That is your subjective view.

When it comes to contemporary R&B, i keep saying that genre has nothing to do with soulfull music. There are so many other B- and C-artists (in terms of their level of popularity) who offer so much more soul, also in any kind of genre: wether its folk, country-rock, powerpop or singer-songwriter, then the likes of Rhianna, Little Wayne, Jay Z and Lady Ga Ga.

Contemporary R&B is the Abba / Barbiegirl (Aqua)-equivalent of original soul:
Watered down, streamlined, commercial drab.
I love the likes of James Brown, Otis Redding, Sly and the Family Stone and Solomon Burke, I hate plastic shit like Rhianna and Beyonce.

And when it comes to hip-hop I must admit I see it is a limited genre: rhythmic verse, sing-a-long reffrain, not much has changed since the early eighties. But like Public Enemy and De La Soul at least dared to throw in some creativity and were able to create rather exciting music, while folks like Jay Z. and 50 cent offer an predictable snorefest.

What bothers me is the unbelievable materialism of so much hip hop/rap. And it's really petty, childish materialism centered around things like guns, gaudy houses and video games, totally lacking in good taste.

I was seriously listening for the first time to some songs by Biggie, and I was embarrassed by his repeated lyrics about being in a nice house and how he has BOTH Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo (wow!)

I actually like the flow and feel of his raps, but the lyrics are stupid: "condos with elevators in 'em" WTF?

What bothers me more is the sheer lack of musicality within Hip-hop.

The combination of rapped verses and a so called catchy chorus is getting so predictable and tiresome.

And dont bother me with shit like 'his flow is go good', its a genre that keeps repeating itself, give me a songwriter that writes amd performs great verses and chorusses any time.
[Edited 10/27/09 16:27pm]

Bohemian67 said:

My son got it from "Hip Hop Harry"..A Hip Hop-oriented kids show.He saw the kids dancing and picked it up.I then showed him old school breakdancing abd told him that his dad used to do it.Now he's even more interested in it.

Lyrics written at a 4th grade level.
Tracks composed with the most lame patches that a casio produces.
Content and subject matter that has been regurgitated over and over and ov...
It died years ago and should have the remains cremated in the middle of Yankees stadium as a part of death to Hip Hop night...free admission if you bring a Soulja Boy or Lil Wayne CD.

panther514 said:

I don't got either but i do got a couple papoose mixtapes, is that cool?

panther514 said:

That all equates to most of southern hip hop...and I'm cool with that.But a death to Hip-Hop night in the Bronx where it was born?..LOL..yeah,OK..."Hip Hop isnt dead..it lives in the South",that term was so true,but there are other rappers that rhyme on a higher grade level and their tracks are superior in production and have unique and clever content.Listen to M.I.A. and hear what she's talking about will make your head spin.So let's go Mark Twain on those "died years ago" comments..

SavonOsco said:

M.I.A. is the best rapper out right now!

Lyrics are 4th grade level my ass..

20 Dollars lyrics

War war war
Talking bout ya'll 's such a bore
Id rather talk bout moi

Do you know that cost of A.K.'s
Up in africa
20 dollars aint shit to you
But thats how much they r
Of couse they gonna use it to kill a little da

Is girls, diamonds
Helpin ya?
Dont you like my bandana
My stains hang low
On my shirts like ay yai ay
Monkey brains and banana
Ill hit you with my antana
I put soap in my eye
Make it red so I look raa

Ra ra
So I woke up with my holy quran and found out I like cadillac
So we shooting till the song is up
Little boys are acting up
Baby mothers are going crazy
And the leaders all round cracking up
We goat rich we fry
Price of living in a shanty town jus seem to be high
We still look fly
We still like t.i
Dancing as we shooting up
And lootin jus to get by.

Chorus:With your feet in the air and your head on the ground
Try this trick and spin it, yeah
Your head 'll collapse if there's nothing in it
And you'll ask yourself
�where is my mind?�

War war war
Who made me like this
Was it me and god in co production
My devils on speed dial
Everytime I take the wrong direction

All I want is one thing and that is what you got
Sometimes I go lose my mind then I feel numb

Theres 24 hours in a day
I used to spilt it 8, 8, 8
8 work
8 sleep
8 for play
Now I give it all it takes

People on the internet
A new life for the intellect
People judge me so hard
Coz I dont floss my teeth
I was born out of dirt like im porn in a skirt
I was a little girl who made good with all that I blurt
I put people on the map that never seen a map
I show em somin they aint never seen
And hope they make it back!!!!
Repeat Chorus

I like MIA.....she has a bright future quite possibly.

here is the deal though



wow, this is turning into a hip hop tribute thread.....nice!! keep it comin'

japanrocks said:

This is an excellent example of what is missing in hip/hop....Free styling!! Gone are the days of those "school yard battles", where MC's took turns "spittin' off of an instrumental. All this clip was missing, was Rakim; that would have been dope!. While watching, I could not help but notice the look of intensity on Em's face. He was listening to every word that was coming out of mouths of his contemporaries...These new school rappers, would not dare do this...

SavonOsco said:

What other post? I don't remember it, but I’m sure I wasn't disrespectful....

I have already stated that it’s a music genre that I don't like, Nothing more ,nothing less, other members of my family listen to it , I simply don’t, even though that I believe that the structure of a rap song can be very expressive in the lyrical content I still don’t listen to it because its not melodic enough.


Plus, I have said that its not that serious because you were claiming that I was insulting someone's intelligence so I said its not that serious…..lol, I’m entitled to my own opinion.

One simple statement

It sets black people back 100 years. Its Jim Crow/Sambo minstrel music for the 2000s. It makes black people look bad, we have so much more culture than this shit.

I actually like hip hop as a form of music, but I don't like the cultural trends toward superficial stuff like money & sexism, being street, or the fact that it has grown to where so many people seem to be saying the same thing. It seems to be moving away from the knowledge & creativity that is used to embody. What was once subversive has become dinosaur rock, whether the lyrics are x-rated or not.

The fact that it has more lyrics than other forms of music has become a trap because it means you should also be saying more. But people are talking a lot & not saying much.

I also don't like the general attitude where it sounds as if the rapper is sneering at me like he doesn't like his own listeners. When someone sneers at me I would just assume be as far from them as possible and that's why I don't listen to popular hip hop anymore.

SavonOsco said:

I stand corrected....8th grade in her case....her flow is....Aiiiight. If she is the best out right now.....Someone start playing taps for Hip-Hop!

Huggiebear said:

I agree,that's why I try my best to give shine to the other forms of hiphop.

panther514 said:

She's 12th grade at least..lol..but hold the taps music,She's not best out..I used as an example of an alternative to Souther rap music.That vid up there of that freestyle is a perfect example of superior rhyming skills.

Huggiebear said:

Well I don't listen to it, lol So to me it don't exist, but they ain't getting my money. I still love hip-hop.

Timmy84 said:

Exactly..I've never listened to it and never will.I just refuse to be bunched up with that..or the hiphop I listened to(positive rap).

SavonOsco said:

Right. It's like just because I come from the South doesn't mean I'm bombarded by all of it. There's wack rappers and great rappers in the South, it just depends on personal taste. To me some of the hip-hop is quite ignorant but I never pay it no mine that's when you mention a new rap artist's name, I turn into Scooby Doo like "herr? "

Huggiebear said:

and BET and hip hop videos are nothing but 21st Century minstrel shows of black folks as well this foolishness materialism and this cycle of ignorance in our community needs to stop and i think black music needs to go back to its roots and reframe on that as well as ourselves

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

c'mon now.....what else are drug dealers, gang bangers and crack whores gonna listen to?

NDRU said:

theres alot of good non mainstream hip hop music outthere from all over the world

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

BET should just change to IE (Ignorant Entertainment).

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

It's been stated plenty of times that once Bob Johnson sold BET to Viacom,all of their programming went to shit.Viacom also own MTV and serveral other channels and it's not even that hard to tell how the programming has changed in many other channels that are owned by Viacom.The question has always been WHY?

I used to like rap right up until 2007 mainly when Soulja Boy didn't become a one hit wonder and when T Pain started appearing on every single track ever. The artists I listen to now are basically the only ones who haven't worked with him

I despise auto tune now, I hate the sexist videos, I hate that there's NO female rappers whatsoever these days, I hate that there's no originality just repeating the same lines over and over, I hate that there's no message behind the lyrics like there always used to be (even as recent as Eminem's work like Lose Yourself), I hate the N word, I hate the glamourising of violence and sexism and how there's no balance now it's just all men...I could go on...

purplesweat said:

please don't go on...we have heard it before

take this

PurpleDiamond2009 said:

I believe that.

I am not in a place where I'm seeking out lots of underground music, but I am sure you're right, and that it's true about all forms of music, not just hip hop.