I hear hip hop, dance and rock. Incidentally, these are the most popular genres of music.
And perhaps we have a different idea of “blasting”. It is possible to have music loud enough to be considered “blasting” without it being heard three blocks away. I read blasting to mean “at an enjoyably loud level.” You seem to be needlessly extrapolating.
Anyway, cars move, going to school time isn’t ridiculously early in the morning, and I’m assuming it’s all happening in a public place. If it’s annoying, it’ll be all over soon, and you may just have to accept that in public places not everything can be just how you like it.
If everyone could mentally adjust the pronouns used in my previous post, I’d be grateful.
Oh, I have long ago come to terms with the unfortunate fact that a certain number of people are inconsiderate, socially inept, raised-by-wolves total asshats, and always will be.
I’ll second that.
Bing Bing Bing Bing.
Bling Bling!
Why do people get offended by the statement that rap isn’t music? Painting, acting, and stand-up comedy aren’t music, either. Rap is not music, because it doesn’t have a tune. It is an art form, however, and a perfectly legitimate one. I and many other people happen to not like contemporary urban rap, but that’s a judgement on aesthetics (for which there is no accounting), not on artistic merit.
Oh bravo, how original, I didn’t think anyone still thought that’s still cool. :rolleyes: As for the rest of the rap bashers, you all sound like you belong on some old, broken-down porch yelling at kids to get off your lawn. (Because we all know old, uncool people are very concerned about kids on their lawns.)
Seriously, I’m not a fan of rap either, but I don’t think that’s an excuse for all the rudeness here whenever rap is mentioned. I’m sure people here wouldn’t take that sort of crap if this was about rock, or classical music. But hey, the rap listeners are in the minority, so let’s just pile on the insults together! This is the sort of group attack mentality that I hate on the SDMB. :mad:
Doesn’t most dance music fail on that count too?
Really, most of the objections have been about rap music played too loudly—especially after the OP admitted to “blasting” it on his way to school.
“Rap is nothing but folk music with the melody removed and a lot of profanity thrown in.”
-Mark Shubb (Harry Shearer) of The Folksmen
Yep, rap is music. That wraps that one up pretty tightly.
And Chronos, the reason people get defensive is because no one says “rap isn’t music” in a literal or factual sense. They say it in the sense of “it’s not the music I grew up with or the music I like so it doesn’t even earn the use of the term.”
Understand?
Here, IMO, is the thread that best deals with the ignorance espoused by the “rap is not music” camp. It’s a great thread. It turns out music is not easily defined. It’s a terrible interesting subject and that thread goes to some pretty cool places over the course of the 4 pages. I’ll repost my initial stand here for anyone who doesn’t want to wade through the long thread (but it really is worth reading):
Music is considered to be many things. It’s a pleasing sound to listen to when you’re trying to relax, be entertained, or dance. It’s a compromise between words and sounds. Music is a voice outside of the common talking. It’s a cure for stress, silence, unhappiness, boredom, and other situations. But what does the word “music” really mean? Remember, a dictionary is suggestive tool, not a definitive one. To me, music is the unbounded flow of flattering sounds in a short period of time put together to make a pleasant tune. According to some of my peers, music is “a universal language that everyone enjoys and understands” and “a series of sounds between breaks of silence.” Huey Lewis, an R&B recording artist, once said, “music is a river constantly evolving with no real beginning and certainly no end.” Music isn’t just a combination of words with a tune behind it, but the sounds behind the voices are music, too. Some people may argue that certain types of music are not actually considered music. Four types, techno, R&B, rap, and hip-hop, are in this group of consideration. Because they are all flowing, complimenting, and enjoyable groups of sounds and sometimes words, techno, R&B, rap, and hip-hop are categorized as music.
With a blend of harmonious sound but almost no words, or even no words at all, techno is a little different from other types of music. Techno is music that is assembled with samplers, sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines. In other words, this type of music is produced with high-technology electronics. Contemporary artists like Chemical Brothers and Moby have managed to carry on the techno version of music since the mid-80s. It’s no wonder why some audiences may not include this in the music category. They would say it is fake tunes created by machines and it has no lyrics. Although this is true, techno music still has the sounds that combine to make pleasing, upbeat, fast-paced tunes. After all, a bogus tune is still a tune. It’s good enough to dance to and is most commonly found at raves, parties, and dance clubs. I think techno music definitely fits the definition of music.
R&B, also known as rhythm and blues, has very laid-back relaxing beats with beautiful voices singing positive and inspiring lyrics. "The voice. The beat. The groove. More than displays of craft and musicianship-though there’s plenty of that-R&B performances tend to cleanse the soul, creating a catharsis and uplifting the fans. As it originated in the 1940s, this type of black urban popular music blended strong repetitive rhythms, blues-related melodies and harmonic patterns, gospel music, swing, and electric blues instrumentation. With incredible voices, talented singers such as Keith Sweat, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Macy Gray, Craig David, Deborah Cox, and Destiny’s Child have managed to extend the life of this type of music for several decades. R&B is music for the dance floor, the bedroom, and the church. It was made for all ages to listen to. Since R&B evolved during times of segregation, many artists never received the credit they earned by beginning this style of music. Why might some people not include this in the music category? Some music listeners may believe it has to be upbeat in order to be music. With this weak assumption and the definition of music, the argument that R&B isn’t music is preposterous.
Rap, another style of music, has an agreeable flow of words with a continuous combination of sounds behind it. As a verb rap has long meant ‘to express orally’. By this it is implied that occasionally rap artists create their own sounds rather than use instruments. For example, a rapper may halfway cover his mouth with his hand and create beats with his voice and lips. Rap originated in New York in the mid-1970’s as a style of African-American popular music. Now it has spread across the nation through the talents of great rappers. Often containing explicit lyrics and sexual content as some of its characteristics, rap is censored on the radio, television, and edited versions of compact discs. As Quincy Jones puts it:
Even though the words of the songs have a blend of sounds behind them, some audiences may throw rap out of the music category. Just because rappers say rather than sing their words, it has been a controversy as to whether rap is or is not music. The Fresh Prince, better known as Will Smith these days, once said, “so long as there’s different types of music, rap will always be around. Besides, there will always be people that can’t sing.” Rap is music without melody and is improvised rhymes performed to a rhythmic accompaniment and therefore it fits the definition of music.
There are many different types and styles of music. Some music is upbeat and some is slow paced. It can have several words, just a few words, or no words at all. Music can be spoken or sung, from one range of vocals to all ranges of vocals. From theme songs of television sitcoms and environment-creating beats in movies to radio stations and CD players, music surrounds us and is a big part of everyday life. Most everyone has there own type of music that they enjoy and they surround themselves with. There are many choices to fit each individual’s personality and life style. Techno, R&B, rap and hip-hop are just a few of the many styles of music. Other types include country, classical, blues, and pop. It doesn’t matter what type you enjoy, you will always be able to pick and choose from several different artists and albums. The variety of music is what makes it so wonderful.
What makes art art? To a pigeon Michelangelo’s David is just a place to sit and perhaps take a dump. What makes it art is the emotions it inspires in people. Hip-Hop speaks to millions of people. It is a multi-billion dollar a year industry that has people dancing the world over. A culture that arose in the poverty-stricken Bronx has taken their shitty lot in life and used it as the inspiration for an art form that has worked it’s way into every form of popular entertainment: Movies, Television, Commercials, Video Games, Plays, the Internet, and, naturally, Radio. Hip-Hop is a musical force to be reckoned with. It is no fad. It is music. One can have their own opinions on how appealing the whole culture and music is, but claims that rap is not music and does not require talent and/or skill are quite simply expressions of gross ignorance.
DaLovin’ Dj
Dammit. I meant “terribly interesting”. The subject is not terrible.
For one thing, you’re going to have to define “tune.” I would assume that “tune” means melody, but since I would call the vocals in rap melody (and you obviously wouldn’t), then I’m going to further assume that tune means a “hummable melody”
And such a definition obviously excludes alot of other music as well- what’s the tune to Penderecki’s “Threnody…?” Do you find yourself whistling the melody to Pierrot Lunaire in the shower? Heck, I dare you to find a “tune” in the dense counterpoint and obtuse rhythms of 14th century music.
“Tune” (or even melody for that matter) has never been a needed element for something to be called music. And music is not a qualitative term- I also tend to dislike rap and hip-hop, but that has nothing to do with whether or not it’s music.
No, as has been stated earlier, there is absolutely no definition for music that can exlude rap without also being forced to exclude other things which are self-evidently music.
Hey, thanks, doll! 
Actually, I have to agree that rap really IS music. The definition fits. I just happen to think it sounds awful, particularly at super-loud levels. And it all sounds pretty much the same. Pissed off people bitching to a monotonous beat. It’s a living for someone, but it’ll be the death of me!
You’ve obviously heard about 3 rap songs in your entire life and aren’t interested in hearing more so I’ll make this brief.
There have been a few pissed off rappers and rap groups (NWA, for one) but rap is an overwhelmingly positive genre. Exponentially moreso than metal or even today’s “alternative” rock.
A few more highlights from that other thread, which I feel are appropriate for this discussion:
DaLovin’ Dj
I don’t have a problem with sampling as a form of creativity, but I am frequently disappointed by how incredibly lazy so many rap producers and/or electronica artists are. With the wealth of technology that is no doubt at their fingertips, the MOST they can think of doing is looping the hook of a popular song – or taking a popular song and doing nothing to it other than speeding it up to 120 bpm and attaching a loud bass drum to it. But I guess that’s Sturgeon’s Law for you.
I wish I could illustrate my point with more concrete examples of artists that really explore the possibilities of sampling to the fullest – you know, artists who grab from a whole bunch of cool and different sources and throw it all into the pot to see what happens – but I honestly don’t listen to a lot of rap or electronica. Not a slam on the genres, it’s just how I am. Negativland is a good example of what I mean; there’s a band that knows how to mix and match!