Is Rap a valid musical form?
This has been way more than the progression away from tubes to SS!
Believe the world of Hip Hop has been around and evolving for around 5 decades.
And for most of that time I have dismissed and avoided that world and its “music”.
So angry, offensive and abrasive. Just a bunch of rhythmic yelling.
I believe my former thread was titled “Why Rap?”. Through that discussion and somewhat of an understanding that this must be a new art form that engages and entertains millions if not billions. That and a long standing belief that if a type of music or a particular artist attracts many, many fans there must be substance and quality there. Even if I personally don’t particularly like it there must be something there.
Rap and the Hip Hop world was always so foreign and culturally untouchable.
Then my Rap thread and several others at that time got me rethinking my perspective and I watched a video of a group of student performance musicians at Juilliard all exclaiming their fascination with a Rap artist named Kendrick Lemar and his “masterpiece” “To Pimp a Butterfly”. I bought the double LP. Trying to listen to it turned out to be difficult because of my old view of Rap and that of the world of Hip Hop. But it was also becoming clear that this was truly something of significant interest. However, I just listened to the two discs only once-with some difficulty.
Today, after several weeks, I hesitatingly pulled the album out again. And to my surprise and actually delight hearing it with fresh ears it grabbed me and would not let go. I immediately heard the brilliance of a multi faceted, and to me, all new experience in sound. Not unlike great 20th century or progressive Jazz it evolved from section to section with a plethora of fascinating, yes musical, experiences. Tonal, atonal, percussive, rhythmic, breathing combined with incredible, energetic tongue twisting strings of mostly unintelligible words. And not merely angry yelling.
Sure, a ton of F bombs but words that don’t flow over you like lovely other genres but invade the psyche and don’t let go. Not particularly pleasant but gripping and interesting in its complexity. Words delivered with such power and drive which acted as a rhythmic counterpoint. It was impossible to turn away or turn off.
And speaking of turned off, the experience was the opposite of that. Stories of life undeniable human. Yes, driven by bitterness, anger and raw emotion. Impossible to dismiss it as not deeply felt.
I do think “To Pimp a Butterfly” is unique. But I also believe that there must be much more in this Hip Hop world that has deep musical interest. Some time ago I heard Drake on SNL perform a song that was amazing though not really Rap. Rather an advanced and unconventional musical form. I hear similar musical threads throughout “Pimp”. I did get a CD of Drake. “Scorpion”. I also could not absorb it in my first listen. I look forward to the next, fresh listen. I did try to hear several YouTubes of some very successful Rap artists. They mostly lacked the interesting musical themes threaded through. “Pure Rap” with just the rhythmic words-not my cup of tea. But a musically valid form none the less.
@crouse99 I've like that since 1st exposure, like the beat and enjoy the expression. *G* @jssmith , the best answer I can have is: If you don't like what it is, you can Always 'roll your own'.....I've always seen rap as an 'update' on rhythmic poetry. G.S. Heron in the 21st Century, and more of it. Can't say that I'm down with all of the bits....but I also lack the Black experience of life in the US when most (along with an awful lot of other races.... I shouldn't have to fill in the blanks for you on that....😒 BTW...As a youngster in SoCA, I could see the smoke from the Compton fires, and hear the sirens. To quote F. Zappa: I look at the back of my hands....that's not white....It's Called Beige. Albinos are white, and not outdoors a lot....if you suffer from vitiligo, you're patchy like a calico cat....not very pretty, and you'd rather stay indoors because people stare at you More. There is only one race, and it's called Human. (Note I've not mentioned 'humane'.) Color is genetic, and is unavoidable...and merely serves to divide us,, for whatever frelling rationale we seek to apply. YES, It's an Art/Music, and certainly VALID, regardless of the message. Why don't y'all grow up.....?😒🤨 |
Note to our hosts: I'm not cursing per se, nor do I see myself as singling out any viewer/poster/'interested party' for a drubbing in print....I'm just generally annoyed about the whole issue and general perceptions of the matter at hand. The rest of it is just the daily grind of the times...just like yours... ;) Yours, asvjerry |
....and dat's th' truoth, youth....(lisp rap) ...you heard it hear, firsth... ;) @dabel ...y'all had it comin' to ya', atcha', in your face, space, interfaced & interlaced....😏😁 Both start within & without of a ring...the 2nd a spoof of Dr. Strangelove, better lit? The opening 'gestures', both lead to strife of their type. But which violence do you prefer? Both end with a 'take out the trash' downer, one for Debbie & one for ma... @sonic79 ...and Thank You for that....*G* I'm in need of a 'loud fix' on a snow isolation sort of daze... ; ) and @rixthetrick...and they're getting to look a bit better while doing just that... ;) I, and I'll assume that a number of us have had the 'mixed mas of music' absorbed in our lifeform spans... I know I have...survived them all, so far ("...Death Metal doesn't stop him! Nothing! He finds 'beauty' in the chirping of a modem! We're doomed....and confused..." All genres have their peaks and valleys. |
@mglik , you’re not the 1st to query that... ;) @dabel can’t have the flashlight, I know what he’d end up looking at instead of the Mad mag....or Hustler....*tsk* ;)... @rixthetrick had commented ’elsewhere’ on my Walsh project diy speakers...and Yes, they like rap, along with most else. A process in progress...*s* @sonic79 just dropped a dime in my ears as to more I’d like to hear. Followed by a vague rant by yours unruly as to why I listen to nearly anything at least once. Sieve and repeat as needed.. ;) Some play at food...cars, coups, go through the alphabet. I play with English and speakers, the latter in a personal way beyond the box. So, there.... *G*
...saw a variation on the ’escape’ in John Wick #1, regarding recurring themes...;) |
(The Brain Police may confiscate the previous....read fast....) @holmz , I totally agree, frankly. Rap began before the name was made, but it hasn't really interfered with its' evolution(s). Hilltop Hoods is an excellent example of where the arguments of artistry dissolve.... Sung to the beat, string quartet intro....what's not to love? ;) Just trying to keep the neurons amused and the onboard pump doing its' own rhythm....
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@dabel , *rotflmao* and nearly having a 'Depends Descent'.... It's best that he's cool with his...'option'. Just think, you can rent it out...but it'd better stand up for whatever it's applied into...or on.....by... Lloyd's of London is your first call after the.....'discovery.' Ought to be the first thing (...well, perhaps, the Second) to do with the thing.... Funny that you mention such, but it's an 'adult audience' and everyone's' home from church....🙄....or whatever they've 'been up to...' "😏" To totally derail this thread (Rap? Yes and No co-exist; another cosmic leap. *S*): I actually found the Very Same Item 'Our...Hero?....ehh) found next to a burnt-out toaster oven. Very tempted to put signs out nearby: Found! 😜 One large purple |
...Now, there's a market segment ripe for 'fulfillment'....;) *L* Monday and it's still quiet out there.....I suspect there's a lot of us snowed into their homes today in AVL environs....spank the alarm, roll over, and drift back into Dreamland...*S* Impromptu 3 day weekends are rare enough... @dabel Glad to be of some version of 'consciousness distortion', and thanks for being the 'straight man' of a off-center poke at everymans' fav toy....;) "Not detachable, but goes off enough to keep a smile." *G* *sigh* I guess I ought to be fractionally productive today, and actually -work- *shudder* Oh, btw...apologies to rixthetrick and ricmech for confusing both...ric made a comment that I attribed to rix......but I'll be a snot and let you both figure out what i'm alluding to....but, no great shake of the earth involved.... Chalk up to MID.....'Multiple Identity Disease'...the only cure for it is pretty final.... Have a grate day, J |
*L* ric & rix, I’m just happy to straighten this out within my fetid mind... ;) @ricmech23, Yes, my diy Walsh do work surprisingly well, thanks. Low bass gets shunted to a Polk sub, as earlier versions would heat up the voice coils and get the magnets hot to touch. @rixthetrick, just wanted to let you ’in’ on the miscue.... :) Lincoln Walsh did comment in his patent that he could see his design literally made nearly that large ’for stadiums’ and sports venues. How the ’magnets’ would be achieved...?! They would be unlikely to be ’static’ as in ’normal’ speakers, more electromagnetic as in ’screen’ versions... I’m not sure I’d want to be next to one... As for the 2 guys in the pic....the one by the door would be smashed against it while the one at the foot of the steps would be afoot trying to get out of the way of the frame as it lunged towards him. That, and the door opening isn’t tall enough, so they’re screwed from word one....*L* Geeks being geeks....a forklift....no, a crane would be a better ’call’ on the task. But the magnet would have sucked up to the machine and made the whole process moot.... ...not to mention anything ferrous within a ? radius....or the wattage of the amp to drive it... Calls to mind a line from a song: "50 thousand watts of Funky!", and wires the diameter of your forearm....🤪 Cheers, guys...👍 |
@mglik *G* "I come in peace, I mean no one no harm." ;) It's been rumored there are those amongst us that follow my...'train of thoughts', however derailed it may interpreted by others. But the suggestion *EDM insert* Sorry...been in some state like this for 70.5 yrs. A habit that's a bit hard to 'recover' from.... I'll just go sit in the corner with my back to it, and just observe for awhile... ;) *good natured tease* (nothing more, nothing less...*S*) |
