Rap Music

Very over rated. I always thought that this type of music should be maybe a cult type of music phenomena, but as a popular music, it sucks! The artist just aren't that talented as singers and it sounds silly and poor to me. Give me a good old fashion rock song by a talented group like Rush or Van Halen anyday!

Chronologically Rap music as about at the stage that Rock and Roll was when in the middle 70's when bland faceless product was flooding the market and a few mega-stars were milking the fans of the genre with safe, time-tested material. In time we will recognize Rap equivalents to huge hits like Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, The Eagles Hotel California and Frampton Comes Alive. In fact Black-Eyed Peas the E.N.D. just might be that landmark of mass market success. I think Rap is at a turning point and will either experience a punk-like revival or fade into relative niche obscurity like the mellow California soft rock of Firefall and England Dan and John Ford Colley.

Once upon a time I could listen to Hip Hop and Rap and never, ever get bored. Every artist I listened to back then had something different to bring to the table instead of the monotomy of women, guns, money, status and power. I hate what some of these youngsters are listening to today. The saddest thing is they don't get their moneys worth as it all sounds the same. When I was 15 I would happily spend £15 ($10) on an album. Now I wouldn't even dream of it as I stated earlier you don't get your moneys worth. These music execs are not interested in the quality of the music. Only how much money they can make and quite frankly the majority of it sucks. If a youngster listens to the new Hip Hop or rap I would easily direct them to A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, Leaders of the New School, Black Sheep, Das Effex, Eric B and Rakim or Lords of the Underground as opposed to that knucklehead Fifty Cent and that village id... Read more

"Old-school" rap is sometimes quite catchy, but I don't venture too far out of that realm.

How much harm rap has done is debatable, but it sure hasn't done any good.

I'm with Irishgit on this one. Generally speaking, I consider my musical tastes relatively diverse and eclectic, but, for the very first time in my life, I feel old and out-of-touch, because I just do not get rap or hip-hop. I like some of what I've heard...Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Tupac Shakur...but most of it leaves me cold. I'm starting to remind myself of my father from back in the day when I was a little kid. Dad would buy me the records I asked for (some of them, anyway) but he wasn't a big fan. I can remember him passing by the room where I was listening to a Rolling Stones record, shaking his head as he listened, and saying to me, "How can you listen to that crap?" (I sometimes wanted to ask him the same thing when he put on Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby.) Now, I find myself in a similar position. Kids walk buy with their boom-boxes blaring, looking like Eminem or 50-Cent wanna-be's, and I want to ask them, "How can you listen to that crap?" Then again, that only means that I'm o... Read more

Thank you, GZA, and the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan.

I'm not a fan, and some of it is pretty awful, but just because I don't care for it doesn't make it the bane of society. Anymore than listening to the Stones or Cream or the Yardbirds was, despite what my mother told me.

I don't get or like this music, but doesn't mean that it's necessarily harmful. All I hear in this genre is filth, violence, and the lack of any talent. If you like it- good, I don't!

I personally don't like rap music of today (I think Old School Rap is a little better), but people who think that rap music is to blame for teen pregnancy, crime, and drug use have it all wrong.Whether I like rap music or not,it is still considered music.Music is art.ART DOESN'T MAKE PEOPLE DO STUFF.PEOPLE MAKE THEMSELVES DO STUFF!People's insecurities let them get pressured into stuff and often the outcome are teen pregnancy,crime, and drug use.

All i have to say is rap music is the only thing the black man has to him or her self slim shady was acepted into the black culture of rap bacause of his background its a struggle in the streets of the ghetto an rap aka hiphop helps the black an hispanic race express themselfs with out the use of guns or any wepon to harm another. Now rock in roll on the other hand that shit make people wanna kill people like in the columbine school shooting rock in roll did that shit an did a whole lot of other things aswell so rap is better dont hate on somthin you dont understand.

Rap all started from the streets of new york it went from young teenagers freestyling on the streets to a real music genre. people dont relize that some rap actually has meaningful lyrics and i dont see how it can be hurtful to society the genre is inspired by a lifestyle. rap has a strong message about povery racism and crooked poilce officers but if your only listing to mainstream rap then you wont know what real rap is about.

Oh, people, I've heard much worse lyrics in my younger days and even worse than that in the metal of today. Rap isn't any worse than any other music we have around. Like someone else said to me recently, it's all about the contents. I personally listen to all the different genres but especially love my Christian rap. Actually, hip hop started way back in the earliest days of life in Africa where they would chant various poetic lyrics to the sound of drums and shakers. I think some of it's pretty cool. I remember a time when my parents complained about the new music they weren't familiar with. We all have a right to be who we want. Rap can influence about as much as any other music. Stupid is as stupid does.

Rap music is inspired by a lifestyle, not the other way around. The problem ISN'T the music. On a side-note, I'm TIRED of people blaming music and video games for things that they're kids do...if you'd teach your kids right from wrong, fantasy from reality, we wouldn't have to worry about people shooting at officers because Grand Theft Auto or 50 cent tells them to.

When this genre first started, yes it had a message, about corrupt law enforcement, racism and poverty. That genre died with Tupac. Now it is a moral disgrace, about sex, booty, smoking weed, thongs, need I go on? Now I am no saint, but it blows my mind to imagine 40 years ago television would not show Elvis below the waist, but just turn on a music video now. A keyboard from Radio Shack and no musical skills at all and you can produce a song. And we wonder why few American kids go to college and study engineering anymore.

You call that spout of hateful noise music???

the disrespect of women is the problem i find in rap music.

Gives a horible image and example to our urban youth in particular.

For those of you aging fogies and intolerant ethnocentrists who dare to question the value of hip hop and its contribution to American society, I offer these inspiring words from Truwarier Records CEO, All-Star forward, and occasional plea bargainer, Ron Artest: "I think a lot of my aspirations are influenced by my hometown. Anybody from Queensbridge, although we try to go worldwide, global, everybody brings that hardcore feeling from the hood. And they try to make songs like or follow the leadership of, like, Nas and Mobb Deep. Every now and then, I find myself trying to be like them."

how can you all generalize rap to the poppy crap you hear on the radio. Yes their is bad rap, just as their is bad rock. But their are also incredibly talented rappers and rap groups like Talib Kweli, A tribe called quest, de la soul, the roots, common, mos def to name a few. ***oh there i go with my unhelpful comments again

To me, it is overrated. However, it would be a mistake to equate it w/ disco. Rap has stayed around much longer and will continue. It's example to impressionable youth has been damaging and will continue to be.

Yes !....... its singing gangsters. Imagine how strange it would be if Al Capone entertained you with song before gunning you down . WAZZUP with rap? Are you a tough guy or a poet....yer both???? A tough poet ? I never thought poetry and violence would work so well together I am impressed. What next...knitting gangsters ?

Rap music is here to stay. If it was overrated, why are they still playing it? C'mon, rap is good stuff. ... It's just that y'all don't like African-American achievements.

Ignorant, mindless,drug riddled,womanizing,over sexed,pointless,garbage...you get the picture.Update:I agree with Canadasucks!

louiethe20th how can you call this music? This isn't music, this is very loud noise with uncatchy rythem. Plus like Mad Hatter said who ever named Rap forgot to put the C in front of it.

You can't imagine how pissed off I was when I heard that a rapper had ripped off Crazy Train. That seems to be the trend in the music industry nowadays take another person's original ideas and expressions of creativity then remaster them. Even if either Ozzy or Sharon gave permission. The point is that instead of taking the time to make something new and original a rapper decided to make a song that already existed.

Well isent all music overrated.

Horribly overrated! To me, nothing but a repeative beat with agressive, sexist, violent, mean-spirited lyrics to go with it. Sorry, but I demand both creativity and optimism with my tunes!

I may not listen to it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't float someone else's boat. My mother didn't care for Rock music but that didn't make it any less valid entertainment for those of us who appreciated it.

Rap music lacks any significant message or artistic value. Seems to be dominated by poseurs and low-lives trying to find an easy way to make a name for themselves. The result is a product that is completely shallow, but yet a lot of people buy into it.

While there is some real talent in this genre,it is few and far between.Most of it is formulated,commercial garbage designed to keep kids ignorant and relieve them of their money.Occasionally,there is a real message being delivered with original music and an irresistable beat-but 90% of the time it's all this crap about bling-bling pimpin and other would-be gangsta posturing.

I still can't figure out how this is called music. Would someone put c back on the front of this type of music?

Really overrated. It's so lame I turn it off. Listen to 80's rap and you'll enjoy it.

It is already a parody of itself. What little actual artistic contributions that exist have been glossed over by wanna-bes and no-talent rip-off artists who seem to sample other music and call it their own. Pure style over substance.

I'm with GoneAway! It doesn't take much tallent to be a rapper they all sound alike to me and give me a head ache. While the old stuff was o.k. This new stuff is TERRIBLE!

Not too fond of Rap music. really there are no instruments just poetry in Rap. It must be popular to others since it is still around. I suppose some of it can be clever, not good when it promotes violence either.

Senseless noise and hardly what I would call music.

Not all rap music is bad, but unfortunately much of it sounds the same. I don't see how anybody could listen to this music all the time.

Although I am annoyed with the current state of mainstream rap, I also get annoyed with people who don't realize that there is rap music with substance out there. Most of it just doesn't get played on the radio or video channels.

Rap has always been overrated. When I think of how much great black artists like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Micheal Jackson, Prince, The Isley Brothers, the list goes on and how much they they were revered and the influence they had on music in their day it makes me sad. Whether you were a fan or a musician you wanted to be like them. I believe rap became popular because of the anger and sence of loss that there is amongst our youth nowadays. If you think its cool to be the loudest mouth in the crowd while your being shocking too, it might be your cup of tea. Being able to rhyme a little is cute but it hardly makes you a musician. I believe it will be a thing of the past soon. I have already noticed how nowadays rap has to have sampled music from a better song, naked women, dancers and vocalist all mixed in for it to sell. Thats because all the ignorant ranting is not interesting enough by itself. DUH! I would not pay a nickel to hear 50 Cent much less go see him. Rap music... Read more