(Untitled)

[bizarrojack]

I really enjoyed reading this point/counterpoint article

Is Hip-hop Relevant To Middle-Aged White Guys?The title is written to make you go "racism what?" but I think the article, while not confronting that head-on, does not carry that note. I read in VIBE magazine (and it is basically accepted among people who know) that hip hop is not just a

Comments

[bizarrojack]

I used to hear kids singing that song all the time, but I never once heard it or found out who it was by.

[prakriti]

the beastie boys used it in one of their early songs but I'm pretty sure its not where it originally came from.

[prakriti]

also, it was used in a song by EU(you remember, the guys that sang "Da Butt".)

[rob_donoghue]

Neat article, and I spent the whole time I was reading it s/r "hip hop" for "Country music" just to test for truth and it held up decently. 'Course, it also reminded me that people's biggest barrier to their own fun is themselves, so go figure.

[booyeah]

I said yes. But the caveat is that I'm willing to be suprised. But music is entertainment, and entertainment time is limited. At some point if you've tried enough of a genre and haven't liked any of it, writing the rest of it off is entirely reasonable.

There might be some gems buried there, under mountains of stuff you don't like, but why waste your time trying when there's a bunch of gems just laying on the front lawn?

Obviously for some folks, the discovery is enjoyment, and that's cool, and that's why I'm willing to be suprised or adventurous from time to time, but there's only so much headache I'm willing to endure for metal or opera.

[bizarrojack]

I'm more interested in the principle of the thing than the execution, so in my eyes, that's practically a "no" answer.

Bringing up opera is an interesting one to think about. I think I would have to learn Italian before I could be drawn in to opera . . . subtitling music seems like an insurmountable hassle, and I like lyrics. But hey, I imagine I COULD like it.

[booyeah]

There are operas in english now. They subtitle those too because you can barely make out words with all the scream-singing going on.

[vwvortexer]

Actually, you could substitute "jazz" for "opera" quite easily, and probably get the most apt comparison. I love music--including hip-hop--but I have to admit, I'm at a total loss when it comes to jazz.

I think my problem with jazz is the same most people have with hip-hop--it's very, very different, and it's incredibly broad. I have no idea where to start with learning jazz. It's also not very well-connected--I tried getting into Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane because that seemed easy, but it didn't "take" me anywhere. But since I was raised in a neighborhood where hip-hop thrived, I can see where Grandmaster Flash gave rise to Public Enemy gave rise to The Roots, and from there I can easily explore acts as diverse as Common, MF Doom or The Coup.

[squeegibo]

Thanks for posting that article. Now I have several albums I never heard of before in my Amazon cart.

My main problem with the hippity hops is that I don't trust the musical taste of the people I know who listen to it. So I never know what's supposed to be good.

Also, "...you never really stopped being two-thirds of a person..." should read "...you never really stopped being three-fifths of a person...". Nathan Rabin should check his history books.

[cheetahmaster]

My main problem with the hippity hops is that I don't trust the musical taste of the people I know who listen to it. So I never know what's supposed to be good.

I have this same problem with anime. Luckily, one of my friends who knows my tastes pretty well has been able to steer me towards things I like.

[bizarrojack]

I barely trust my own tastes when it comes to rap. I'll listen to messages, apparently taken seriously by the speaker, that I wouldn't really accept in any other venue I can think of.

[bizarrojack]

I hadn't thought of that dimension. I kind of wish I had thought of it and phrased the question more differently. But on the other hand, if I did, it's not a very realistic question.

I haven't heard any white power country music, but I don't suppose they have a distinct musical style or invented any new musical instruments. If they did, someone worth listening to could steal it, and who knows what would happen?