Rap is not music.  It's more akin to a jungle chant.  It is one of the things that is keeping blacks in the "hood" from succeeding. Young blacks would rather walk around spouting rap like a spastic with their crotch at their knees and walking on their pants legs than work in school to get grades that will allow them to succeed.

I think you're being terribly close-minded.  Rap is, indeed, music.   To most, it seems (at first glance) that - without a clear hook or melody -that rap is devoid of musical form.  However, this simply isn't the case.  Rap and Hip-Hop are valid genres of the craft. 

I'm not a fan of "gansta rap" (because I find the messages mysogynistic and, often, violent).  But, I do enjoy a variety of rap and hip-hop artists because I enjoy complex music.  Rap is simply jazz and poetry, with a thumping base line, melded into one.  Knee jerk reactions such as yours betray a misunderstanding of the complexity and diversity of music.  Traditional African music is beat driven and often a cavalcade of words, strung together in quick fashion to create a story.  Mainstream rap built on this tradition. 

I'm a 32 year old, caucasian female with a post graduate education.  I've never been arrested.  I've never even been issued a traffic ticket.   I have never worn through the hem of my pant legs and I drive a stock mini-van.  Your stereotype says more about you than the people who listen to hip-hop and rap.

ETA - Furthermore, do you enjoy the music of Pachabel?  If so, you might enjoy a song that I personally hate...but, it's a rap song built on the basis of the Canon.  Vitamin C's "Graduation Song".  Or, if you prefer Ray Charles,...might I suggest Gold Digger by Kayne West?  What about show tunes??? Oscar Hammerstein?  Check out Gwen Stefani's "Wind It Up".

I've been in the soup (so to speak) for the last couple of days.  I might as well get in this too.

To ME, rap is not music.  Certainly not in the traditional sense where we expect a melody and not just poetry set to a monotonous repetition of sound.  Personally, I am not close minded, I just know what I like and don't like in music (or the genre anyway.)  I don't care for most opera and find the women screechy for the most part.  However, I adore Pavoratti.  And have been known to enjoy Beverly Sills and a few others.  I don't care for jazz, especially pregressive, and find it jangly and nerve wracking but love blues.  I could go on but those are just some exaamples of my point.

In the dictionary sense I suppose you could classify rap or hip hop as music but, to those of us who want more than just a continuous thumping beat with a monotonous string of words, rap will never be "music to our ears."

(personal opinion only..no proof , verification, or links available.  And nothing personal to the posters on this blog for this disclaimer.)

hehehe...dove hunting.  There aren't many things in this old world that would make me get up at 3 am and dove hunting ain't one of them.  But intestinal trubbles will do it every time.  :-)

Possum...agreed.  I always say if we all liked the same thing life would be like vanilla pudding...good, but kinda boring after a while.

 Country is not music either, it is just a monotonous whines and nasal guttural set to a twangy guitar sound that would make a herd of cats envious.

The words are usually of illicit affairs, incestuous romances and love for trucks or trains and targeted to the do as I say not do as I do audience.

There is nothing musical about Country, there is nothing patriotic about country in fact is the probably the most divisive noise produced for American consumption today.

However, to some it is music just as rap is music to others, the only difference is in country music idiocies are made by implication and rap tells in your face.

gee, you must be a genius badshot

a veritable musical genius, lyrics racounteur and reviewer of tunes.

I bet you get more than just rap from black men in your face!

but now sage, rap is telling kids its cool to kill cops, beat your wormen wif coat hangers, and kill the liberal whiteys that produce thier own music............

wait a minute............. maybe I do like rap............yesnw

Ok.. so I just got finished watching MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstars - Nothing like Sebastion Bach singing Rap!  I am not a rap fan but  like possummomma said "Different strokes for different folks". 

And as for country music  same thing!  I like music but I don't have to like everything music. Raised on old school country music and opera and the Beatles so I can go from one extreme to another but I also know how to change the channel/station!

Whenever I was in a rearward base camp in VN, where they had a tape library (liberry for most of us), I would haul my old reel to reel PACEX bought AKAI tape deck down there and tape beetles, color purple, moody blues, etc. for hours!

Was building quite a collection. A mortar round (82mm) hit my little "medicine box" I'd built (out of old pallets)  one night @ FSB Schuller and there went all my work!

Then I got back to the world and everyone was listening to Leon Russell or some sh*t anyway.......

We all had our musical tastes. The black dude back then  were realy into "Heard it on the Grapevine" by Tempations and that kinda thing. Seems pretty tame nowdays.

There it is....................

I hate the fact that you guys are making me defend rap. LOL :)

Rap music is not "all about" killing women or whatever.  Sure.  There are some rap artists who seem to glorify violence and such... but, are you saying country music doesn't?
I could name twenty songs, off the top of my head, in which a country musician has talked about beaten wives, domestic violence, murder, sex, breaking the law, gun toting', and dead children.  I could name another twenty songs in which country musicians objectified women.  The only difference between rap and country music (despite the cadence) is that country musicians seem to use fewer swear words and "cuter" language to say the exact same thing as the rap artist(s).  People laughed at "Goodbye Earl" and sang along loudly with Garth Brooks on "The Thunder Rolls".  Heck...I know of at least one country song that outright calls atheists child abusers and murderous, violent criminals.  So...those sitting on the "country is pure" bandwagon need to watch their skirts... they might get caught in the spokes of the wagon wheel.

My favorite country song is the one about:

"I was just divorced driving my ole pick up down to get my momma in the rain..... I was drunk.....and there was a train......."

Its got it all..................

Randomfactor, here's my favorite dog part from Funky Cold Medina:

A couple of sips of this love potion, and she'll be on your lap
So I gave some to my dog when he began to beg
Then he licked his bowl and he looked at me and did the wild thing on my leg
He used to scratch and bite me, before he was much much meaner
But now all the poodles run to my house for the Funky Cold Medina

You know what I'm sayin?

"there must be lots of that Funky Cold Medina being served in town, I see more and more of that wild thing being done on peoples legs, mostly by women to other women just having fun"??

jebus random, I can't compete wif her version

she be talkin' nasty

Neverleft... did you even read my comment?  No melody?  Rap artists are sampling some really great, historic musicians.  There's a fabulous collaboration by Jae Milz called "I like that/You can't take that away from me".   Gershwyn with rap.  It's an odd combination but it's incredibly interesting and it's getting today's youth to take a look at old, classics - and the kids are really responding.  Unfortunately, some adults aren't as open.

Like I said, I can't believe I'm defending rap...but, it's clear that you've never really listened to a wide sampling of the genre.  If you had, you wouldn't make comments about rap not having a melody.  Not only does it generally have a great melody and hook, but it can be very complex musically.  Country, on the other hand, is generally the same time signature - 3/4.  Find me a country song in five, seven, eight... just one.  Rap music, and hip hop, at the very least, isn't afraid to try something new.  You'll get mixed meter and additive meters...

Rap evolved out of so many different influences...jazz, trinidad, the blues, spoken word, reggae, Punjabi,...many of the time signatures in rap are straight out of Irish Jig Dancing (no joke). :)

Listen to Gwen Stefani's "Bubble Pop Electric".  It's reminiscient of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five".  "Hey Ya", by Outkast is an 11/4 time signature.  :)

Dave Brubeck,  Wasn't he the greatest? 

Definitely "one of" the greatest. :) 

Now THIS, in my opinion, is music.

Get ready for a rollicking good time compliments of one of our regular bloggers.  It may be hard to load but worth it.

queetstatoosh. I apologize; I understand how sensitive you Idaho Craigies can are sensitive about in your face remarks being equal opportunity in your face fellows and all.

But as for as your very intelligent critique of rap, you should be on the California’s payroll. No, never mind the fat lady has already sung on this one

Rap lyrics may not be as pretty as you Ida ho’s like them, but they sure raise those redneck hairs.

Hey Fuentes!

Your reputation precedes you all the way up here!

Still have the Orange Vest?

Remember the Cal Trans shovels you guys used? Invented by the Japs. Stood up all by themselves............