I will start this by admitting that this has been, putting it mildly, a “less than scientific” question in my head.
It’s been my observation that, over the years, there have been literally a hundred occasions (or more) where I would see a scratched or broken CD laying on the sidewalk, or in the gutter. Upon examining these CDs (I’m a curious guy), I would estimate that no LESS than 75-80% of these CDs (music ones, anyway…I’m discounting software/AOL CDs) belong to the Hip-Hop/R&B/rap genre. Any city I’ve been in, and any section of town (not just the more urban areas). The ONLY CD I have EVER found that wasn’t rap/hip-hop/R&B was Creed’s “Human Clay.”
Why the higher percentage (real or percieved) of CDs from this format?
I am laughing so hard right now, I’m in danger of pissing my pants. I own a Jeep, so I spend lots of time on the side of the road, walking and hitch-hiking and damn if you don’t hit this right on the head!!
My guess? Kid borrows the old man’s car. Kid puts CD in dash unit, but leaves it in when he gets home. Old man drives the car and shortly thereafter, a walking Jeep owner hears the words, “What the hell is this crap?” in full doppler effect just prior to seeing a cd get launched out the car window.
Next Mindblower: Why are all the tools you find along the road 9/16"?
I support your theory on that. I don’t necessarily find them on the road though. When ever I go junkyarding, all I see is old ass 2pac and NWA tapes and CD’s in the trunks or glove boxes of cars.
I think it might be due to a glut of rap bands. An entertainment lawyer at a seminar a while back told me that rap was now the top selling musical genre, the first time anything had ever outsold country music. Add to all the major label acts the countless minor labels and DIY’s and you’ve got one heckuva lotta CD’s to throw around.
This is a WAG, but I’m thinking a scene in the movie “Set It Off” where one of the stars tosses CDs out the window of cars she has just stolen until she finds a CD she likes might have contributed to this as a trend.
Alternatively, it could merely be fiction imitating real life. I’m not sure.
There is a fairly busy road that runs right behind my house. I thought it was strange that I kept finding CDs in my driveway. Do people just throw these things out of the window or what?
So far I have found several rap CDs, one of which was smashed into hundreds of pieces, and a sampler CD filled with alternative rock music.
Usually I give them a listen (if they aren’t too messed up) and decide to chunk them in the trash. I haven’t found a CD I’ve liked yet.
here’s my WAG. Alot of people have those vsor cd holders. Alot of people listen to rap in their car for the main purpose of showing off. When I got my visor holder (no rap was in it) i lost several cds while making turns before i relized what was happening. Just a guess.
-PSM
As a former bicyclist (the city just does not support bicyclists in any way, and the road flotsam is disgusting), I can vouch for this phenomenon that Superdude speaks of. However, I came across one find that is worthy of mention in this thread.
I was walking home from work a couple years ago (I worked across the street) when I found a whole binder full of CD’s. I looked around, picked it up, and flipped through it. Most of them were DMX , as well as a few other hip-hop (I hesitate to say) artists. Many were broken in half. Almost as instantly, a petite woman runs over and says, “Excuse me sir; those are ours.” I hand them over to her, she inspects them and says to her teenaged son, who just appeared, that they appeared to be okay. “Actually,” I said, “I found many to be damaged.” She thanked me, went along with her son to their car which was parked down a side street. I then heard a sudden bout of profanity from the kid directed at his mother, the likes of which I have not heard before or since. I definitely had butterflies in my stomach the rest of the way home.
As a side note, has anyone noticed that rap and hip-hop CD’s tend to come in a heavy-duty opaque plastic jewel case? Perhaps the labels saw a trend and decided to help avert it (at least among those who actually use the cases)?
Dude, there is some bad math in your post here. First you say that you have found, literally, 100 or more CD’s or tapes and that no less than 75-80% were rap etc.
Then you proceed to say that you have only found one CD that wasn’t rap, ever. That is at the most 1% that aren’t rap.
So if you have found 100+ CD’s, literally, and have only found 1 non-rap disc, doesn’t that make it at least 99% rap? Where is your magic math coming from?
Perhaps in pique of anger these folks toss 'em out the window? IMnsHO rap is eminatly chuckable.
FWIW. The biggest haul of CD’s I ever found was predominatly Country.
