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When will rap music be less mainstream?

First time I heard MC Hammer’s song many years ago, I like the rhythm and thought it is quite unique. After that, all kinds of rap music pop up. I never thought rap music would be mainstream for such a long time in US. If you look at the music award ceremonies, you will find it being flooded with rap music. Sometimes I am not even sure rap can be considered as song because you don’t sing but speak. Now you start to hear rap music in some other languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean that don’t sound good in rap format. It would be interesting to hear rap music in Italian.

Time will tell if a song is good or not. A song is good if somebody want to play it for their loved ones on the radio 20 years later. I can’t imagine someone will play a rap for their beloved one 20 years later. Just curious if any A’gon member keep any rap collection?

Besides rap, I also have a feeling that the music industry in general is getting cheesy now. American Idol show gets huge attention while lots of singers perform at the bar or hotel can easily sing better than the idols. The show also asked Barbara Streisand if she watched the show and who was her favorite idol. What do you expect her to answer? People said Justin Timberlake is very talented singer/songwriter. I know him because I saw lots of headshot of him on commercials and magazines, but can you name any popular/well known song from him?
yxlei
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
Bongofury, point taken. For me though, it is simply a matter of taste. I have kids who play, or did play, rap music frequently. I listened to it and realized it wasn't for me. When I say wasn't for me, I mean I was not the target audience.
Listen and let listen is what I say. Still, I don't care to be assaulted while stopped at traffic intersections. Also, I'm sure there are people who take offense at the language when their small children are treated to it.
macdadtexas
1,794 posts
 
Darkmoebious, you are dead wrong on that. Be it Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or even Elvis Presley, all of the early rock 'artists' who with the exception of Elvis in that group, wrote their own songs, and my God PLAYED THEIR OWN INSTRUMENTS, gave huge credit to those whose music they were emulating.

Hollowing Wolf, Robert Johnson..... there are a ton of great blues ARTISTS who are revered, and rightly so, for their absolute greatness, and their role in the founding of Rock n Roll. You just need to read a little bit about the Rolling Stones, and especially Led Zeppelin, they all enthusiastically gave credit to their influences.

Also, they didn't just take their recordings, because they were not talented enough to play the music themselves, and write lyrics over them with a drum maching pumping out a bass line. Instead they took the music to a different direction and added their own slant on it, with songs written and played with the Blues as it's base influence.

Huge difference.
cjnolan
27 posts
 
Unfortunately like many of the best music and artists with modern indie rock and the like, the best rap/hip-hop tends to be overlooked. There is good stuff out there, some VERY good. I typically see these artists at indie music festivals. You'll never hear them on mainstream radio. And I've never heard these artists cranking on some skull rattling car stereo. I agree, mainstream rap/hip-hop pretty much sucks, just like mainstream pop and "alternative rock". (in my view).

But if you're a true music lover and haven't explored the genre, you should. Bongofury makes some good suggestions.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
If you believe that rock is king, look at hair metal. Foreigner. Stix. Maroon 5. Creed. Rock has produced a huge amount of suckage. I can think of 10,000 crappy bands that never held up. I find all your "rock is where it at--rap is crap" and "skull rattling" to be childish and ignorant. Sales success. Check. Fan acceptance. Check. Live Touring and Merchandise Sales. Check. Sometimes I feel this site is populated by gnomes who have not updated their record collections since 1976. The good old days are OLD. Stay fresh and be rewarded. Or as Bob Dylan said, "he who is not being born is busy dying."
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Macdad

You need to get your facts straight. As someone who has been in the music space for 30 years, you look foolish.

First, in terms of songwriting, Elvis did covers. Sorry. Very little was directly written or attributed by him. Many bands have ghost writers on their payroll in secret or the labels seek out hits for individual artists.

Second, as for instruments, very few Hip Hop artists sample anymore. Paul's Boutique, by the Beatie Boys, had $300,000 in "sampling" replay rights in 1989. After that album came out, few record companies were willing to front the bill on this. Most samples used are by the initation of the rock bands themselves, who are looking to cross-over into the younger demos. Sting was intimately involved in the P.Diddy song, as well as Steely Dan with Kanye West. You, as their core demo, are no longer buying records. Hip Hop still shifts tapes and CDs in volume.

Third, many Hip Hop albums use live in studio instruments to recreate piano, guitar, bass and drum parts. The bass heavy sound is usually added at post production and mixing. I have many studio musicians who play on these recordings. They are generously paid but do not receive playing credits due to royalty structures. I can also point you to The Roots, who have a weekly legendary club gig going in NYC, who probably have the best live drummer in the music space at the moment.
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