RAP--what's good and what's shit

[AdZ]

the little rap i do like is Eminem, most deff (sp?), dre, snoop, tu-pac, the notorious B-I-G, and wu-tang. Allthough i don't have any CDs of theres i think that these are really the best in the business that have to much pride to sell out to MTV

You don't think snoop and Eminem have sold out to MTV?

[Eazy E]

Snoop is the Gene Simmons of rap, he will do anything if he gets his paycheque.  I remember a few years back he struck a deal to release a line of hot dogs called "Snoop Doggs".   

[CheapJon]

I've decided to check out NWA - straigh outta compton 


if god can dig 'em, maybe i can too

[D]

Worst rappers are Soulja Boy by far

I think Lil Wayne is completely overrated.

[Rapunzel]

ANT RAP - Adam Ant

A Rap from 1980! 

Worth listening to.

[mrlee]

Ive found quite a love for Run DMC

[bazgnr]

It's all very hit or miss for me, and definitely a matter of individual taste.  As someone who loves most genres of music, I find myself going for any rap or hip hop acts that either show great lyrical skill or insight, or make good use of music and melody.   

Among them are De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Eminem (The Marshall Mathers LP in particular), Atmosphere, Beastie Boys, Lil Wayne (the R&B style tracks, not the god-awful club music garbage), Jurassic 5, Jay-Z., Public Enemy, etc.

That said, I still can't say I've ever found many hip-hop albums that I can enjoy from start to finish.

[CheapJon]

That said, I still can't say I've ever found many hip-hop albums that I can enjoy from start to finish.

i thought about that exact same thing yesterday, i said to myself, while listening to some rap "this is pretty good but there have never been a single record that i've liked and dug all songs, but there's plenty of rock records, so that's why i'm a rocker not hiphopper" 

[Hammy]

that's why i'm a rocker not hiphopper" 

hey rockers,
hip hoppers and everybody all around the world now move in,
now move out hands up or hands down back up,
back up tell me what ya gonna do now breathe in,
now breathe out hands up or hands down back up,
back up tell me what ya gonna do now keep rollin',
rollin', rollin', rollin' 

[CheapJon]

that's why i'm a rocker not hiphopper" 

hey rockers,
hip hoppers and everybody all around the world now move in,
now move out hands up or hands down back up,
back up tell me what ya gonna do now breathe in,
now breathe out hands up or hands down back up,
back up tell me what ya gonna do now keep rollin',
rollin', rollin', rollin' 

that song was the shit when i was like 10 years old

[GNFNR-UK]

I listen to quite a lot of hip hop some of my favourite artists are:

2Pac (I especially love the 'Makaveli' album, that's some DEEP shit)
Scarface
Yukmouth
Kurupt
Redman
Notorious B.I.G.
Big Pun
Cypress Hill
House of Pain (Check out Everlasts new group LA Coka Nostra)
Esham
Twiztid
Klashnekoff (He's a rapper from England)

I hate the following:

Master P
Soulja Boy
T - Pain
Lil Wayne
Young Jeezy
Missy Elliott
Bizarre (From D-12 - He can't rap for shit and isn't "funny" or 'shocking")
and all that oither wack shit that comes on MTV.

[fuckin crazy]

WORD, it all sucks!!!

[Adam Bomb]

I'm certainly not a fan of rap or hip hop or any of that stuff. But you have to admit, some of those people are pretty talented. I wouldn't dare say it all sucks because like it or not, some of it is pretty catchy. And that is point of a lot of hip hop, right?

I know that some artists can be considered poets as well, with their deep lyrics and all that. It just isn't my kind of poetry, but that doesn't mean it's no good.

[WeHeldTogether]

I'm certainly not a fan of rap or hip hop or any of that stuff. But you have to admit, some of those people are pretty talented. I wouldn't dare say it all sucks because like it or not, some of it is pretty catchy. And that is point of a lot of hip hop, right?

I know that some artists can be considered poets as well, with their deep lyrics and all that. It just isn't my kind of poetry, but that doesn't mean it's no good.

the point of 99 percent of music played on the radio is to be catchy.

yes, most rap music usually has some catchy chorus or hook that is repeated throughout the song, but it's mostly about the lyrics with rap artists, even more so than rock music.  i base most of my opinions of rap music based on lyrics and the beat.  the song has to have an amazing beat and decent lyrics or vice versa for me to like it

i dig stuff like nwa, a tribe called quest, dre, black star, outkast, snoop...etc
more recently i dig kanye west, common, lupe fiasco and talib kweli

[Adam Bomb]

the point of 99 percent of music played on the radio is to be catchy.

Yes, but not always at the expense of pure musical quality. Rock and other instrument based genres have more inherent musical quality than hip hop I think, at least as far as instrumentation goes.

It's all music, yes, but who is more of a musician, Snoop or Slash? If that's a bad example then let's compare 50 cent to Axl.

Another thing to consider is that good instrument based music is often an extension or a calculated evolution of a previously laid musical structure. Whereas hip hop and the like is much more amorphic. It is like poetry, you have free verse and then you have more disciplined forms. To me anyway.

[WeHeldTogether]

the point of 99 percent of music played on the radio is to be catchy.

Yes, but not always at the expense of pure musical quality. Rock and other instrument based genres have more inherent musical quality than hip hop I think, at least as far as instrumentation goes.

It's all music, yes, but who is more of a musician, Snoop or Slash? If that's a bad example then let's compare 50 cent to Axl.

Another thing to consider is that good instrument based music is often an extension or a calculated evolution of a previously laid musical structure. Whereas hip hop and the like is much more amorphic. It is like poetry, you have free verse and then you have more disciplined forms. To me anyway.

I guess you're right that rock music has more musical quality - (Most) rap consists of the same (or similar) beat throughout the song, so its less about the music than it is about the lyrics.  Its really hard to tell who more of a musician is when you're talking about cross-genre stuff like that.  I'm sure both Slash and Snoop Dogg put a lot of work into making their albums.

I really think its tougher to make rap music than most people think it is.  You have to get a perfect beat and then get a good bunch of other instruments or effects around the beat to make it sound good.  Then, you have to have the perfect flow and good lyrics.  In the long run it could take a similar/longer amount of time than a rock album.  It all depends on the people working on it.

I like your last paragraph though, i think i totally agree with that.