Rap/Hip-Hop

Off Topic
1

Anybody else here listen to rap or hip-hop? I know Nate Dogg does as well as myself.

I’m thinking we can probably use this thread as a way of discussing likes and dislikes and making suggestions as to new records we recommend for each other.

  • Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Lately, they’ve become one of my favorite musical groups period. So damn good.

  • Wu-Tang Clan - For the longest time I’ve had a burned copy of Iron Flag and recently heard that it was shit compared to Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) so I decided I’d go out and buy 36 Chambers. Definitely and easily one of the best albums I own now. Fucking amazing.

  • David Banner - I’m somewhat wanting to pick up his new album “Mississippi.” However, I haven’t heard anything about him from any reliable sources that I know/trust. I like that “Like a Pimp” song, but its gonna take more than one song to make me shell out $16 for a CD which I can barely afford in the first place. Anybody know anything about his album?

Again, it’d be nice to use this as somewhat of a Support Thread for hip-hop enthusiasts. And if you hate rap and think that white guys listening to it is the gayest thing ever, or just think that rap itself is the gayest thing ever then don’t whine about it here, make your own thread, “Hip-hop sucks!”

2

50 cent, anything from Eminem.

3

damn near anything you hear on the airways [radio,mtv,etc…]is pop nonsense. the only rappers i jam from this era are nas, mosdef, talib kweli, last emperor, emenims underground shit [his studio stuff is gettin better, still more concerned with stackin green than movin minds] jeru the damaja and a couple other east coast cats. if you live near houston, check out swisha house, and if you can get afta tha kappa 99. one of the best freestyle albums you’ll ever hear. glad to see you caught the wu. 36 is one of the greatest albums of all time, regardless of genre.
and i gotta put this out there, notorius is the greatest rapper of all time. if you got any questions regarding rap [from any era, any style, male, female, whatever] just ask, i’ll put you in the right direction.
peace, flash

4

Rap is cool. I listened to Old School Rap a lot. But not to the point of adopting the look or lingo as a lifestyle. Nowadays, I am more into Power Metal.

What I find bizarre is the fake white rappers or the equivalent of the blackening of whites (whites trying to pass for cool by adopting the black style and culture).

When you`re at the point of copying some other culture to that point (or any other culture to the extreme), it sounds like an identity crisis or what you had of an identity was quickly expandable.

Maybe it`s just another fad, like the glamour fad of the 80s. Go figure.

5

2pac: greatest rapper that ever lived, period.

6

It all sucks ass, but has a good beat and you can lift to it. If Louie say it’s okay, it’s awright.

7

As I’ve said before, Outkast seems to be one of the few groups doing some original, even…gasp…requiring a touch of talent.

The Roots are up there as well.

8

Check out Nappy Roots. They just released a new album last week… Wooden Leather. Louie and the Westside boys were listening to them during Chuck V’s speed squats on the Special Strengths video.

Twista also has some pretty slick shit. I’m pretty sure he’s got world record for most syllables in a minute or some shit. That boy is fast.

9

dan c, what the hell are you talkenin about? if a black kid wears his pants at his waist, does that mean he’s been ‘whitewashed’?people dress or act they way they do cause they can, not cause theyre tryin to convey a ‘thuggish’ image and certainly not cause there has been a ‘blackening’ over their respective communities.good call on the roots, i gotta bounce, i’ll drop more names next time around.
yall be good, flash.

10

Hands down, Public Enemy were the best (and most intelligent) thing to ever emerge from the world of rap/hip-hop.

Welcome to the goddamn terrordome.

11

I’ve haven’t bought a new rap CD in a long time. . .I’m poor, plus I don’t think much of the current stuff is so great. You can’t beat Public Enemy for being intelligent, and pumped-up and aggressive. Tupac’s intelligent songs are awesome, but some of his thuggish stuff (where he says “West side, bitch! Fuck you and your motherfuckin mama!”) is just so stupid it’s funny as hell. Lately I’ve been listening to Jay-Z’s first album “Reasonable Doubt” a lot. . .it’s awesome. . .mellow, dark and serious and way different from the commercial bling-bling drivel he puts out nowadays.

12

Rap is just an abbreviation for crap.

13

Public Enemy (Chuck D): Indeed the best (at least old school).

WHITEFLASH: Come on. You should see the kids here in the buses. Ask them why they do the rapper thing, and you will probably never get more of an answer, in terms of words or content than Its coolorEverybody does itorIts all the rage.

Ask them if they can explain why they keep the pants waist so low, and maybe the flyest of them all will be able to tell you that this was done to mimic prison conditions, where no belts are allowed,ya know, gangsta style.

As for your black kid being whitened, bad example. Like gender identity, there are certain things that are more specific to certain groups than others. And some environments expect dress codes regardless of background. If you are in legal or financial business, you dont come up with superfly stuff at work (note: in other creative fields, it is the norm). Youre not whiter or less black because you conform to the dress code. In case of doubt, look at the armed forces. In almost every nation, the uniforms are very similar (except the historic parade stuff). You get the idea.

But you average deer in the headlights white teen, who dresses black year in year out, tries to talk black and/or rapper, becomes a walking billboard for the NBA, listens to rap all the time, puts on plasters on his face because some rapper does it, etc. looks about as dumb as an Eskimo mocking the Hawaiian lifestyle in his igloo. It does not come from his background, or evades it just too much.

Maybe that subtype it is becoming mainstream and/or permanent culture. Just maybe. But those who have been there for a couple of years, like me (just 32), know where it comes from. And, IMHO, some have pushed the joke too far in terms of being hip. But then again, they could do it just to have a reaction from guys like me, and they do get it (objective attained, I talk about them).

Just my 2 cents. No offense meant to any group mentioned here. You have to call a cat a cat.

14

I still like some rap, but I grew up listening to true hip hop (and rock and roll, I’m not one of those people who only listens to one type of music). I know it’s a cliche, but all the lyrics consist of anymore is money, bitches, cars, clothes, etc. Here’s what I was into back in the day:

Wu-Tang
Nas
Redman
A Tribe Called Quest
Souls of Mischief
Jeru the Damaja
Casual
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
Guru/Gang Starr
De La Soul
Black Moon
Mobb Deep
Roots
Pharcyde
Goodie Mobb/Outkast
Fugees

Also some harder stuff:
Dre and Snoop
Tupac (one of the greatest)
Biggie
Spice One
West Side Connection
Bone (C town baby)
Master P
DMX

15

For a rather extreme example, look at Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers when he pulls out-of-role, Jerry Springer-confrontation lines. ;0)

You ain`t all that and a bag of potato chips.

Don`t go there, girlfriend fingersnap and hoop-like head motion

Dont mess with me. Im one crazy mo-fo. I had to pop a cop cause he wasnt giving me my props in Oaktown.

LOL.

16

wow it seems we have the typical east coast rap bias going on here. im from northern california and honestly i cant stand east coast rap except for a few here and there. i listen to mostly underground (at least they were once underground) hardcore stuff. my favorites all time include:

too short, e-40 and the click, dre and snoop, cube, jt the bigga figga, spice 1, c-bo, pac, richie rich, etc.

ps. dont waste your time arguing with people like DAN C, he has no clue of what he is talking about, his thoughts on this issue are 20 years behind. i have listened to rap music exclusively since i was in 4th grade. throughout elementary and high school i was accused of being a “wannabee black” by all of the okis that live in my town. those same okis were the first ones who ran out and bought “the chronic” when it first came out and suddenly i was “cool.”

now that i teach school i see that almost all of the students listen to some form of rap or hip hop. an elementary school i taught at had a talent show, the kids danced to and sang popular hip hop songs. songs that my teachers told me would never be around for more than 2-3 years, “its just a fad.”

rap and hip hop bring an otherwise hidden and ridiculed culture to the mainstream. i think it is wonderful that white suburban children can listen to the music of their choice without being ridiculed for it. people like DANC seem to prefer a segregated society where whites have to dress like “whites” and blacks have to dress like “blacks” and there is no gray area.

just because i dont wear skin tight high water dockers and a polo shirt doesnt mean i dont want to be white or i have an identity crisis. it means i am who i am, i dress how i want, and i dont care about some old dude that doesnt understand my choices.

DANC do you know that something like 75% of rap music is purchased by suburban white kids? do they all have an identity crisis? do they all wish they lived in the “hood?” no, they like a particular type of music and want to listen to it so they go out and by it. what is wrong with that?

17

prisoners didnt wear their pants low to signify gang affiliation, they wore them low to signify bein someones meat puppet. posers come in all shapes and sizes, but just because some whitekid sags his pants doesnt mean hes being overcome by the dreaded ‘blackening.’ truth be told, skaters were the first kids to bring saggin to the mainstream. but this isnt obout the origin of droopy drawers, its about you making a blanket statement and being way off the mark. no wait, its about hip/hop. dog, pacs from the east coast, he just went were the money was, so i consider him pop [though his ec shit like’pain’ and ’ theblack rose that grew from concrete’ are just straight sick].i cant get down with most wc shit [though the first tape i remember buying was amerikkkas most wanted], but you sound like you know what your talkin bout, so i’ll read what you gotta say.
yall be good, flash

18

anyway, my favorites are:
biggie
tribe
nas
mosdef [blackstar in general]
erik b and rakim
P E
krs one
gangstarr
mobbdeep
last emperor [ yall need to check this dude out, hes a lyrical genius]
jeru the damaja
wu
naughty by nature [they had more than just ‘party anthems’]
thurston howell 3
de la soul
fugees [ find a wyclef flow]
pharcyde
beastie boys [ probably the best beats]
busta
arrested development
ghetto boys
roots
cyprus hill
theres so many man, my minds runnin empty

19

P-DOG: Seems at start that there indeed can be no arguing. We are comparing apples with oranges (East Coast VS West Coast). So, indeed, common ground on Rap influence will be, at best, exceptional. The terrain differs, the realities too.

One thing by the way. Since we are indeed comparing different rap populations and samples, may I remind you that what is true for me HERE can be as different for you THERE. In short, we are both right in our own samples. In no way does my experience interfere with yours, and vice versa.

As for the segratition bias, Ill just briefly open that Pandoras box holding a can of worms in it. If I preach toward the melting pot philosophy, some will accuse me of not respecting lineages and heritages. If I speak about respect for lineages and heritages, I`ll get accused of being in bias of segregation. In short, a lose-lose viewpoint, for most people.

Its like trying to define America. You cant do it without burning some people. It`s an abstaction, full of contradictions, exactly like reality everywhere. Unification is a dream. This world is built on differences and the magic is in the exchanges they provide.

Conflict is a fact of life, very much like the conflict between wind and a sailboat, it transforms it into movement. East Coast rappers can be different from West Coast rappers. Fine. That`s just a fact of life. What more can you say from thereon if you admit at start that they are different?

Then again, if the white culture is so weak that it gets taken over by the black, so be it. Ill adapt (upgrade my viewpoint), but only when it has stood the test of time. Im just wondering if it is a fad HERE. I don`t respect fads, except as powerful marketing tools, as you surely know by now.

FYI, 20 years back here Preppie was the rage HERE, not rap. Now rap is. Just curious to see if it indeed will stand the test of time.

You were right. Some things just cant be argued or compared. Theyre too different. They`re not better or worse because of that. THEY JUST ARE.

20

WHITEFLASH: Same thing. We`re probably just trying to compare what is fundamentally different.

Like the guys here who call themselves Indian (because of family name) and yet have so much white man blood in them that they are probably 95% white, so to say, but still have the name.

Once again, lets just see how time sorts things out. My guess is that everything will fall down in the right place with enough time, very much like a pinspotter. Homos were a big deal years back. Now its part of life and accepted (with some exceptions, the look at me` parade crazies who also get the gay crowd mad too by acting out their difference too much).

I am sure every aspect of entertainment follows the same mechanic: with enough time, everything falls in its rightful place and demographic niche (for each terrain).

Let`s just see how things turn out. No one knows in advance.