I was linked to this extremely humble man’s list of requirements for a female life partner over on Facebook, and while the list itself is very amusing and he probably deserves all the trolling he’s bound to get, one comment struck me as being a bit strange.
Now, I don’t like rap. I am well aware this makes me un-cool, but I had no idea it made me a racist. I honestly don’t like the sound of it at all. If it helps, I’m a big fan of Argentinian pan-flute music, but had to Google a “zydeco” to find out what it was. Is expressing a dislike for rap really coded racism, and would you actually see it that way, or is this person merely delusional?
If someone claims to like ALL types of music except rap like the commenter said, that’s just stupid, although not necessarily racist because along the same lines a lot of people do say “everything except rap and country”. But if you just like certain genres and rap just isn’t among them, then obviously there’s nothing wrong with that.
The people who insist it’s “not really music” and shit like that are likely racist and definitely idiotic.
The way a lot of folks say it does come across as coded racism. If you say something like, “I’ve never heard any rap I like,” that’s a bit better. If you don’t bring it up, that’s fine.
Me, I like all music except, I’m ashamed to admit, Tuvan throat singing. That shit’s just awful.
Talking about your musical likes and dislikes is basically telling a bunch of strangers how you wear your pants and what kinds of pants you prefer they wear (when you/they are wearing them). Rap: baggy and down around your ass. Country: tight and high, cinched with a great big belt buckle. Pan flute: hiking pants that convert to shorts. Zydeco: baggy washed out chinos of no identifiable colour.
There’s a radio station here that plays contemporary pop of the milquetoast variety. Whenever it’s promoting itself, it plays a recording of a woman saying, “I like nice people. I don’t like mean people. I don’t want to hear rap music.” Then cue another loop of Maroon 5, Train, or John Mayer.
I don’t get this. There are a lot of genres out there that sound “harsh” to the unsuspecting ear. Why go out of your way in your promo to bash rap? I’m a “nice” person too, and yet I can listen to rap without turning into a “mean” person. Fortunately I only have to listen to this stupid radio station when I’m sitting in my doctor’s waiting room.
Seems to me a lot of the “I hate rap” people have not learned that 99% of the rest of us don’t give care. At all. You made it pretty clear the first million times you mentioned it. So please give it a rest.
I like rap but think plenty of it is crap too. I can definitely see why someone would say it’s not really music. I think it likely comes from ignorance, or listening to it expecting to be unimpressed, especially when so much of it (like one or two other genres) is so talentless and bland.
However, Loach’s jokes aside, I’ve yet to hear someone say they dislike rap without them also expressing a particular dislike for Eminem, if it comes up.
But that’s the thing, it’s idiotic to make that assessment without having enough information. There are lots of genres I know next to nothing about and what little I’ve heard, I think sounds stupid, but I wouldn’t say the whole genre is not real music.
I think saying you like “all types of music except rap” is something you can easily say without being racist/stupid. People, when making a general statement like that are just thinking about large genres. So a thought “I like some pop, some rock, some country and some classical but I’ve never heard a rap song I like” can just get translated as liking everything except rap, rather than a detailed analysis of every sub-genre.
