.

However, I did like Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, back in the day.

BigLicks67

randomhandclaps said:

Sometimes it's easy to spot a thread that's not going to end well. 

 I'm off to start a few 'What is the point of...' Threads about stuff I don't like, starting with white men rehashing old slow blues tunes.

Is that because you don't like - 'white men' or old slow blues tunes or both?