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Most mainstream rap that floods hip hop airwaves and MTV does nothing but foster and embrace the "thug" and "get rich or die tryin" attitude and lifestyle. The lyrics are dumbed down to meet that age groups needs, and while it may not be "perverse" in its degree due to radio censorship, subtle sex and violence sells big time. Like you said in your post, mainstream rap is geared towards teens and young adults. This a very impressionable age group. It is also relevant that rap in general is favored by black and mexican youth, the same way heavy metal and alternative is by white youth. There will obviously be crossovers, but this is just the norm.
I've discussed this in other posts and it is relevant in this one as well. Youth emulate their idols. I believe there is a direct connection between violence in the black community and rap music. Think about this for a moment. Only roughly 7% of the U.S. population is black male, but roughly 40% of our prison population is black male. This is not all the fault of music, as poor upbringing (in money and quality both) play a major role, as well as the absence of a father figure in the lives of black youth (roughly 60% are in single family homes with the mother usually filling the post as parent).
The bottom line is that musicians, if thats what you want to call rappers, know what sells and they know their demographic well. Rap music exploits black youth and plays off of their insecurities. Educated members of the black community see this as a problem and many want to see a change. The problem is that youth will do what youth do, and by the time it matters, it is too late for many of them.
You make a broad generalization here and it's incorrect with misguided aim.. Rap music is the sponge that soaks up it's surroundings and when squeezed, releases the the liquid within. you can't blame the exploitation on the music. you have to first blame the labels for telling the artist "make your music like this or you don't get promoted". this is the root cause of the exploitation NOT the Rappers. all the rappers do is convey and relay. that's it. Their control is limited by the ones who control them. Or else KRSOne would be on Billboard and not Drake's wack ass.
You make a broad generalization here and it's incorrect with misguided aim.. Rap music is the sponge that soaks up it's surroundings and when squeezed, releases the the liquid within. you can't blame the exploitation on the music. you have to first blame the labels for telling the artist "make your music like this or you don't get promoted". this is the root cause of the exploitation NOT the Rappers. all the rappers do is convey and relay. that's it. Their control is limited by the ones who control them. Or else KRSOne would be on Billboard and not Drake's wack ass.
I know you probably see different, but the label and the artist DO NOT have to be one in the same. There are many quality musicians that have walked away from their label due to difference of opinions on varying levels. Money is all powerful. It is not about values, its about the paycheck. Therefore, most rappers will conform to these pressures.
Nobody controls anyone. Rappers make a conscious decision on their own. Just like a movie producer who slips an extra F-bomb or two into a movie, or a little more flesh to get that R-rating because it will bring in more money. It is all a conscious choice. Two years ago I left a very good paying job because I did not like the way the industry treated its employees. I left on moral principal, and have since used the time to work on earning my bachelors degree. I did not have to move on. I chose to. I took a giant loss in pay for what I believed in.
I do not believe your last "bold" statement is true. If it is, it's nothing more than a sell-out on the part of the artist. If that is the influence the kids are under, I feel even more sorry for their future.
I know you probably see different, but the label and the artist DO NOT have to be one in the same. There are many quality musicians that have walked away from their label due to difference of opinions on varying levels.
And their careers suffered greatly unless they had some back up funding to keep themselves in the spotlight.
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Money is all powerful. It is not about values, its about the paycheck. Therefore, most rappers will conform to these pressures.
Nobody controls anyone.
of course they do. you just said it...lol.
the Golden Rule -He who has the Gold(money) makes the rules.
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Rappers make a conscious decision on their own. Just like a movie producer who slips an extra F-bomb or two into a movie, or a little more flesh to get that R-rating because it will bring in more money. It is all a conscious choice.
apples and oranges. movie producers ARE the funding...rappers have to answer to the labels, who are the funding. Rappers can't do what they want. it's well known.
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Two years ago I left a very good paying job because I did not like the way the industry treated its employees. I left on moral principal, and have since used the time to work on earning my bachelors degree. I did not have to move on. I chose to. I took a giant loss in pay for what I believed in.
You obviously had someone helping you survive. who bought the food and paid the bills why you went back to school? anyway you can't put yourself in the same shoes as a rapper, who first off didn't have a good paying job to leave in the first place, and second, if he walked away from the record deal(good job) probably wouldn't have somebody to fall back on like you did. and anyway, who walks away from good money in THIS economy. I guess your "good paying job" wasn't so good paying after all. or you never would've left. Money determines decisions. period.
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I do not believe your last "bold" statement is true. If it is, it's nothing more than a sell-out on the part of the artist. If that is the influence the kids are under, I feel even more sorry for their future.
It's the sad truth. if you don't do the monkey minstril dance for the labels, you won't get in the game. THEY control it. WE don't. if WE did, this thread wouldn't be a topic of discussion.
And their careers suffered greatly unless they had some back up funding to keep themselves in the spotlight.
of course they do. you just said it...lol.
the Golden Rule -He who has the Gold(money) makes the rules.
apples and oranges. movie producers ARE the funding...rappers have to answer to the labels, who are the funding. Rappers can't do what they want. it's well known.
You obviously had someone helping you survive. who bought the food and paid the bills why you went back to school? anyway you can't put yourself in the same shoes as a rapper, who first off didn't have a good paying job to leave in the first place, and second, if he walked away from the record deal(good job) probably wouldn't have somebody to fall back on like you did. and anyway, who walks away from good money in THIS economy. I guess your "good paying job" wasn't so good paying after all. or you never would've left. Money determines decisions. period.
It's the sad truth. if you don't do the monkey minstril dance for the labels, you won't get in the game. THEY control it. WE don't. if WE did, this thread wouldn't be a topic of discussion.
Par 1.) If their material was of any remote quality, another label would pick them up without much hesitation. Your emphasis seems to be on the "spotlight" aspect. Most artists are not in the spotlight constantly. If that aspect and maintaining "cred" are all the music is based on, it is obvious why most of their careers are so short lived. That's sad. Maybe they should have had a backup plan before starting out.
Par. 2) That is the norm, but it doesn't have to be. I guess that's the Golden Rule in the rap world. That is expected, seeing in every video how they worship material possessions, ho's and bling. This is how they mislead the youth. When they (the youth) realize that these things are accessible only for the small minority, many then turn to crime (the thug aspect of the music). Once again, an impressionable youth can be a dangerous thing if raised outside a decent environment.
Par. 3) My mistake. I meant the director. And if the director is the producer, I guess that is the case. Do all rappers have a label or are some their own producers? When you say that rappers can't do what they want, I need you to explain further. Is this limitation strictly on rappers, or do all musicians face this dilemma? If I was a musician, I would want free reign over my own material. I'm not going to play music or sing lyrics that are contradictory to the things I value and admire. I guess I'll be a failure then.
Par. 4) I don't see a need to explain my life to you, but since you decided to insinuate that I am a freeloader of sorts, I feel inclined to do so, not that you could probably care less anyway. When I was making decent money, I was saving as well. And yes, my wife is covering many of our expenses while I am in school. My financial aid cost of living allowance is picking up the difference. And when I get back in the saddle again in 14 months, she will return to school to achieve her nursing degree, and I will do the same for her. When I left my job 2.5 years ago, the economy had not tanked yet. And in that same time frame, the population at American learning institutions has close to doubled as people want to make themselves more marketable in the workforce once this recession ends.
I ran freight trains for 8 years. Instead of being a slave to the grind for the rest of my career, I wanted my Bachelor's, as it is needed to be an FRA or NTSB investigator,
For me, happiness and health is paramount.
Newsflash: Money cannot buy either.
Money does influence decisions, but when it dictates and/or corrupts your integrity, it has defeated you. You are right, though. Sadly, in the real world, what you described is the standard.
You are sorely incorrect here. Be clear, This is a tactic used by the media to make you "think" they are separate when they are not. Hip Hop is the entire culture, Rapping is what the emcees of the culture do. If you didn't know that you're probably not a fan of the culture but more of a detractor.
A tactic used by the media? That is kind of odd because the media is the one that says hip hop is a culture and rap is a type of music. The media agrees with your statement, not mine.
I disagree. I believe they are two different genres of music. Rap was born from the old school hip hop but is a more commercialized, simplistic, pop music version of hip-hop which is far more intelligent and the best definition I have seen is that it is poetry to a beat.
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Originally Posted by OneJackson
They should be mentioned in the same discussion because they are all Rappers who are a part the Hip Hop culture.
No, they shouldnt. It is like comparing the Spice Girls to Led Zeppelin.
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Originally Posted by OneJackson
Saul Williams is not a rapper, he's a spoken word artist, please understand the topic title and discuss within the parameters.
I never said he was a rapper. He has actually defined himself as an alternative hip-hop artist and I would agree.
Par 1.) If their material was of any remote quality, another label would pick them up without much hesitation. Your emphasis seems to be on the "spotlight" aspect. Most artists are not in the spotlight constantly. If that aspect and maintaining "cred" are all the music is based on, it is obvious why most of their careers are so short lived. That's sad. Maybe they should have had a backup plan before starting out.
Lot of tight rappers never get heard but have hot music. so I disagree. and No my focs is not on the spotlight but more the lopsided view that the teenybop rappers like Soljah can hold a candle to some hot unsigned artists. So my concern is the outright pimpin of the culture that nobody seems to see but me.
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Par. 2) That is the norm, but it doesn't have to be. I guess that's the Golden Rule in the rap world. That is expected, seeing in every video how they worship material possessions, ho's and bling. This is how they mislead the youth. When they (the youth) realize that these things are accessible only for the small minority, many then turn to crime (the thug aspect of the music). Once again, an impressionable youth can be a dangerous thing if raised outside a decent environment.
So it goes back to my statements earlier, why sign a young punk when they are still green and wet behind the ears and not an older more seasoned rappers? why?..because the Industry is...not..controlled...by the fans or artists of Hip Hop...it's controlled by the labels..they are the industry pimps.
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Par. 3) My mistake. I meant the director. And if the director is the producer, I guess that is the case. Do all rappers have a label or are some their own producers? When you say that rappers can't do what they want, I need you to explain further. Is this limitation strictly on rappers, or do all musicians face this dilemma? If I was a musician, I would want free reign over my own material. I'm not going to play music or sing lyrics that are contradictory to the things I value and admire. I guess I'll be a failure then.
In terms of walking away from a deal. rappers can't do what tthey want. they have no creative control. they are puppets to the labels. so they "can" walk away, but why do that? all the label is gonna do is drop you and find a rapper that will do the monkey dance. So if you want control, start your own label because the major labels run Hip Hop with an iron fist.
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Money does influence decisions, but when it dictates and/or corrupts your integrity, it has defeated you. You are right, though. Sadly, in the real world, what you described is the standard.
That's all I'm saying. the landscape of Hip Hop has changed for the worse. Not until somebody like Master P or Jay Z or somebody with power buys out a major label, rappers will forever be slaves to the labels that are ruining Hip Hop..
It's a kiddie game ran by so called grown folks. If you're over 25, you do not matter anymore. They market the music to teens and early 20 year olds. Now I don't have a problem with people listening to Soulja Boy or whatever IN THE CLUB or at a party because that what that is. It's club music. Outside of clubs, the music has no business being played. I don't have none of that crap on my Ipod. I listen to the Jay Electronica, HISD, and of course, all the 90s hip hop since I grew up with it as I'm 26 now.
yeah I am turning 27 in a week I like G-funk and older dre and snoop I mean warren G and nate dogg were awsome on this track compare that to Soulja Boy I mean he raps about ghost riding the whip so it's aimed at teens
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