Yo, This is a blog I had wanted to make recently but I always delayed it. As you might know, 90's rap is different compared to nowadays, and it used to be tougher. In other words, this was the time when gangsta rap was the real deal. There were numerous successful rappers such as 2pac, Eazy-E, Notorious B.I.G., Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, etc. Despite violent nature of rap, this style of music always carried some message. I'll give you a few examples: + Show Spoiler +
2pac - Dear Mama Basically, Tupac pays respect to his mother, and is thankful she raised him. + Show Spoiler +
2pac - Changes It's a song about struggle, especially the hardship black men had to deal with. + Show Spoiler +
2pac - Keep Ya Head Up A song dedicated to women's struggle. + Show Spoiler +
Coolio - Gangsta Paradise This is a song about life's hardships. + Show Spoiler +
If you've not got it by now, RAP means Rhythm And Poetry. These people really cared what songs they release. But nowadays... rap is so commercial that it's disgusting. It's just money and bitches with some goofy lyrics. Of course, there are some exceptions, but I'll give you some songs to get my point:
Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction (Yeah, I miss the old Snoop Dogg ) + Show Spoiler +
I don't claim all 90's rap songs have some moral meaning, but their flow was also different and cooler (in my opinion). I just don't like the new rap mainstream. I think rap kinda died after 2pac, Notorious B.I.G, Eazy-E, etc. However, Eminem, Dr. Dre and The Game are there to save it!
TL;DR: 90's rap is much better than rap nowadays. Why is the mainstream so bad?
Yeah I think we all know that mainstream culture is a steaming pile of poo by now. All that seems to matter is who can be the biggest sunburnt/ripped tool and who can be the "freshest". I honestly would stop trying to figure out how to understand mainstream culture these days, I fear the movie Idiocracy was correct people are just getting dumber and dumber with technology. Today's culture is all about money and individualism, people have become so self-centered and focused only on money and social reputation that they have begun to ignore things such as morals or common sense.
Meh what are you going to do, I guess the intellectual and progressive are a dying breed, but luckily alternative music forms do exist so it doesn't bother me all too much.
"Rap" nowadays is more about production values, catchy beats, effects and hooks. There a few artists keeping it legit, but it's clearly not the way it used to be.
uhh you haven't been looking hard enough than. Go check out all of the mood muzik mixtapes and recent albums from Joe Budden, Copywrite's Life and Times of Peter Nelson, Lush One Music For Dope Runs, almost everything from Sha Stimuli....
Was going to come here and argue because I thought this would be one of those retarded whiteboy 'rap isn't real music, metal is' POS posts, but actually I completely agree with your sentiment o.O. The fizz really got sucked out of rap, although to be fair you have to call people like the ones you mentioned 'hip hop' and you can still respect people such as a mos def and immortal technique but I'll totally agree with what you say 100%.
I completely disagree with your post that rap is better in the 90's than today. Sure, mainstream is awful, but there are a LOT of amazing artists out right now. Also the game is terrible, and rap doesn't need "saving" it's never been dead.
On May 14 2011 09:49 PanN wrote: I completely disagree with your post that rap is better in the 90's than today. Sure, mainstream is awful, but there are a LOT of amazing artists out right now. Also the game is terrible, and rap doesn't need "saving" it's never been dead.
Well, can you come up with new and better songs than these: + Show Spoiler +
As much as it was in the 90's there are some good and some bad rappers, you named the ones you found good in the 90's but I'm sure there were many you would've qualified bad. We still see couple great rap tunes every year. Plus, I prefer that rap is now not only about bitches, crimes, gangs, drugs, with rappers like eminem that spit about many different things.
I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
On May 14 2011 09:49 PanN wrote: I completely disagree with your post that rap is better in the 90's than today. Sure, mainstream is awful, but there are a LOT of amazing artists out right now. Also the game is terrible, and rap doesn't need "saving" it's never been dead.
Well, can you come up with more new awesome songs than these: + Show Spoiler +
On May 14 2011 10:01 Sharkified wrote: I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
Well, didn't most rappers go to 'hip pop'? Eminem & Rihanna, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry & Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Shakira, etc.
Same is true for the Rock of 90s vs the rock of today. I mean especially as far as content, its just no contest.
I'm listening to a lot of Easy-E these days, guy intrigues me for some reason.
The only thing I would say that has gotten better, is the electronica new age stuff- there was nothing super cool like these days has. Maybe Prodigy, but even they are leaps and bounds better in the more recent years.
I'm really glad I went to high school in the 90's for sure- played in a few bands and was really into like Soul Asylum and Bad Religion... just too bad that makes me too old too be any good at Starcraft now
On May 14 2011 10:01 Sharkified wrote: I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
Well, didn't most rappers go to 'hip pop'? Eminem & Rihanna, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry & Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Shakira, etc.
Yeah, I really don't like what happened with Snoop Dogg but stuff happens. Even Rakim, who is really one of the untouchable canon figures of rap, had a really bad sell-out period at a time. The examples you gave are heavily focused on the Southerners and yeah, if you compare the South scene to the East and the West you are going to get artists that follow a completely different aesthetic. If you look back to the golden ages of the East and the West and consider that aesthetic to be "true hip hop" then the Southerners are not going to impress you at all. I mostly dislike the Southern scene too, with the notable exception of Ludacris, but I don't really think it makes a whole lot of sense to compare the rise of the Southern scene with the old East and West hegemony because they aren't trying to do the same things at all.
So when Nas said hip hop is dead, I can understand why he said that, but I can't fully say that he's right. If the image of rap only encompasses the East/West era, then sure, Nas is correct, but is imposing such an orthodoxy healthy for art at all?
My first exposure to 'Soulja Boy' was seeing some random youtube video of his (vlogg or something). My immediate assumption was that he was a fan of 'real' hip hop making fun of the new style.
Much like Rebecca Black - when it turned out he wasn't a troll, it wasn't that funny anymore.
OP, I can tell you're some suburban white kid who started listening to rap probably less than a few years ago. I don't mean any offense, its just that I see this opinion a lot and its always the same kind of people voicing them. And funnily enough, they ALL like Eminem and Dre, despite the fact that Eminem is one of the rappers who has really embraced pop (Did you listen to Recovery? pop-sounding hook on every track). And game is just as bad as lil wayne or drake or anybody out there, he's just less popular. And if you think most modern rap is about money and bitches, you're way off and the only rap you listen to is stuff on the billboard 200. Sorry.
On May 14 2011 10:30 iamho wrote: OP, I can tell you're some suburban white kid who started listening to rap probably less than a few years ago. I don't mean any offense, its just that I see this opinion a lot and its always the same kind of people voicing them. And funnily enough, they ALL like Eminem and Dre, despite the fact that Eminem is one of the rappers who has really embraced pop (Did you listen to Recovery? pop-sounding hook on every track). And game is just as bad as lil wayne or drake or anybody out there, he's just less popular. And if you think most modern rap is about money and bitches, you're way off and the only rap you listen to is stuff on the billboard 200. Sorry.
Not sure why it matters if hes some suburban white kid, that comment was completely unnecessary, ignorant, and based off nothing else other than your cheap assumption.
The rest of what you said I pretty much agree with.
On May 14 2011 10:30 iamho wrote: OP, I can tell you're some suburban white kid who started listening to rap probably less than a few years ago. I don't mean any offense, its just that I see this opinion a lot and its always the same kind of people voicing them. And funnily enough, they ALL like Eminem and Dre, despite the fact that Eminem is one of the rappers who has really embraced pop (Did you listen to Recovery? pop-sounding hook on every track). And game is just as bad as lil wayne or drake or anybody out there, he's just less popular. And if you think most modern rap is about money and bitches, you're way off and the only rap you listen to is stuff on the billboard 200. Sorry.
People always bring up this "suburban white kid" mudsling whenever someone talks about the modern state of rap and it is often true, but more often than not, when I have a conversation about the popularity of Southern rap in contemporary times it is with blacks. Most of the major figures that talk about this in the public realm? Famous hip hop artists - they're almost all black.
To be fair Pann has a good point though personally I would still say rap, well at least gangsta rap, has lost the edge. I guess it's the same as 80's thrash metal. There's only so many ways you can play the standard thrash riff, and there's only so many ways you can brag about killin' and fuckin' in the hood. Just like thrashed morphed into all sorts of obscure styles chasing new territories, rap is now about the act of wordcraft and developing that rather than the 'attitude' and 'intensity' I would associate with early NWA for example.
If you're looking for anything good in the mainstream then you're looking in the wrong place. If you're looking for gold in the same place as everyone else who is happy being handed rocks then you're a fool.
If you think rap is dead or bad beyond a certain year then you're looking in the wrong place. Try looking beyond the radio or word of mouth. You've got the fucking internet for christ's sake. You can find almost any song by any person and you're open to thousands more rappers than you were in the 90s. If you like the mainstream rap from the 90s, then good for you. It's just a lucky coincidence if you like pop music over a span on 20 years.
There's a whole host of jazzy rap from Japan, a load of really raw rap from the UK and not the mention the years of foreign-language rap.
Then again, if you think that "Eminem, Dr. Dre and The Game are there to save it!" then I guess you aren't keen on finding anything new at all. You just want to hear the stuff from the 90s again.
Rap doesn't work that way. It's all about making big cash, being a success, being famous - it's flamboyant and not afraid to go for gold. (ex: Wu-Tang clan came out with their own clothing line and a whole bunch of other merch)
It's not your super duper secret post-rock subgenre. You posted a bunch of really average hip-hop/rap artists and wonder why they're bad. You're just going to frustrating yourself if you think like that.
Who wants to listen to another "The Chronic" except this time it's by a middle aged, financially sound Dr. Dre anyway?
I felt the same way you feel right now about two years ago. The majority of the rap music out today is garbage and there's nothing you can do to change that unless you can change what mainstream America likes. Anyways, you can always listen to your old school Dr. Dre, 2pac, Biggie, Big L,Pun, w/e. But back in the day there were some shitty rappers too and some shitty songs. But back that was back in the day and the songs that have survived are the good songs and the songs that everyone knows about like Gangster's Paradise, Express Yourself, Dear Mama, Mama Said Knock You Out, Juicy, CREAM, and the myriad of other great rap songs. You just gotta look harder and you'll find some good hip hop/rap songs. Just surf on youtube and just go video to video and wait till you find some small name guy and just download all his music and bang to that. As for me, I surf on hotnewhiphop and see if there are any good new artists coming out. JCole, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, some of Pries, Yelawolf, and some others. Anyways, just expand your horizon and you'll find a diamond in the rough. Also I've found that if you listen to some Waka Flocka, OJ da juiceman, Gucci Mane, Soulja Boy, and any other trash rapper, then listen to some other good rapper, that good rapper will sound at least 3times better than normal
On May 14 2011 10:01 Sharkified wrote: I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
Well, didn't most rappers go to 'hip pop'? Eminem & Rihanna, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry & Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Shakira, etc.
then people in the 2020 will look back and say "shit remember when it was 2000 and people had good rap? like eminem and drake?"
it's quite sickening that shit like auto-tune is seen as a part of hip-hop though. i don't like referring to hip-hop as rap though. the shit you hear on the radio is just catchy hook okay/meh beat and shitty lyrics.
have you fucking heard that new diddy song? my god it's the definition of a pop-hop song(coined by me :D) but theres always going to be a ray of light in every generation.
i'm just listening to instrumentals right now, got like all of rjd2's albums. his shit is awesome, what a sick ass producer.
I find that a lot of underground hip hop seems to keep me loving my music rather than rap now a days. I still listen to 2pac and BIG and the rest every so often, but I think underground hip hop is where I want to be ATM.
I think like anything else the music industry gets its hands on, people are just churning out formula-based rap to sell to the masses =( Seems like it's all about image and promotion these days.
On May 14 2011 16:19 Hectic wrote: why is everyone so against money bitches and cars
Because anyone can rap about that, anyone. It takes actual talent to get a difficult concept or idea out in a creative way. Talking about how you want pussy, diamonds, guns, and cars is just stupid. Pretty much every gangster rapper is just a child thats never grown up.
Everyone else is soft as fuck or fake as fuck and too dumb to say anything interersting. whole breed of white boys growing up rhyming with fuck all to say ;(
On May 14 2011 16:29 MiniRoman wrote: Eminem won "the game" and is now outta material.
Everyone else is soft as fuck or fake as fuck and too dumb to say anything interersting. whole breed of white boys growing up rhyming with fuck all to say ;(
It's half because of the general depravity of pop culture nowadays (sorry, if it gets played repetedly on American Pop stations, it's Pop, not Rap) and half because the sound has moved so far away from quality that they've quit samling amazing tracks from the 70-80's:
Well not technically, but this is the sort of sutff they really should, but no longer rip off:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2F-XX0Ol0 Here, my favortie Bootsy track (even more than " I'd Rather Be With You" ! ) And want to know a good part of what made 2pac great? His tracks:
Just listening to that shit it sounds so good and funky, you're already noddin', and it's just because the music IS BETTER. I won't waste my time trying to justify it with examples from today, the good tune's in my mind and I don't wanna waste the moment.
That was music, here's an example of problems with content:
This guy's legit, and honestly, once I got into this there was no ging back to mainstream crap. Waste of time compared to what you can get from this (track off his first album just to give you an idea of what Lecrae's all about) :
This video sucks cuz the guy can't understand rap, e.g. he misses the entire point of the song in messing up the hook: It says Christ inside, not Christ aside.
I challenge you to listen to the entire thing and take it seriously instead of just dismissing it cuz it's Christian.+ Show Spoiler [Rest of Lyrics] +
I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight
I'll probly never be the type to spend two bucks on fine dutch But I wan touch hearts <??????> I come to do what the Lord say Got my lifestyle flipped to fit His forte yeah I'm up early like moms and grits Getting fed daily bread 'til my mind is script'd And my rhymes intent is to point straight at the cross Without using clever lines and ?(hints) I know you'd probably be impressed if I cleverly used my melody To share Christ without using His name heavily But I'd rather be saying His name so much you could never get me confused Or discredit me 'cos I don't wanna do this, I used to be a Judas It's only Christ in me that got me tryin to make it through this I'm givin up time, givin up rhyme 'Cos it ain't about me getting mine dog I'm nothing
I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight
Ain't nothing sweet about me dog but Christ within Prior to that your boy lived a life of sin If you catch me givin up money so folks can eat It's really God working through me dog I'm not that sweet And there ain't a bone in me that's naturally good And without the fruit of the spirit I'm actually hood Basically it ain't nothing great in me But graciously my God likes replacin me With His own characteristics traits and things The wages earned from sin He erased them things And gave me a new family tree That the creator of creation hisself related to me So if it seem like I shine bright in the limelight Or I might think I'm tight man it's a lie right? I'm gritty like J-Silas guess my worth Man without Christ Jesus I'm less than dirt. I'm nothing
I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight
Cats say they gon' change the game This is Christian rap, why they barely using the savior's name Got flows saying they rhyme is tight Christ gave us breath to spit God gave us the mind to write We don't deserve to shine, naw We just clay I just came to lift up Christ and not what's my name When I drop this flow it might sound ridiculous But Christ smack dab in the middle so conspicuous Homey its not clever word play is not what the Word say Christ in Him crucified all day e'ry day But have it your way and blab your name And Christ died you just trying to grab the fame It's nothing but sound bites nothing but loud pipes Speakin in vane man we nothing without Christ We should use our last breath to rep the King Jesus You shouldn't have to know our name after we leave here
I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight I appreciate the love when I rock the stage But I don't do this for props and things It's nothing at all, It's Christ inside that's Got me spittin on the mic tonight
On May 14 2011 10:01 Sharkified wrote: I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
Well, didn't most rappers go to 'hip pop'? Eminem & Rihanna, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry & Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Shakira, etc.
Most people who hate on rap haven't heard stuff like this. Theres a lot of good hip hop if you dig deep enough. I couldn't stand it until i found some stuff like P.O.S and Deltron.
I recently started listening to rap and my friend suggested that I start with eminem and 2pac. I gotta say that Eminems first album sounds completely different from everything that came after it. I haven't listened to anything beyond Marshall Mathers LP yet, because I heard they were shit, but I was thinking about looking into them soon. Are they worth listening to?
On May 14 2011 17:19 Sotamursu wrote: I recently started listening to rap and my friend suggested that I start with eminem and 2pac. I gotta say that Eminems first album sounds completely different from everything that came after it. I haven't listened to anything beyond Marshall Mathers LP yet, because I heard they were shit, but I was thinking about looking into them soon. Are they worth listening to?
Nah, Lil Wayne and Soulja Boy probably have better songs.
I'd suggest Nas too if you want to hear some rap. Casual is also good though.
On May 14 2011 10:01 Sharkified wrote: I'd also like to point out the songs you posted like lollipop and crank dat aren't really rap songs, more like hip hop/pop ish.
Well, didn't most rappers go to 'hip pop'? Eminem & Rihanna, Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg, Katy Perry & Kanye West, Lil Wayne & Shakira, etc.
This is quite a good list. Rap, more importantly music, is not getting worse... it can't. Your looking at an age of self-production and with that you get people who stick to the same sound as the music they loved, and those that try to improvise. You can find the same sound, 90's rap (NWA, Biggie, 2pac) right now, you just need to look hard enough, preferably off-radio.
OFWGKTA has been mentioned already, but they might be worth another callout. DoctorHelvetica made a blog post about a new album coming out from one of their members, found here. Most of their albums are available for download, free at their site as well.
What's wrong with hooks ? Clearly some of you guys don't like them, but that doesn't make them objectivly bad. The reason why let's say I need a doctor is mainstream is because LOTS of people like it, mainstream isn't just some kind of malevolant force roaming around, it is music that a large amount of people like.
I'm not saying musically speaking anything that more people like is necessarily better, but I doubt you guys are looking for great musicality anyways, else you would be into bach, beethoven, chopin, etc.
I'm not familiar with rap (except Grime) but if it's like any other genre there's always new artists to discover especially in this digital world we are in now. Plus in my experience there's always more you never heard from the 90s too.
On May 14 2011 23:06 Sharkified wrote: What's wrong with hooks ? Clearly some of you guys don't like them, but that doesn't make them objectivly bad. The reason why let's say I need a doctor is mainstream is because LOTS of people like it, mainstream isn't just some kind of malevolant force roaming around, it is music that a large amount of people like.
I'm not saying musically speaking anything that more people like is necessarily better, but I doubt you guys are looking for great musicality anyways, else you would be into bach, beethoven, chopin, etc.
I like both, and mainstream is terrible because its a bunch of rich people molding a dudes image just to make more cash of em. All bullshit.
There's a lot of decent modern rap, but I don't know why you'd bring up The Game.. He's absolutely terrible. Even if your not into alternative rap like Eyedea, MF Doom, etc. there's plenty of decent-to-grear rap with a slightly harder edge out there if you know where to look.
There is some amazing rap out right now, but of course it's not in the mainstream. There is amazing music in every genre but none of it is "mainstream". I think this has less to do with rap and more to do with music on the radio sucking
EPT
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