Any Rap Listeners Here?

[DMFDxUconn]

I have a friend who made some CD's and gave me one to check out. Im not really a fan of Rap, but ive listened to it (rap music) over the years and some of it is really not that bad. Anyway, heres 3 of his tracks, go ahead and listen to them and leave a review here please. Be honest and please, be serious. Anyone can listen, just be honest with your review.

Track 6 "Pretty Boy"

Track 8 "Bounce"

Track 13 "Coke & Henney"

[Terra-jin]

As long as it isn't 'gangsta' rap, I'm cool with it.

[DMFDxUconn]

well, i'd have to say its mild ganster rap. to me it sounds a little like Tupac.

[Linguica]

Among different styles of rap, gangsta rap is my favorite genre. Although Eminem is my favorite hip hop artist, I do appreciate many old school rappers from the political rap movance, like Ice T , NWA, Public Enemy.

What makes gangsta rap particularly interesting in my eyes is the fact that it is related to ghetto reality. It shows gangsters' hard life and insecurities. Gangsta rap is revolutionary, it makes society move, it opens people’s mind against injustice and racial discrimination. Gangsta rap comes to hurt people’s closed minded heads, it shocks conservative mentality.

Gangsta rap has less to do with annoying partys, big cars and jewels. It is a huge call for justice. The mirror of the ghetto in its uglyness is here to haunt a rich white man’s head, it is a strong weapon against the Establishment.
Blacks have been enslaved, humiliated and even worst assimilated by Whites. Gangsta rap pictures Black differently : it brings them back to their roots, it shows them they they can be a threat to whites who despise them and belittle them.. They can shoot policemen who discriminate them, they can be a white man’s nightmare if they want to. They are ready –at least symbolically- to assassinate deputies and ministers. They have the power to drop bombs on the government.

We need such shock values to fight racial discrimination.
Saul Williams expressed the injustice of the government against black people in his Dj Spooky remix « Not In Our Names – The Pledge Of Resistance » :


We believe that as people living
in the United States it is our
responsibility to resist the injustices
done by our government, in our names

Not in our name
will you wage endless war
there can be no more deaths
no more transfusions of blood for oil

Not in our name
will you invade countries
bomb civilians, kill more children
letting history take its course
over the graves of the nameless

Not in our name
will you erode the very freedoms
you have claimed to fight for

Not by our hands
will we supply weapons and funding
for the annihilation of families
on foreign soil

Not by our mouths
will we let fear silence us

Not by our hearts
will we allow whole peoples
or countries to be deemed evil

Not by our will
and Not in our name

We pledge resistance
We pledge alliance with those
who have come under attack
for voicing opposition to the war
or for their religion or ethnicity

We pledge to make common cause
with the people of the world
to bring about justice freedom and peace

Another world is possible
and we pledge to make it real

A gangsta rapper is not only « gangsta » in his words, he is also an engaged person. A person who is decided to fight against the government’s lies and injustice.The lyrics of Ice T’s song « Colors » may look as a racist song against white people but it must be viewed much much as a stong call against injustice and racial discrimination :

« But my true mission is just revenge
you ain't in my sect, you ain't my friend
wear the wrong color your life could end
homocides my favorite venge… »

A revenge for being born the wrong color(in a white racist’s mind). A revenge for being hated on and killed by the police.
In Ice T’s lyrics ,there is a situation reverse : Ice T changed the situation to his advantage : he is the leader and the white man appears to have the wrong color. He has the powe rof life or death on this man’s head.
Some people may be shocked. Why so much hatred, so much violence ? Because you were the first to show violence and hatred towards black people and you need to realize it.
Some people even seem to ignore what black people have been through. There was a time,,education was denied to Blacks. There was also a time black graduates were forced to take blue collars jobs…
« White America » needed a spokesman. Eminem is engaged in his fight against racial discrimination. His mission is to open suburbans kid’s eyes to the ghetto misery.
Eminem uses the advantage of his color to spread his voice where black M.C’s cannot do it, because they’re(unfortunately) limitated to black channel and radios.
Eminem’s story teaches white men a lesson. He’s been bullied by Blacks and he never retaliated. He has fought to be recognised as a white MC in a mainly black audience. He wanted to be part of the lanscape. Eminem’s story is a lesson of tolerance and it also shows white people that they are not the only ones to be able to hate.

No matter if you’re Black or White, keep it gangsta.
Quoting Fabolous :

« Y'all know who
Keepin' it Gangsta
We come through
Keepin' it Gangsta
Y'all know how we do
Keepin' it Gangsta
My whole crew
Keepin' it Gangsta »

[DMFDxUconn]

so... what do you think of the 3 tracks i posted here?

[Psyonisis]

,

[Naked Snake]

I like gangsta rap (hell, I used to call myself BigBadGangsta) but modern rap just annoys me. I don't care about a rich ignorant fuck rapping about how he's a rich ignorant fuck.

[Terra-jin]

I won't deny that discrimination is bad, but so is the attitude of most gangsta rappers. Their seeming love of criminality makes their cries for equal rights a bit hypocrite in my opinion.

I say this because of the 'gangstas' that roam the streets. Here in Holland, there are guys like that in almost every city. All they ever do is to deal drugs and to call every by-passer names. Should you reply to them, then they'll come after you. That's the attitude I hate so much in gangstas.

While I of course disapprove of discrimination of any kind, I think that these little criminals don't deserve to be treated better. If they want equal treatment, does that mean we get to harass them on every turn?

Perhaps it'd be more fitting to say that the rap that emphasizes criminal behaviour and 'playing' is generally bad. If it's for real, like Eminem, then it has my respect.

[SYS]

Cypress Hill is my favorite rap group. Not sure what genre of rap or hip hop you'd stick it under. I understand the whole movement of gangsta rap empowering the opressed blackman. But I hate wiggers. Perhaps it's a way of getting rich, suburban white idiots to sympathize with the opression of black people, but the fact is, they are still being made fun of and laughed at by both rich and poor, black and white alike, for being that which they are not. Of course Eminem never retaliated against the blacks that kicked his ass and ridiculed him, he wouldn't have been able to be an MC. Besides if he did fight back he woulda just been another white boy in a body bag.

I hate all this main stream bullshit about the fucking bling, the chrome, the bitch, the ho, the pimp, the N*gga. I have a real big appreciation for the blues. BB KING, Lucky Peterson, could go on and on listing blues artists. When you go to the blues shows it's a great atmosphere, white & blacks talking, dancing, and drinking together. Having a good time in each other's company. It's all about the music. I believe the blues makes a bigger statement about the oppression of blacks rather than souless "gangsta, gangsta" shit.

[Ralphis]

Preach it Rev. Stine AMEN

[Amaster]

I listen to rap and I am here.

[insertwackynamehere]

I like stuff that sounds real, not that fake MTV crap. That goes for all styles of music.

[Demon Hunter]

I think that the words can sometimes be good, but let's just face it, almost every fucking rap video and song (if you can call them songs) that I have ever seen have stereotyped white people pretty much as stupid infreior dumbasses. Hell, every time I go to school, it is the kids who listen rap are the ones that are picking on white students. Last year at my school a kid was almost beaten to death for saying that he didn't agree with the lyrics in rap. Hell, I listend to the song that the kid didn't like. The dumbass was pretty much saying that you could do what ever the fuck you and no one can control you. He sang about killing police and fucked up shit like that. This dude was also singing about wanting people to kill their parents because they tell you what to do. I instantly snaped that CD to peices.

I think that rappers shouldn't be so biggot toward white people on their records. Their are better forms of rap music, but that CD was prue hatetred. I agree with POTGIESSER, rap shouldnt be about the matrialistic bullshit. With the cash that these people make they can aford anything, but who cares! I'm probably never going to own three mercades (or one for that matter). I like blues and stuff like that. Stuff with meaning, not stuff about how many goldiging Ho's you can fit in the back of a bendz.

[ducon]

I hate rap, disco and commercial music. I prefer metal, industrial and repetitive music. Sometimes I listen to classical, folk, blues or jazz music.

[DMFDxUconn]

13 replies, and not one of em applies to this thread. I appreciate everyones opinions on rap music in general, but i came to you all for your opinions on the posted tracks. So please guys, if you could, give em a listen and be honest with what you think about em.

[gatewatcher]

They suck.

[Spike]

I can't say i really care for rap; however, i do have a thing for Clawfinger - it dawned on me how their vocals could easily be applied to a rap song without anyone noticing the difference.

In the meantime, sorry, but the posted tracks have zero appeal to me :/

[myk]

ducon said:
repetitive music.

What's that?

[ducon]

myk said:

What's that?

Charlemagne Palestine, Steve Reich, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno...
I especially remember having played Quake with Eno's Neroli as background music.

[deathbringer]

"Goldie Lookin' Chain" fucking rules, "The Streets" are shit, West coast (wales) 4 eva!

[Sharessa]

ducon said:

Charlemagne Palestine, Steve Reich, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno...
I especially remember having played Quake with Eno's Neroli as background music.

I do believe that is called ambient. At least according to Ishkur's Guide it is. :P

Anyway, I don't care much for rap, but I don't hate it either. It's rather fun in small doses.

[Scientist]

Listened to the rap songs. They're nicely preformed and all but they don't add anything new. I mean, these songs are just some ordinary rapsongs; nothing innovative.
(Don't like rap btw.)

[ducon]

Danarchy said:

I do believe that is called ambient. At least according to Ishkur's Guide it is. :P

You're right, the two first ones are real repetitive music, the two last ones are more ambient. But Neroli is very repetitive too.