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I didn't write this, I was just visiting a message board on IGN and thought I should post it here.

It's about what people think of some music.

1) One of the first questions I'm asking is why do so many of you blast rap for no reason? I mean out of the clear blue I'll see a thread basically titled "Rock ownz cRap" and then go of on some stupid tangent. What do you have to gain by using the same old arguments? The only times I've ever seen raps fans attack rock was either in a thread where rap was insulted or as a parody to a rap sucks thread. If rap fans leave you alone why do you keep bothering us?

2) Why is it ok for all of you to post stereotypes about rap yet when a rap fan posts a stereotype about rock you all flip out as if he or she has committed some mortal sin? Hell if you can make baseless claim why in the hell can't we?

3) What in God's green Earth makes you think rap takes no talent? Do you even know how many rappers have failed trying to get to the top of their business? It's not just making words rhyme, it's having a message that you put out during the song, rhyming is only a part of it. It’s having a constant flow and a good rhythm to go with it. Also, I’d love to see any fool off the street rap 12.5 syllables a second like Rebel XD, who holds the world record.

4) What makes you think rap isn't real music because it uses synthesizers and not "real" instruments? What the hell is a "real" instrument anyway, a guitar? It's a TOOL to make sounds which thus is the music. In this case every instrument is fake. A instrument is used to make sounds no matter if it's a synthesizer, guitar, drum, kazoo or a phone. Don’t they all produce sounds which thus are music? And besides those points, The Who, one of the greatest rock groups of all times used synthesizers yet no one says their music is fake. You can’t accept it on one end and do on another.

5) As in question two why do you make generalizations about rap when you have no idea about the origins of rap? Want to know why gang life, drugs and sex have found its way into rap? Look to see where rap originated and look at the backgrounds of many rappers.

6) Why do many of you accuse rappers of being the scum of the earth and then act as if rock stars are the saints of the earth? I guarantee you just as many of them such as rappers look for sex, cars, drugs and other expensive assets. Hell I find nothing saintly about biting off a bat's head or self-mutilation.

7) Many great singers through out time such are Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Barry White amongst other sold millions of records without playing a musical instrument. Why is it that rappers are “untalented” for playing their own instruments yet many other great singers from the past can escape from being called untalented?

8) You blast rap for talking about women and cars and what not but really don’t you like women? Don’t you like cars? Do you not think rockers like cars and women as well?

9) Why do associate rap and hip-hop as the bane of society? So it's spawned its own clothing style and terminology, what's the problem? You act like people have not bought into the culture of their music before. Rock's spawned many cultures and attitudes, why no complaint there?

10) Why do you associate mainstream rap with all rap? Why is 50 Cent the epitome of rap to you? 50 Cent is a commercial artist, his lyrics reflect and his image reflect what's profitable at the time. So cars, women, bling, guess what, that's what sells. That's mainstream. Another thing, mainstream, while it offers little lyrical-wise, it offers music to dance to. And we know people love to dance. It might not let you reflect inwardly, but damn it lets you let off a good amount of energy. That's mainstream for you. If you want real lyrical content, look underground, that's where you'll find lyrics that allow you to reflect. And that for the most part, is why it doesn't sell as much.

Now of course, this is not stay there aren't legitimate "rap haters" per se. But they really weren't haters, just people who respected it as a genre but didn't prefer it as an artistic express. Enjoy!

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I DID NOT WRITE THIS

I was on IGN and I saw this and thought about and this guy has some really good points.

As I've said many times before there's good rap just like there's good music for any genre. There's also bad rap just like there's bad music for any genre.

My personal experience is the that latter is more common than the former but then, I look for particular things in music.

And it's silly rivalries like the rap/rock one that make me avoid artists and focus on the songs.

I agree. Besides, where does the argument get us anyway? Its like a wizzing contest.. And I know we've had similar argument in the past, so lets try to steer away from it fellow ZE folks? Please?

So, you're saying i should not have posted this?

Well, ehh.. If it leads to people stabbing eachother over it, then I'd say no.

But any topic is worth posting. Only time will tell, no?

Haha, that was me and Shadow Tigress against the rest, right? I can't tolerate if people dislike something and can't give a sound reason about it. Around these parts, we call that trolling. Trolling ain't much of a debate (arguements... haha it has some negative connotations and it was never anything like that). And if I remember back then as the rules stated, trolling is unacceptable. And still is now, holding the basic principles of a message-board.

1. Co-signed.
2. Haha, most idiots and hardcores flip out on that one. I mean, this article is from IGN. There's gotta be some intelligent people around! (This statement still applies in reality and other forums too. Just gotta be there when it comes!)
3. I remember reading HaTcH or Lycan about this one (don't make me search it up, okay?). In their industry, the market determines everything. If they don't like it, don't buy it. If the glove don't fit, you must acquit. Or whatever cute metaphor you can interchange.
4. For the majority, vocals are synthesized either way. There. Automatic win.
5. *sighs* I have to wholeheartly agree, but its too bad they have to spread their crap into the air-waves. Right now, that's what rap is sterotyped as. Following the stereotype, rap is about getting shot 10 times, hoe-playing, sex, drugs, cash, bling bling and looking down on others who said that they couldn't be part of the game. Not all rappers follow that 100%
6. No comment
7. Whitney Houstan rocks. :D
8. I know, eh?
9. Damn right.
10. Underground is what I majorly listen to. Some mainstream doesn't hurt either, even majority of it on the radio is pure crap in lyrical content. Too bad that's the ONLY comeback that they'll ever have.

I don't often care to listen to rap because, well, those stereotypes didn't just come out of thin air. The majority of easy-to-access rap music does seem to cover certain topics that I just eh... don't appreciate. However, I certainly don't think that people who do rap are talentless. Often I'm in awe of how they string words together in beats and such, that's pretty cool. =3 I don't know enough musical terms though to really give proper credit. XD

I love Japanese rap for some reason too. Heee~ >_>

I have the same issue that Jammer does-whenever I run into rap cruising radio stations it seems to be of the type that gave it the negative stereotypes it has. But I mean...I can't stand most of what I hear on the radio that gets called country these days, but I've seen Johnny Cash called as much and he was awesome.

I'm sure there's rap out there I'd like if it'd find its way to me, even though it's not my particular favorite style to start. I'm horrid at classing music beyond "this sounds neat" anyway.

I'm not a rap fan. It just doesnt appeal to me much.

I agree, for the most part. Rap is my least favorite genre, but the person brings up very good points.

And Hetman, do you even know what a hardcore is? Hardcore is a drug free, positive, full of energy life style.. A true hardcore person wouldn't say "lik omg rap sucks u can all die!!11" They would counter the argument with good points and handle the matter intelligently. Please do not confuse poseurs for the real thing.

I should make a similar rant about hardcore and emo. It gets a lot of ignorance, just like rap does.

Oh, and hardcore and emo are as unrelated as punk and pop-punk.. Sure they SOUND similar but, they are very very different.

Hmm? I'm not using 'harcore' in terms of music. I used the general street slang of 'hardcore'...

... as in the poser and the ignorant 'hard c-nt'.

Now now, we already know who trolls a lot on these boards :]

And you can't deny that most rap fans are posers. It just happens. Peer pressure is part of the cause. :D

You know, if I think somebody is a poser for listening to mainstream rap, then I usually just keep it to myself, because usually what other people listen to doesn't bother me a whole lot anyway.
Plus, there is some rap out there that I *do* like, so I don't blame anyone for liking the rap I don't happen to like because people like different things for different reasons.

Now mainstream country on the other hand... well, I have my reasons for really disliking that :P. Political and cultural reasons.

I don't listen to rap much.. but most of what I listen to is what my family has on CD, because my radio gets sukky reception.
I don't really listen to any particular types of music anyway.. just whatever songs I like - which changes all the time.

I don't dislike any music either, but there are songs that will get on my nerves at times.

First off..Im very hood outside this place , but you guys don't know it. .Rap is what I lissen to all day every day..But its not all Bullshiz what people think it is..I don't lissen to too much comercial rap..I think them Asses , like 50cent , Ja rule, Jay Z , and ext.., are crap compear to the real underground thing..

Game is one of the most realest people I could evea think of right now in the comercial buisness..A legend..You go lisen to him and thats what the real concept of rap came from..No bullshiz rapin about hoes and money whith bling and shiz..He rapin about were he came from and about his people..I give him a lot of respect, not only cuzz hes a Blood, which Im under but this dudes been through alot and still is for his people back home and around...

I don't realy give a f------- about what people think about the hiphop culture..But Rap I do..Because there is real people out there..And they'r not like Fiddy cent, and all those other fake ass dudes ...There's people out there who realy go through real shiz on there block, and they rap about it...They rap and rap untill they get noticed..And even if they don't get noticed, they still rap..

F all that comercial bullshiz...They messing all you'r minds up..Lissen to some real things what people go through..

I don't got a problem whith rock though..Certain ones..Id bump rock some times..Just certain ones...But the rap culture is something I live ..

if this sound difrent, thats cause Im speakin my mind and not being Fake..

At least spell 70% of your words in the rest of your post right. :]

You lucky I spelled 30% of my words right, and not all slang letering....

Seriously though, I could barely read your last post >.<

Okay, before I put my fair 2 cents into this, let me lay this down now.

1) I am black, african-american, a n--ga, whatever ya want to call it, so I basically grew up with this with little choice.

2) Everyone who's posted has put up very good arguements and defenses, so I'm in agreement with everyone really(Is it even possible to do that? Lol), but I still have my own view on this.

So, now that that's cleared up, let's hear what this kid's gotta say. Alright, Rap has changed...alot, since the old days. Back when it was people like Eazy-E, and Ice Cube was still rapping, and 2-Pac and them, that...that was true rap. Today, it's still rap, but it's lost that...that luster, that meaning it use to have. There was no Mainstream, Underground, there was just Rap. That's how it should be, just like there use to be no underground, mainstream Rock albums, just Rock albums. But now, we have all these differing sides, with different concepts. Underground has the lyricals, but not the beats nor experience that caught most people's attention, and Mainstream has the beat and the experience, but their lyrics lack devotion and meaning, just something to make their album sell. Now this isn't the case with every rapper out there, both underground and mainstream, for example, as Fury stated, Game still holds that luster that I like. But seriously, most out there don't, and that's what bugs me. I listen to alot of underground and mainstream, but mostly old skool rap, like NWA and KrissKross, lol, that's way back there. I also listen to blues, smooth jazz, rock, r&b, country, japanese rap, techno, japanese pop and just orginal japanese. I just like music, period. But Rap was where I was born, where I grew up and where I found myself belonging to if I had to classify myself into a genre of music. So, that's where I stand, for and against it, for like all music, to every single person, Rap has it's Pros and Cons.

PS: Just to prove to you guys who are doubting, if any, here's a pic of me. Sorry for the scaryness, I'm slightly pissed right now because of an event at school and...I don't smile for pictures, just a black thing, I guess, lol. J/k.

You look like a tru warrior homie...

Fury OD, less swearing please. It's good that you're passionate about the topic but try and keep the cursing down. Thanks.

Drk-X, if you're not going to contribute to the conversation, don't post.

yea, your right, I should keep that out side this forum..But I usually "Swear" like that on other forums..I got mixed up..@.@...

It's always interesting to learn about how different music types have developed and even further evolved.

As for people rapping about their lives more-or-less... Hmm. I rather enjoy music that's narrative and builds its own stories. I've just never checked into how much those stories have to do with the individual music artist who performed them.

As far as popular rap goes, I'm really only familiar with Eminem, and I don't really even know why. I just felt really stupid after I made the connection about his movie title "8 Mile" when my grandmother lives close to 9 Mile. x_o

I'm not gonna lie... i do have *some* Rap songs on my mp3 playlist.. :P (I might have said it before, but I am into a little (or alot in some cases) of everything!

Cannibus with Biz Markie - Shove This Jay-Oh-Bee
Office Space Soundtrack - Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gansta
and last but not least:
Eminem - Lose Yourself
Eminem - The Real Slim Shady (Unedited)

XD The last one is more of a nostalgia thing :P

Wow, Fury OD sounded very different. Though I think most of it came from a sudden loss of spelling ability. I dont think being a rap fan requires you to act "street". I feel like that's a peer pressure type thing. It's sad, but many people who dont act that way are accused of "acting white" and looked down upon. Rap doesnt make kids become womanizers and drug abusers, but its a window into a culture with some serious problems.

Hardcore is also a term for a post-punk subculture, which I am a part of.

I listen to some rap too, I suppose. "Pickin Boogers" by Biz Markie is a song I really like.. lmao.. And.. "Mr. Bobalina" but I forget the artist. There are others, too. Eh, as far as I am concerned, music is music.

And not all rap is bad, especially indie rap. Indie rap has a lot more meaning.