The Rap Thread (new title for an old thread).

[Mykesbass]

Just now, Paul S said:

😂  Perhaps you should have added the phrase

'and only people that agree with me are allowed to post, or I'll get shirty'

😂

Just saddened that this time around there has been such peurile negativity. Any sensible criticism would be welcome, but comparing DJ Shadow to roadworks, or the lame 30/35 second "quips" is not the level of discussion I'd expect from fellow musicians.

[Mykesbass]

2 minutes ago, Cato said:

Personally I think rap tends to divide people along generational lines.

My parents can't stand it, they still seem to see it as some some of unmusical upstart fad that will eventually fade away to be replaced by 'real music'.

Where as for me growing up in the 80s, it's always been part of the mainstream and there have been rap/hip hop/whatever albums in my music collection since I was a child.

Possible, but at 56 I'm probably not DJ Shadow's core market! I also love Tony Bennet, Led Zeppelin and Mozart's Grand Mass is one of my favourite pieces of music. Perhaps I'm just odd.

[upside downer]

4 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

Possible, but at 56 I'm probably not DJ Shadow's core market! I also love Tony Bennet, Led Zeppelin and Mozart's Grand Mass is one of my favourite pieces of music. Perhaps I'm just odd.

Or not set in your ways. Good for you. Take what you like, discard stuff that doesn't float your boat. Don't stick rigidly to 'genres'. It's all music.

[taunton-hobbit]

16 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

lame 30/35 second "quips"

Guilty as charged - now listen to some U Roy ..............

😎

[upside downer]

1 minute ago, taunton-hobbit said:

Guilty as charged - now listen to some U Roy ..............

😎

U Roy if you want to. Personally, I Roy 😁

[Woodinblack]

38 minutes ago, Cato said:

Personally I think rap tends to divide people along generational lines.

Not necessarily, there is some rap I absolutely love, and some I really can't stand, it is a very wide field

[Mykesbass]

34 minutes ago, taunton-hobbit said:

Guilty as charged - now listen to some U Roy ..............

😎

Perfectly happy listening to U Roy thanks.

[Reggaebass]

I used to listen to a lot of rap , and one of my favourite albums is , The Chronicle by Dre , I still have the battered original copy, well worth a listen 

 

[Cuzzie]

49 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I used to listen to a lot of rap , and one of my favourite albums is , The Chronicle by Dre , I still have the battered original copy, well worth a listen 

 

That’s quality.

@Mykesbass are we just talking recent rap, or we digging up old tunes, bearing in mind I haven’t read all pages.

i have just been listening to Black moon and Mobb Deep as well as the Chef Raekwon

[Cuzzie]

Oh and DJ Format

[DJpullchord]

 

[steantval]

3 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Just saddened that this time around there has been such peurile negativity. Any sensible criticism would be welcome, but comparing DJ Shadow to roadworks, or the lame 30/35 second "quips" is not the level of discussion I'd expect from fellow musicians.

Guilty as charged.

I expect fellow musicians to have a certain degree of humour, just chill out and don’t take comments too seriously 😐 

Edited February 19, 2020 by steantval

[PaulWarning]

I don't like rap, I like a melody, but then I'm over 60, my Dad didn't like Jimi Hendrix, couldn't understand that at the time, but I can now

[Islander]

I'd challenge anyone not to find this performance powerful:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXLS2IzZSdg&feature=youtu.be

[Mykesbass]

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

That’s quality.

@Mykesbass are we just talking recent rap, or we digging up old tunes, bearing in mind I haven’t read all pages.

i have just been listening to Black moon and Mobb Deep as well as the Chef Raekwon

Go wherever it takes you! Looking back over the thread I think pretty much every era has been covered.

[Mykesbass]

46 minutes ago, steantval said:

Guilty as charged.

I expect fellow musicians to have a certain degree of humour, just chill out and don’t take comments too seriously 😐 

I do have a sense of humour thanks.

 I also have a sense of respect to other artists, even if I'm not a fan of their music.

[Mykesbass]

16 minutes ago, PaulWarning said:

I don't like rap, I like a melody, but then I'm over 60, my Dad didn't like Jimi Hendrix, couldn't understand that at the time, but I can now

That's fair enough. Thanks for a considered response.

[Woodinblack]

4 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Just saddened that this time around there has been such peurile negativity. Any sensible criticism would be welcome, but comparing DJ Shadow to roadworks, or the lame 30/35 second "quips" is not the level of discussion I'd expect from fellow musicians.

It's hard to sensibly criticise music when you don't like it. There is no way I would listen to 30 seconds of Oasis, so it would be impossible for me to critisise it beyond it being a whiney dirge. If you really don't like something it is hard to say why.

[Newfoundfreedom]

10 hours ago, Islander said:

I'd challenge anyone not to find this performance powerful:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXLS2IzZSdg&feature=youtu.be

I like the piano. 

In all seriousness though. Musically someone talking over a drum beat, or piano in this instance, doesn't really do anything for me. It never has.

Lyrically it was great, and while I appreciate the sentiment, as I white man growing up in a very poor northern mining village during the pit closures, the struggles of the black man don't really resonate with me. Where I'm from, everyone was sh@t on equally, regardless of the colour of your skin. 

I suppose that's always been my problem with rap (at least the stuff I've heard). It's either black politics, or some narcissist talking about how great they are, f*#king B#tches and hoes, and shooting guns. Funny how a genre which often creates music about racism and being black and downtrodden, is simultaneously unbelievably derogatory to women. 

This is the point where I'm usually told that this is my white privilege talking. Because only white people can be racist, right? 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Newfoundfreedom

[Bilbo]

Not read the whole thread but I wanted to add my fourpenn'th.

 

I don't like the genre and it does absolutely nothing for me but I understand it's appeal to young people. It's the same as Punk; accessible to ordinary people who want to create without having to do 10,000 hours of practicing, without spending thousands on gear and lessions and without having to have a good singing voice. I don't like the stuff anymore than I like/d Punk but I can see why it is popular. I am not the target demographic so I wouldn't expect to like it. I can respect it - there are good practitioners and there are bad; bit like Jazz really.

[Cuzzie]

34 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I like the piano. 

In all seriousness though. Musically someone talking over a drum beat, or piano in this instance, doesn't really do anything for me. It never has.

Lyrically it was great, and while I appreciate the sentiment, as I white man growing up in a very poor northern mining village during the pit closures, the struggles of the black man don't really resonate with me. Where I'm from, everyone was sh@t on equally, regardless of the colour of your skin. 

I suppose that's always been my problem with rap (at least the stuff I've heard). It's either black politics, or some narcissist talking about how great they are, f*#king B#tches and hoes, and shooting guns. Funny how a genre which often creates music about racism and being black and downtrodden, is simultaneously unbelievably derogatory to women. 

This is the point where I'm usually told that this is my white privilege talking. Because only white people can be racist, right? 

The point I think about what you have said, liking the music aside is that I would argue it does resonate with you and where you came from. Your ‘race’ was your village

Society is being fractioned apart, you create an idea of ‘lesser beings’ and you poop on them, currently they are creating again the idea of ‘poor white’ to target them to increase xenophobia.

I dont agree with the derogatory nature of some lyrics, or using the N word etc no matter how they package it up, but for a second think about it in reverse, and this is prevalent to the knife crime issues we have. At present this crop/group of people see no light at the end of the tunnel, so they value themselves and others far less than they should, hence the live fast die young attitude, get what you can as it does not last. Yes some break free, see their errors, but not the vast majority.

not only whites are racist.
As you say, there is a white privilege, and yes you have it. Yes if we stood me next to you and we were hanging I’d probably get a second or 3rd glance above you. There are a huge number of other stats out there - I am not militant so won’t go into them.

However, it’s not always a privilege. Stand us next to each other on a dance floor, they would expect me to be better, start of a sprint race, expect me to win, start of a swimming race, expect you to win!

But, what is good is talking about it, and if you perceive injustice no matter how minor, not just race, but gender, and it can be simple things like a missed promotion, salary raise etc then we can all voice it and help the change to normality.

[miles'tone]

HIP HOP Evolution on Netflix is an outstanding lesson on the story arc of the genre. I've been picking out tunes along the way to play along with. A great lesson in playing simply and getting right inside the groove. It's making me pay such close attention to note execution, note length and picking hand technique that I can almost hear the crowd booing if I'm even a touch out 😄. 

It's really satisfying to totally lock in with a solid cool groove for 7+ minutes and eventually not hear yourself because you're playing so tight. It's like meditating. Good for the soul!

[Newfoundfreedom]

2 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

The point I think about what you have 

Society is being fractioned apart, you create an idea of ‘lesser beings’ and you poop on them, currently they are creating again the idea of ‘poor white’ to target them to increase xenophobia.

 

I can't argue with that. In fact I totally agree. It's one of the reasons I left the U.K. I've seen the decline for years. I'm now very much part of a minority in my county of residence, but I don't feel like I'm treated any way inferior. I don't think what's happening in the UK is anything to do with race. It's a wealth issue. It's rich verses poor. There are wealthy "elites" running the country, trying to gain more and more power. They want to keep the poor fighting amongst themselves to further their own agenda. Race is just another tool in their arsenal. A distraction to keep the masses from seeing what is really going on. 

Anyhow. This has wandered way off topic. 

 

As you were. 😉

[Cuzzie]

8 minutes ago, miles'tone said:

HIP HOP Evolution on Netflix is an outstanding lesson on the story arc of the genre. I've been picking out tunes along the way to play along with. A great lesson in playing simply and getting right inside the groove. It's making me pay such close attention to note execution, note length and picking hand technique that I can almost hear the crowd booing if I'm even a touch out 😄. 

It's really satisfying to totally lock in with a solid cool groove for 7+ minutes and eventually not hear yourself because you're playing so tight. It's like meditating. Good for the soul!

Massively agree with that, great program 

 

Rap/hip hop is spoken word to music, admittedly depending on the subcategory there will be rhyming differences, such as grime who repetitively use the same word line after line deliberately for the flow. Some raps are stories, so if you take Jay-Z he is a good story teller or Eminem’s Stan, that does it.

the best rap would be like a poem if you turned the music off, which is what Dave’s is

[Cuzzie]

1 hour ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

I can't argue with that. In fact I totally agree. It's one of the reasons I left the U.K. I've seen the decline for years. I'm now very much part of a minority in my county of residence, but I don't feel like I'm treated any way inferior. I don't think what's happening in the UK is anything to do with race. It's a wealth issue. It's rich verses poor. There are wealthy "elites" running the country, trying to gain more and more power. They want to keep the poor fighting amongst themselves to further their own agenda. Race is just another tool in their arsenal. A distraction to keep the masses from seeing what is really going on. 

Anyhow. This has wandered way off topic. 

 

As you were. 😉

It’s a good meander, and is completely on topic IMHO. Race is another tool in the argument I agree, but the unfortunate thing about race, or gender or mental health etc. is that it is a stigma and tool that can be used against someone no matter what the financial status is, Meghan Markle, black sportsmen in the press case in point.

But, for you, really glad you are in a community that suits you and provides equality, that’s all we can ask for.

For me music across genres is picking out influences, so rap/hip hop done well leans towards blues, soul Motown etc. Even Metal/rock goes across genres. Listen to Helmet and there are a heap of jazz influences in the timings as Paige Hamilton was a jazz musician primarily.

Fishbone is ska, punk, reggae, rock all mashed up.

Back to hip hop look a band called The Roots - they play all their own instruments and were great live, here is an example

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Cuzzie