Rock and Pop: Why the hatred for rap and hip-hop?
I've noticed over my years on this forum that there are a lot of people in this section that have some kind of massive, irrational hate b*ner for rap and hip-hop. Before we begin, let me state that I am a huge fan of music in general, including rock and metal, and most of my answers on this site attest to that.
The most common things I see cited are:
1) "Rappers have no talent, unlike rock musicians!"
So, let's discuss this: With rap music, you have to be able to get by on lyrics alone - with rock, as long as it's catchy enough, you can get away with just about anything. Case in point - "Hook" by Blues Traveler. "Smells like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.
Rap songs have pretty strict guidelines when it comes to song structure. Your lyrics have to flow continuously, without breaking the pace except in the parts of the song where your tempo changes. They have to follow a pretty strict rhyming pattern. Not all rap follows this, of course, but rap works very much the same as rock/pop music. You don't want to listen to what's *popular*, because that stuff is garbage. If you're unwilling to dig, you won't find good stuff.
Rappers have to be able to enunciate clearly, especially when they've got their stretch of lyrics that they spit at breakneck speeds - you've all heard at least one song where the artists starts rapping so fast that you don't even have time to process what he's saying. But you can understand it, because the words don't run together the way they would if the rapper's enunciation weren't perfect.
In rap battles, you have to be able to more or less memorize your opponent's entire spiel - you have to listen, sort, and retain that information so that you can debunk and counter his assertions with your retort. On top of that, it's all improvisation, so you have to come up with entire stanzas at a time that keep a rhythm, rhyme, dismiss whatever your opponent said about you AND have a rebuttal, while you're in the middle of saying something completely different. This means that you have to be able to simultaneously speak, flow, rhyme, respond and counter while thinking of something else entirely. And they keep this up until there is a clear winner.
For an idea of how difficult this is, go ahead and write a poem. It has to follow a specific rhythm and rhyme scheme, and be sure to include a rebuttal to a supposed insult. Now, while reciting that poem out loud, write another poem beside it that follows the same rhythm and rhyme scheme, but has very little to do with the first poem. They both have to have a clear train of thought, and decent quality writing. Do not even begin to consider the second poem until you start reciting the first. I guarantee there's not a single person who answers this who can do it.
2) "At least rock musicians can play instruments!"
This is a logical fallacy. There are a lot of rock vocalists who can't play any instruments. There are also a lot of rap artists who can - many of them at least play either the keys or the drums, which are two of the most common instruments you'll find in rap music.
3) "They're all about drugs and money and crime"
No, they're not, and the ones that are are examples of their demographic culture - that is to say, ghetto kids, a lot of whom are stoners, grow up without much money, and are in and out of trouble with the law. Rap music isn't written for upper-crust , white-collar rich people, so don't expect the lyrics to be about running corporations or paying off your mortgage. Rap music is about sharing shared experiences with the fans.
On top of that, there are a lot of rap songs about just being yourself, rising above the stuff that goes on in the streets, and, hell, some of them are even tributes to people who played a big part in various artists' lives, such as Tupac's "Dear Mama", Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth's "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)" and People Under the Stairs' "Days Like These". How often do you see that in rock?
If you're going to complain about and insult entire genres of music and the people who perform them, at least have some valid points.
BQ1: Who is your favourite rap artist, if applicable?
BQ2: What is your favourite rap song?
BQ3: Would you be willing to listen to rap music if it had lyrics that weren't about drugs, crime, or money?
"Logical fallacy" - a fallacy in logical argumentation.
"Fallacy" - A misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning.
Yes, it's a logical fallacy.