Crap called Rap and Heavy Metal...

Can We Really Call This Music...?

from JoeUser Forums
Rap and Heavy Metal...I hate it...(now that we got that out of the way we can continue) You've heard about all the violence that these types of music promote but I don't really believe it...just like the video game accusation...(Covered by my Friend Mr. Beeble @ http://deathbybeebles.joeuser.com) I just don't like the harsh crap and lack of good lyrics...it's all the same....always...never changing except in tone...Always about shooting, drugs, sex, drugs, sex, violence, sex, crime, and did I mention sex??? Anyway, if you compare today's "music" with music before the 1990's...you would see that today's crap sucks...its freaking depressing...(Note: Not ALL music of today sucks...some is actually pretty good but the more general crap can just drive me insane) I've never seen such an outbreak of Gothic people and others like that...*shudders in a cold chill* man they're creepy sometimes...and the music dosen't help lift their spirits like in the old days...Music used to tell a story, give advice, make you feel good, and sometimes make you sad...but only because you could relate and the beat was good and the message so very clear and true. Now all there that's left is violence and frustration to convey...and sometimes it does impact a bit on the mental capacity of some people who listen to that sh*t incessantly...Not to mention lose hearing because of that damn bass that could topple a damn building...but I'm sad to see that there are hardly any really good artists out there that come up with real hits that really MEAN something...
Also I theorize the only way that this is popular is because of peer pressure and that good old feeling that you need to be cool...¡Aye Caramba! the way people think...never for themselves...well, the majority at least...I'm just glad I still know people that have their own mind...namely everyone on JoeUser that likes to speak out...(Way to go!)

Anyway that's about all I have for now(Thanks Andy, for giving me this idea)----(you should also stop by http://apdelong.joeuser.com and his brother http://cyphr.joeuser.com(they're new so I'm giving them some publicity)

So until my next idea inspired or otherwise I bid you good fortune,
~Zoo
music
4,259 views 28 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Im not a big fan of Heavy, but I hate rap. Heavy can be defined as music because of the use of instruments. Rap usually cannot, cause thats waht it is, rap.. How would you define Heavy? Many say Metallica is heavy metal, but they have interesting and insightful lyrics, not just about sex, drugs, etc etc.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
Man, Zoo, I had barely pushed the "enter" button on my article when I saw yours. I guess we're feeling the same vibe. Here's a link to me: fillintheblank.joeuser.com

However:
"Great minds don't think alike. Great minds have their own thoughts."
- Some smart (ass?) guy
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Its kind of ironic how you call music depressing, seeing as how it was created to cheer people up, but I have to agree that the lyrics to most songs now are sad, mostly i got dumped boo hoo.

Anyways yeah music usually does have stupid stories. I know you don't like country (for the most part neither do I, but there is one exception) Johnny Cash. No, really I like his songs, not particulaly for the music but for the stories he tells.

In one tilted "A boy Named Sue" Is about, a boy named Sue, his dad left him and his mom when he was 3 with nothing but that name. As he grew up he got teased and beat up because of his name and he vowed to find and kill his father. He found his dad and his dad explained that he was able to fight so well because of the name. Anyways almost all of his songs have cool stories to them.

Another thing I was wondering about was how many people listen to the words of a song and how many listen to the music.

I listen to mainly the words, but one of my friends completely ignores all lyrics. Its weird because we have the same taste in music but we both listen to totally different aspects of it.

Anyway, if you compare today's "music" with music before the 1990's...you would see that today's crap sucks


Yes, a lot of music today sucks, but keep in mind that the stuff you are comparing (todays everyday junk) is usually matched up agianst classics. They are kind of two different levels.

Ok, theres my bit on music.

10-4
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I'm glad you brought up Johnny Cash because (as Al Franken points out) his music is incredibly violent. He speaks of shooting a man "just to watch him die." Just as bad, if not worse than a lot of ganster rap music out there.

Okay, I must say it is completely reckless to condemn entire genres of music. I'm not sure exactly what your personal thoughts are, but there is a lot of variation in both genres. There are, as contradictory as it sounds, Christian gansta rap and death metal artists. But beyond this there are an awful lot of rappers in my opinion that have some very conscious things to say. Granted their music probably won't be heard on the radio any time soon, or maybe even ever. But there are artists out there who might be able to expand your horizons beyond the narrow stereotypes that fueled this article of yours.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
I like pretty much all kind of music, rap, heavy metal, rock, oldies, country (only a few songs tho... "angie", by the rolling stones, has got to be one of my favorite songs.. Love metallica, their music is so moving to me, i like rappers that no one has really heard of, at least no one into just commercial rap, xraided and brotha lynch.. their shit is pretty morbid, "guess what daddy's bringing home for supper, nigga, nuts and guts and slabs of human meat motherfucka", sick, i know, but there's more that goes with the song, its more of an analogy at how far he'll go to feed his own and take care of his, but basically most music has a popint, if you listen closely enough to hear it.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
I would have read your article if it would have been written in paragraph-form.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
go listen to nas... ny state of mind.. ... (there is part 2 but the first one is untouchable)... it is full of metaphors and when you say that rap or whatever is crap.. you should think how much thought actually goes into the lyrics of the song... "my rhyming is a vitamin.. hell without a capsule...life is parrallel to hell but i must maintain", "i never sleep cause sleep is the cousin of death...", ... this is one of my favorite songs by nas.. but he gots so much better material in other songs....the thought he puts into lyrics is just amazing and in my opinion lot of rap songs have amazing metaphors and real life situations that the common middle class people dont experience like living in projects and problems arising with such..

p.s. an emerging underground rapper named immortal technique... is also a very sick artist... raps about america, governments, terrorism... lot of insightful information... etc,.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top
"...Always about shooting, drugs, sex, drugs, sex, violence, sex, crime, and did I mention sex???"

I'm curious as to how much rap and which rappers you have been exposed to. As far as hits go, major labels and radiostations make it difficult for artists with lyrics that are truely inspiring in most genres. Harmless shallowness will always be a component of mainstream America. As long as music videos exist, in addition to many related and unrelated reasons, sex will be in a good amount of demand for the general public, as it permeates all parts of our popculture. As for the shooting, you may have the "gangsta" rap in mind (only a fragment of the hip hop culture) that took prominence in the mid to late 1990s. You might like to check out Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Gangstarr, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Blackalicious, etc. You might appreciate the popular early 90s afro-centric band, Arrested Development, which has very catchy songs("Tennessee", "Mr. Wendell"). Some people might classify them not as rap, but as hip hip, to which I argue for the most is synonymous. These individuals/groups might appeal to you more because they might be more articulate than you have probably been exposed to.

Also, it is generally not unusual for drugs to be praised by an artist/musician no matter what particular audience it appeals to no matter what year it is.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
I admire where you are coming from, however I dont think you are a true connoisseur in music.

Rap simply has some of the best production in music. Some of the best tracks are by Cypress Hill - they rap about praying on your knees before they pop a cap in yo' ass, and that is not necessarily something I agree with at all - but from a musical point of view, the production is pinnacle level. Rap and Hip Hop is like a sub culture - yeah, it aint the greatest culture, but it gives some people a place to belong - a community where they can think they are hard core or whatever... I personally love rolling up to a party with some awesome hip hop playing in the car... it gets me pumped up for a fun night! I love bass, what can I say?

I also ask - how can you not admire the skills of those long haired freaks? powering a guitar riff for hours in front of a whole crowd of psycho's going crazy? Bands like Metallica and Sepultura dont get where they are because they play crap music. It's such a great release of tension and anger... I have spoken to people at gigs who look like the harshest mofo's, banging their heads like no-ones business, and when you talk to them, are are just good people rocking out to music they relate with!

I respect your opinion on these genres, but Everyone deserves music no matter what your choice is! just because you think it is crap - you have to try and see things from the other side of the coin!

BAM!!!
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I am not a fan of rap, so I cannot comment due to my ignorance of the genre.

However, as a real connoisseur of Metal I have to call you on your false assumptions and accusations. True, there is a lot of metal with terrible lyrics, but there are just as many "pop" songs with incredibly sexually loaded lyrics and crap as well. There are plenty of metal bands with lyrics that are both intriguing, interesting, powerful and uplifting. Making blanket statements about genres of music of which you are obviously ignorant isn't usually a good idea.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
PS - I also hate that your ignorant ramlbing has yielded such a large response.
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
Me, I am just hoping the author will come back and either defend his/her "ignorant rambling" or will admit to not really having a clue.
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
Ok, I actually am sort of a connoisseur of music but rap is not technically music...I understand that not ALL rap is bad...but you have to admit that there is a great deal of crap...I'm sorry but in my opinion its true...as stated above it makes and appearance in mainstream America and I'm fine with that...I'm just not a very big fan...most of today's rappers (NOT ALL) mostly suck...I still have rights to my opinion...and it may even have the slightest chance of being ignorant because I really don't want to do research about something that irritates me at such an extreme level...well that's about all I can really tell you...I'm not going to fight about this all the time...just throwing my opinion out there...
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
Also, most of what I stated in this article appears in hip hop/pop and all that crap...I know that my article can never cover an entire genre...you see I'm just kind of summing up the mainstream part...every form of music has a few mini groups in it that are either very good or very bad depending the the mainstream part...I know this is a very touchy subject for sum and I respect that you may like this kind of music and I really don't care...as you don't care what music I like...so don't fret over trying to prove me wrong or argue...I just won't spend that much time trying to change your minds...
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
And where are all these Goth people you're seeing? I haven't heard Marilyn Manson or NIN on the radio in a long time. And I've been to high schools recently to.....goth is nothing compared to what it was 6-7 years ago.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hey, Zoo, I am not asking you to argue or debate. I just want a simple admission that you made comments about things you really don't know.
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sorry, zoo, I just read your article and realized I can't finish reading the replies, my attention span isn't long enough.

"Great minds don't think alike. Great minds have their own thoughts."
- Some smart (ass?) guy

I think the guy you are thinking of is Geenie, from Aladin. He said it alot on Toon Disney. Trust me on this one. I know my cartoons.

Capt. over and out!
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
So Robin Williams then?
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sure, why not. I was going for the actual character himself but if you want to ruin my moment, then sure.

Capt. over and out!
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
I wasn't trying to ruin anyone's moment...sorry Capt.. I just thought you were possibly hunting for the actors name. So if you want to ruin my attempted contribution to the thread, then sure.

Suspeckted over and out!
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
Sorry to say this Zoo........but i'm sorta against you and sorta with you on this one. I happen to be a fan of most rap and heavy metal. I would say that I do hate Ja Rule though. I mean that man gets on my nerves so much. Have you ever heard that guy's voice? He sounds like Cookie Monster. lol. And he can't rap either. I do agree they promote violence, drugs, sex, etc, but if people can just get past what they say in the songs and just listen for the beat in the music. I mean come on, i listen to this stuff..........have I killed anyone? Am I on drugs? Do I go around and have sex with almost every guy that wants to? NO! And i would never do any of those.

~carebear~
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
Zoologist- Your statement of being a "connoisseur of music" bewilders me. Music, like any other kind of expression, has never been static. In every culture, it has evolved thorough influences of other types of folk music or technological achievements. Michaelangelo may not have envisioned Andy Warhol, just as fans of the minuet may not have envisioned (pick any type of dance in the past 200 years), just as Mozart may not have envisioned Elvis. To study a fragment of an era in which of a particular type of style began to have footing and tick off names, dates, patterns in the use of instuments, and its roots and influences, is one thing (as well as extremely extensive)-- to claim to be an expert in the entire range of styles and eras is rather, well, ambitious. As for your trepidation to try to understand a type of music...I don't really know how to respond to that. Like any other type of music, the more you listen, the more you gain. A step in appreciating something that you have no prior knowledge or experience of, is to understand its history, both musically and socially. To make a misconstrued analogy, think of musical artists as directors (both theater and film), and you have only seen a few recent violent blockbuster hits, to which you decide that most directors are lousy. Forgive me...I seem to be looking for every possible distraction from studying

Also, have you checked out any of the artists that I listed before? If you did, what do you think so far?
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top
I wasn't trying to ruin anyone's moment...sorry Capt.. I just thought you were possibly hunting for the actors name. So if you want to ruin my attempted contribution to the thread, then sure.

Suspeckted over and out!


Hey don't worry about it susp.

I was just kidding about the moment thing... and I thin the over and out! thing really works out pretty well for you.

Capt. over and out!
Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
well I don't need to borrow catchphrases, but I DO appreciate the charitable offer.

Suspeckted below and in!