Gangster rap is making a comeback

[Warp Spider]

whether you meant it to be or not, it's still racist to say that white conservatives are the problem with society but in an effort to keep this thread open i wont turn this into a political discussion

 

i will point out, however, that any good psycology proffessor will point out that media and music can have drastic influences on your life and decisions you make. to say that music has nothing to do with the up bringing of society is foolish. in the end, however, it all comes down to the individual. "it only takes one second for you to make a decision that will effect you or someone else for the rest of your life".

 

Well, I haven't performed a conclusive study, however, according to the professor I took introductory psychology under, the media can influence people, but generally not to the extent that that same media suggests.

 

Really, there's two types of violent behaviour, there's the emotional type, which is mostly rooted in a genetic predisposition, but media or music can alter your mood to a point where you might become violent. IE a person not predisposed to violence will not go on a killing spree no matter how much rap they hear, and a person predisposed to violence may go on a killing spree after listening to gospel music. Basically, music can make you violent, but only if you are a violent person to begin with. It can't turn a non-violent person into a violent person.

 

There's also the calm methodical sort of violence but that's generally not influenced by music or the media.

[Ozaru]

Rap music is great, but you must understand like anything else it is much more than what you see on the surface. Yeah mainstream (MTV, radio) likes to play the music that appeals to the lowest common denominatior. That is why you have nursery school rhymes about I got money, I got this, I got a mansion. For me, a true fan of the ART it is an embarassment to see this become mainstream and also what the public regards as Rap music(as a whole) There are very positive rappers, intelligent rappers, and those that do good thing for the community. It hurts a little to hear ALL rap music is violent, or causes kids to ...whatever.

 

I'll admit to some rap being influential to (Already) Criminal minded people.

 

But for those that think rap and those who listen to it are morally irreprehensible, I urge you, no I dare you to listen to these artists and come back here with the same opinion.

 

Talib Kweli

 

Common

 

The Roots

 

Mos Def

 

Some of Tupac's songs

 

Lauryn Hill

 

Wyclef

[battousai16]

thanks warp spider, that's what i was trying to get at. i haven't been articulating myself well lately

[mmafighter34]

exactly already criminal minded people so if you were a god persn prior to listening to rap music then you will still be a good person afterwards.so stop blaming the entertainment i ndustry and blame the real problem bad parenting. see people always seem to take focus off the real problem and on to something else.'ahh my son shot some one its 50 cents fault' no you dumb parent you just werent watching your kid.[/b]

[battousai16]

or the media will take the psyche of a seemingly "good" (who are we to define good?) person, trigger something and have him/her snap. you would be a fool to blame the media entirely, but bare in mind that parent only spend so much time with their children. soon they're bombarded with images of madonna, the matrix, and whatever. i'd say ones general surroundings affect someone far more than ones parents.

[mmafighter34]

general surrounding exactly meaning your neighborhood and enviroment.which your parents provide the media is not responsible for kids bad behavior it probally the last element to add to the mix if parenting were better and parents actually were closer with there kids. The type music they like would be irrelavant as to how it effects there behavior and its irrelevant factor to begin with.Parents are just blaming the entertainment industry because its an easy target. Parents these days dont want to be held for their childrens behavio. I MEAN YOU WOULD KNOW THAT if you watched some of these talk shows today. my psyche teachers says be tween the ages of 2-12 you should spend on average of 5.7hours a day with your child to develop a mental healthy person. The average american parent barely gets in 3. you do the math

[richii]

i think there should be a clear divide between lo-end 'gangsta rap' and intelligent hip-hop.

[unknown]

everybody trashing rap.......well there are good and bad forms of rap. i am a very avid hip hop/rap listener however i only listen to the hard core "gansta" rap. i like to listen to rap that talks about the struggle or "the grind". alot of the rap out there today is extremely commericial which is generally geared towards rich white kids living in suburban neighborhoods. after all that is the majority of the viewership on MTV raps. the whole *bling* *bling* cash money, in your face richboy attitude is weak *cough* *cough* p. diddy to name one. true rap artists are mc's like the wu-tang clan (especially redman and method man), xzibit, DMX to name a few. alot of the rap from back in the day is great too! NWA, Public Enemy, KRS- 1 LL Cool J's earlier stuff etc. that is true rap in its purest and rawest form. they talk about social injustice and many other political issues. early rap is education!

 

i understand why people think rap sucks is due to the fact that they always see the mainstream stuff like Eminem, 50-cent, jay-z, ja rule and that annoying little bastard chingy. truth of the matter is i think it sucks too. if you want to have a true appreciation for rap then you gotta dig beneath the surface to see what is really out there!

[TheDevilAside]

I can't stand rap, most of it I simply hate. But I have to say, Eminem is pretty ingenious. His early stuff, atleast.

 

Eminem earned his rank in today's music industry. First of all, he gained the respect of Dr. Dre (member of the NWA rap group), which isn't easy to get. Second, he's proven himself over in freestyling competitions that he's not just a joke (man, he's good, too). Third, he was the first of his kind (other than the fact that he was white... Vanilla Ice doesn't count *shakes head*), he was the first to come out with such brutal honesty (see The Way I Am) and crude sarcasm (try I Just Don't Give A ****). Anyway, he's toned down and not nearly as shockingly honest or funny as he used to be... so he kind of bores me now. I'm not saying that talking about tying someone up to a blood soaking mattress and stabbing them with shattered glass is a good thing... but hey, why do we all like to watch horror movies? Now, his skill isn't what got him famous, what got him famous was the thousainds of gay/lesbian rights activists that protested his sophomore (commercial) album, The Marshall Mathers LP. Ironic, huh?

 

Now, if you want really intelligent rap, and EXCELLENT beats (they remix Mozart and Beethoven songs.. and they sound great) then try out Die Firma, but unfortunately, understanding German is a prequesite.

[battousai16]

"i like to listen to rap that talks about the struggle or "the grind". "

 

"they talk about social injustice and many other political issues. early rap is education! "

 

you know, i've heard all the groups you threw out and still didn't care for them. you want to hear about "struggles", "social injustice" and "other political issues"? why not punk? why not Dropkick Murphys, Propagandhi, The Clash, etc. they haven't corrupted themselves with topics of money and pop culture drivel, and they hit far more political/social issues than any rap group i ever heard. and they have musical talent to boot, not just a beat box in the corner. i don't know much about many rap groups, but i have much more respect for groups that give profits to charity to help out what there singing about (i think it was NOFX who organized a full conert and album to protest the bush administration) than the group that blows their profit on booze, mansions and hookers.