What is your view on Rap culture?

violence is sad and childish, rapping about ho's is disrespectful and bragging about your money, jewelry and cars is shallow. What else do you want to know?TheFlush

Not all rap music is about those things, you are ignorant as hell if you think all rap music is about hoes, jewelry and money.

I do not find rap culture "stupid" or "annoying" at all; If I meet anyone who is a "gangster," I will only dislike him/her if he/she shows hate toward me. I also generally enjoy all forms of rap music.

Rap culture and "gangsters" are a rising social group in today's society and recently, I've been wondering just what people think about the rap culture. I am creating a variety of polls on differents sites (GS being one) in hopes of targetting different audiences and findinI have no problem with itg just what society thinks of rap. Feel free to voice your opinions and vote :D. Personally, I like some rap songs, but not the majority and I do not like the trends that have spawned from it, mostly because they appear to just be fads.Setsa

I like most early 90's rap, the "culture" aspect does not bother me at all. For god sakes look at all the rock stars and the decadance they spawned for years.

I used to like rap - when I was 12. Then, I came to some startling realisations:

1. I'm white.

2. Timely, relevant and cutting social commentary aside (""When it's hot I'm duckin them people with my fire arm Look I be straight thuggin." , "Verse number 2 do the damn thang keeps on my neck pocket's full of Ben Franks.", "Don't you see the big chains, don't you see the big rims, wonder who they hatin' on lately, baby it's him candy paint, gator skins call me Dun Dee, up in your hood I'm the one you wanna be, haters wish they could feel the wood in my '83"), rap is generally completely redundant and could honestly be written with more clarity and verve by a koala.

3. In many ways, popular rap perfectly embodies the "mental slavery" some crazy guy was referring to before he died of melanoma in 1981.

4. I absolutely execrate the subculture that has grown around rap. I'm not talking about crack dealers in the projects - some aspects of rap could be considered an offshoot of that environment - I'm talking about the subculture that has grown as a result of rap. My use of the word 'execrate' is not an attempt to make my language needlessly flowery - I chose it because 'execrate' sounds rather similar to 'excrete', the result of which (my poo) would be a far more healthy foundation for society than rap.

5. This is an entirely personal thing and I don't expect it to count as a valid argument.
I'm European. I'm used to going clubbing at fancy places with good-looking people and music that I can dance to (house music, dance music, club music - whatever you want to call it). In Canada and the States, however, I have found that clubs almost exclusively cater to the rap crowd, playing such timeless tunes as Soulja Boy's Crank Dat and Mims' This is Why I'm Hot*.
I can't dance to rap for extended periods of time. I find that it has a bad vibe and carries connotations that I'd rather forget about as I simply look to have fun, get drunk and get laid.

(*I have to admit that I actually enjoy that one...)

So we are drawn to the inexorable conclusion that Rap Sucks. At the very least, the overwhelming majority of rap sucks, which must, in our laudable and much-fussed-about democratic system, equate to an absolute and institutionalized Truth.

There are exceptions to the "rap sucks" rule; they include Talib Kweli, some of Mos Def, Common, some of The Roots etc.
However, as with most exceptions excepting the exceptions to those exceptions, they only strengthen the rule and certainly don't excuse Rap as a whole.

...Sometimes I wonder whether rappists (the word sounds like 'rape', which is pretty much what they're doing to my ears) are indeed complete numbnuts - or cunning geniuses. After all, let's not forget this important fact: they line their pockets "full of Ben Franks" whilst subjecting millions of drooling idiots to their McBlackCultureMusic (inc)... all whilst exercising nary a neuron in the name of musical creativity or artistic credibility.
Talk about a perfect business.

[QUOTE="TheFlush"]violence is sad and childish, rapping about ho's is disrespectful and bragging about your money, jewelry and cars is shallow. What else do you want to know?kozzy1234

Not all rap music is about those things, you are ignorant as hell if you think all rap music is about hoes, jewelry and money.

Just all of the rap that you ever hear anyone listen to, and the rap artists that generally top the charts.

I used to like rap - when I was 12. Then, I came to some startling realisations:

1. I'm white.

2. Timely, relevant and cutting social commentary aside (""When it's hot I'm duckin them people with my fire arm Look I be straight thuggin." , "Verse number 2 do the damn thang keeps on my neck pocket's full of Ben Franks.", "Don't you see the big chains, don't you see the big rims, wonder who they hatin' on lately, baby it's him candy paint, gator skins call me Dun Dee, up in your hood I'm the one you wanna be, haters wish they could feel the wood in my '83"), rap is generally completely redundant and could honestly be written with more clarity and verve by a koala.

3. In many ways, popular rap perfectly embodies the "mental slavery" some crazy guy was referring to before he died of melanoma in 1981.

4. I absolutely execrate the subculture that has grown around rap. I'm not talking about crack dealers in the projects - some aspects of rap could be considered an offshoot of that environment - I'm talking about the subculture that has grown as a result of rap. My use of the word 'execrate' is not an attempt to make my language needlessly flowery - I chose it because 'execrate' sounds rather similar to 'excrete', the result of which (my poo) would be a far more healthy foundation for society than rap.

5. This is an entirely personal thing and I don't expect it to count as a valid argument.
I'm European. I'm used to going clubbing at fancy places with good-looking people and music that I can dance to (house music, dance music, club music - whatever you want to call it). In Canada and the States, however, I have found that clubs almost exclusively cater to the rap crowd, playing such timeless tunes as Soulja Boy's Crank Dat and Mims' This is Why I'm Hot*.
I can't dance to rap for extended periods of time. I find that it has a bad vibe and carries connotations that I'd rather forget about as I simply look to have fun, get drunk and get laid.

(*I have to admit that I actually enjoy that one...)

So we are drawn to the inexorable conclusion that Rap Sucks. At the very least, the overwhelming majority of rap sucks, which must, in our laudable and much-fussed-about democratic system, equate to an absolute and institutionalized Truth.

There are exceptions to the "rap sucks" rule; they include Talib Kweli, some of Mos Def, Common, some of The Roots etc.
However, as with most exceptions excepting the exceptions to those exceptions, they only strengthen the rule and certainly don't excuse Rap as a whole.

...Sometimes I wonder whether rappists (the word sounds like 'rape', which is pretty much what they're doing to my ears) are indeed complete numbnuts - or cunning geniuses. After all, let's not forget this important fact: they line their pockets "full of Ben Franks" whilst subjecting millions of drooling idiots to their McBlackCultureMusic (inc)... all whilst exercising nary a neuron in the name of musical creativity or artistic credibility.
Talk about a perfect business.

nick3333

I actually must say I liked this post for whatever reason but:

1. What does skin colour have to do with enjoying a musical artform? Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Brother Ali all prove that skin colour doesn't matter.

2. Although you pointed out a few exceptions to the rule, there are many who are an exception to this so called point when it comes to the lyricism.

3. When it comes to some songs and artists, I'll agree with this.

4. What really comes out of the 'culture'? Hip Hop has always been a product of the environment, never a cause of it.

I like Rap (not mainstream the real stuff)

I just don't like the crap mainstream rap is teaching everybody.. (Think you're the best all the time, disrespect of women. ect.)

i like some rap/hip-hop/R&B songs. I just dont really listen to the new school like i did with the old school.

I also hate how rap and hip hop feeds the mind of black man in the hood.

I like rap. But not the songs about money and hoesi-like-pie

So you like hip-hop more then rap... Hip-Hop is a lot less then money and hoes. There was this one rap song that they just rapped about how much money they have. Honestly they looked rediculous and the song sounded terrible. In the very beginning, this wannabe playa rolled down the window of his limo and was making a weird looking face, yelling out "this one is for the hood".

I rolled my eyes and immediately thought it was crap.

I love Hip-Hop. However it's current mainstream facade and effect on mainstream culture is far from desirable. Nevertheless scapegoating Hip-hop for societies ills is a cheap way out. The ugly features of rap are simply the ugly features of western society: materialism, machoism, violence, mysogyny, ignorance, translated through the black youth culture that is Hip-Hop.

(These feature are not exclusive to western society nevertheless they do plague it.)

I find it to be misunderstood by the majority of the people here. I love listening to some rap songs, and don't mind the "culture". Everyone has their own taste in things, and it should be tolerated. Saying it isn't music, is simply talking out of your ass.CommanderShiro

True, I think a lot of people just don't care about learning more about Hip-Hop and would rather stick to their narrow, ignorant views.

I think that overall the music is horrid and the culture is even worse.

There are a few rap songs that I enjoy. I like pretty much all of Eminem's stuff, plus "99 Problems" by Jay-Z and "Straight to the Bank" by 50 Cent. Other than that, I despise it.

I think that overall the music is horrid and the culture is even worse.

There are a few rap songs that I enjoy. I like pretty much all of Eminem's stuff, plus "99 Problems" by Jay-Z and "Straight to the Bank" by 50 Cent. Other than that, I despise it.

t3hrubikscube

Wow, and they are pretty mediocre tracks. Do some more research chief. ;)

I think mainstream rap blows.

I don't really listen to it, so I don't really care.

K, thx for the opinions so far. Another question I'd like to pose though to those that dislike it (I'm not objecting you opinion, merely interested): do you feel the same way about other fads/trends in society (ie. emos, goths, stoners, etc.). If no, what makes the gangster/rap fad/trend different?Setsa

K, thx for the opinions so far. Another question I'd like to pose though to those that dislike it (I'm not objecting you opinion, merely interested): do you feel the same way about other fads/trends in society (ie. emos, goths, stoners, etc.). If no, what makes the gangster/rap fad/trend different?Setsa

Love the music, hate the culture.

Example is Daddy Yankee. He likes to say he comes from the barrio, yet he keeps making more songs degrading women than making songs about this "barrio" he grew up in.

But the REAL culture of rap goes back to Africa. Rap back then was about hard times and slavery, but now it is about cars, money and women. However, some days I will come upon a great song that is not about the stupid stuff.

The music has one or two ok songs, but I HATE the culture. I hate seeing people walking in the mall with their pants pulled down so you can see half their boxers, and they're grabbing their crotch pretending to talk on the cell phone. I think it's one of the dumbest things.1stCommando

That about sums up how I feel about it as well. I actually like some of the older hiphop from the 90s...but the genre has completely gone downhill during this decade.

There's a reason why Walmart doesn't sell rap and I agree with them.pseudodog07

The music has one or two ok songs, but I HATE the culture. I hate seeing people walking in the mall with their pants pulled down so you can see half their boxers, and they're grabbing their crotch pretending to talk on the cell phone. I think it's one of the dumbest things.1stCommando

[QUOTE="Setsa"]K, thx for the opinions so far. Another question I'd like to pose though to those that dislike it (I'm not objecting you opinion, merely interested): do you feel the same way about other fads/trends in society (ie. emos, goths, stoners, etc.). If no, what makes the gangster/rap fad/trend different?1stCommando

I'm against double posters.:twisted:

I think it needs more songs like these:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74giPH-RmpU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqn5f2ISnvo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kA3Y13ZPzOQ

That's some killer hip-hop there.

:lol: A lot of ignorant folks in this thread, that's for sure.iHeartCali

Get used to it :(

[QUOTE="iHeartCali"]:lol: A lot of ignorant folks in this thread, that's for sure.-Shooter-

Get used to it :(