I'll let one of the member of the founding groups of the genre explain it to you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3fnIpqR1fI Title of the song should say it all. Ironically, the 3 reasons you list make me think of the top mainstream over the decade. You know like N'Sync, Brittany Spears, Christina Aguillera, etc. None of them play, write, or create. Just perform. At the same time, many of the original rap artists played instruments and knew music theory. Making beats is a process & a choice. Sometimes an instrument is played and overlayed into it but that's the point. Some people LIKE beats & old school samples run electronically. But then if some of you rap haters prefer this emo stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A2Jt4WOxN8) I understand your dislike of the former. Is Celine Dion a prime choice by you as well?
My previous quote reminds you of Britney, N'Sync, etc.??? You are obviously NOT a musician. Forget those 'artists' as well. They lip-sync other writers music and follow some choreographers dance moves. If anything, respect the songwriters. No I don't like emo stuff. As far as Celine Dion, at least she sings... and sings in key. Rappers talk (when you can understand them) and rhyme (some of the time). Big difference. I don't care if someone likes "beats and old school". Listen to whatever you want. It's the people that actually think there's talent behind it (there isn't) and put down music with actual ability that insult their own intelligence. Rap ruins the african-american culture. Listen to jazz, Motown, or funk instead. Lots of fantastic musicians in those types of music.
Its got nothing to do with Napster....it all relates too and is rooted back to the drug trade of the mid 80âs. Investing in Music (rap) was an easy way to launder drug money. Gangster rap gained all its popularity (and financial backing) from the huge drug trade that took place in Queens and New York in the late 80's. If you do some research about the big drug dealers (Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff - the "Team Supreme" drug gang)....they all used rap music as a way to launder their drug money. They invested the âdrug moneyâ into rap labels which now evolved into some of the big major rap record labels (Murder Inc/Def Jam)...and all those NYC rappers were somehow related to the drug trade business of the late 80âs (Irv Gotti, 50, Nas, Ja Rule, The Game, Jam Master J) - they basically wrote songs about that whole crack epidemic that funded their music/genre. Iâm guessing that when urban crime rates decline âgangster rapâ music will also show a decline.
Why? I never said it was good music, it's all generic teeny bopper crap. Those writers are sell outs just like the performents. Her music is like torture to my ears. Depressing. Great voice though. You mean like James Brown, Marvin Gaye, MJ (pre 1990), Rick James, Bobby Bird, Isley Brothers, etc.? My MP3 is filled with them. Maybe that's why I can hear their sounds in the rap songs of late 1980s, early 1990s. I love Funk, it's my favorite genre. Almost every founder of rap genre paid tributes to these artists, who were their influence. If you can't hear the sound, even from harsh NWA songs, then you are simply biased. Look up the Jazzmatazz series by Guru. A lot of creative work by a collaboration of artists went into that. It is essentially a rap/R&B album.
Suge Knight pretty much shows it, he is a ganster to the core. Easy E founded Ruthless Records with his profits from drug dealing.
Baroque all day every day, and pop stuff at the beer place in the afternoon, but some anti-social heavily armed clowns yelling foul language and threats at me.... ridiculous. I can play country blues and sing with a guitar and essentially I examined that stuff one day and decided its fairly worthless too.... It's amazing what a music appreciation class can do for one's musical enjoyment..