# Rap is not a music, it is the music...in America **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 27, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172 "2004-07-27T22:59:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/1 "2004-07-27T22:59:27Z")
Just found out that rap artist Lloyd Banks has the number album out in America, not number one Rap album number one album period, eventhough this is nothing new for a rap artist to dominate the charts…and they said rap/hip hop wouldn’t last…LMAO. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/2 "2004-07-27T23:14:26Z")
While I am not one of the people who are wont to dismiss hip hop as a fad that is on its last legs, I fail to see how Lloyd Banks’ album being number on the Billboard Charts is indicative of the genre’s staying power. Just how many disco albums were number one during its time on top? ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/3 "2004-07-27T23:24:22Z")
This is utterly irrelevant, in my music, due to the fact that 95% of the decent rap music out there doesn’t even come within spitting range of the high Billboard charts. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/4 "2004-07-27T23:35:18Z")
I had no idea you were a hip hop artist, **Gad**. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/5 "2004-07-28T00:12:25Z")
[RIAA exec thinking] "Hmm, clearly this is because all the white kids, that have computers and listen to polka and techno and such, are stealing music, while all the black kids, that don’t have computers and love rap, still have to buy it. Ergo, we need to sue EVEN MORE people!" [/RIAA exec thinking] ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/6 "2004-07-28T01:11:50Z")
It’s not what sells the most, it’s what people are actually listening to. That’s what the main form of music in America is. With the large adult population out there, I’d say that classic rock is still up there and not coming down any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/7 "2004-07-28T03:26:13Z")
Any album that briefly hits number one sales then drops off immediately after is a FAD. ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/8 "2004-07-28T04:16:08Z")
> [@Gadfly](#): > > This is utterly irrelevant, in my music, due to the fact that 95% of the decent rap music out there doesn’t even come within spitting range of the high Billboard charts. I tend to agree with you since most of the rap I own is underground artists and local acts that are not even near the billboard charts…but nevertheless Lloyd Banks a rapper is leading the pack among all musicians in the united states. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/9 "2004-07-28T12:35:13Z")
Rap sucks. _ducks and runs_ Ow! Ow! OW! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/10 "2004-07-28T13:17:27Z")
> [@START](#): > > Just found out that rap artist Lloyd Banks has the number album out in America, not number one Rap album number one album period, eventhough this is nothing new for a rap artist to dominate the charts…and they said rap/hip hop wouldn’t last…LMAO. 😛 …and the point to this thread is? The longevity of hip hop is undisputed at this point - some folks may not like it, but I don’t think anyone is around who is going to try to argue it is a fad as a genre. Maybe 15 years ago they could’ve tried, but now? Please. I look back to **Public Enemy** ’s “Fear of a Black Planet” which I think debuted at #1 or at least top 3 as the first sign (to me) that the style was evolving, gaining substance and artistry and could rock, too. That was what? 12 years ago? Now Lloyd Banks as an individual - again, please. Getting a #1 is not a ticket to longevity - too many examples to mention. Let’s see what he does over time and discuss quality when it is relevant to do so. Enjoy laughing your ass off, **START** - I don’t see the bitter irony you seem to be going for… ---
**Author:** ![down\_by\_law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@down\_by\_law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/down_by_law)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/11 "2004-07-28T14:02:16Z")
who the fuck is lloyd banks? i mean, come on, this government-name fad has to end. have some creativity, call yourself old dirty chinese restaurant or something. seriously, though, he’s just one of 50 cent’s g-unit lackeys, correct? i’m stuck in a 1995 time warp when it comes to hiphop. if it occurs after the native toungues breakup, i’m convinced it didn’t happen. maybe it’s just because i’m four years removed from college, napster, and all that good stuff, but it seems like the underground hiphop movement has fizzled. where are the dels, the kool keiths, the digable planets of today? and don’t even say that kanye west fills that void. he’s decent, but doesn’t hold a candle to artists like de la soul and common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/12 "2004-07-28T16:24:13Z")
WTH do you mean by THE music…I am not required to like anything. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/13 "2004-07-28T16:46:51Z")
…it’s poetry. And good on them for returning poetry to popular culture after an absence of several decades. ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/14 "2004-07-28T16:50:20Z")
Me, I don’t listen to, like, that _popular_ Billboards stuff. I’m entirely too cool. I listen to, like, UNDERGROUND ---
**Author:** ![down\_by\_law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/65b543/32.png) [@down\_by\_law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/down_by_law)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/15 "2004-07-28T17:27:48Z")
> [@AlbertRose](#): > > Me, I don’t listen to, like, that _popular_ Billboards stuff. I’m entirely too cool. I listen to, like, UNDERGROUND the reason rap music is climbing the charts these days is because of packaging. somewhere around biggie and tupac, the big labels started to figure out rap was going to be big and started using their machine to mold hiphop artists into viable pop cash cows. before that, none of the bigwigs really gave it a second look, and you had really good hiphop music that slipped into the mainstream. there was no “underground”, it wasn’t necessary. look at mtv, even. back in the early 90’s “yo mtv raps” was an amazing program. they had the same thing going with “120 minutes” for alternative, before it got profitable/played out. you had some real quality music there. now, you’re lucky to see anything besides britney spears videos and real world reruns. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/16 "2004-07-28T17:54:11Z")
> [@down by law](#): > > if it occurs after the native toungues breakup, i’m convinced it didn’t happen. I hear ya - Rap **HAS** died…it gave us a beautiful swansong with 1991’s _Low End Theory_ by **A Tribe Called Quest** and **De La Soul** ’s _De La Soul Is Dead_, a proud kiss goodbye with 1992’s _Don’t Sweat the Technique_ by **Eric B. and Rakim** , and a choking last gasp with 1993’s _Midnight Marauders_ by **A Tribe Called Quest**. 99.999999999999999999999% of rap albums produced since then have been utter crap. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/17 "2004-07-28T18:00:13Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > …it’s poetry. And good on them for returning poetry to popular culture after an absence of several decades. Arent all lyrics are poetry, regardless off the musical genre? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/18 "2004-07-28T18:53:25Z")
> [@START](#): > > and they said rap/hip hop wouldn’t last…LMAO. 😛 In addition to all the other good points here, whoeve “they” are, “they” say everything won’t last. It’s not as news for something to last longer than somebody - and I have no idea who you’re talking about - predicted. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/19 "2004-07-28T19:12:25Z")
> [@unwashed brain](#): > > Arent all lyrics are poetry, regardless off the musical genre? [This is poetry?](http://minoslyrics.tripod.com/BritneySpears/BritneySpears_BabyOneMoreTime.txt) Sure, the words rhyme and all. But doesn’t a poem have to actually have some substance to it? ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172/20 "2004-07-28T19:25:47Z")
Music evolves, and hip hop/rap is no exception. There is a mainstream of formulaic crap (the aforementioned _50 Cent_ for instance, as well as _P. Diddy_), with brief explosions of genuine novelty that takes things in a new direction (_Eminem_, _Missy Elliot_ and _Everlast_ come to mind). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rap-is-not-a-music-it-is-the-music-in-america/257172.md?page=2)