quote:
OK, OK already! Quit nagging me! Here's a line-by-line response:
1): Nobody named Marshall Mathers III will ever have any street cred.
Nobody who has "street cred" uses their real names. Their real names are usually something like "Gordon" or "Doug." Chuck D's real name is Carlton Ridenhour and Flavor Flav's real name is William Drayton.
Think about that.
2): Rap was the last of attempts of the black man to "hang on to his music" by resorting to tuneless, loud, talent-less yelling about how violent and dangerous they are over small loops of other people's music. It worked. White people like melody and largely disdain reveling in violent and illegal behaviour.
That's a gross oversimplification of what rap is. There is a lot of tuneless rap, but there is also a lot of melodic rap and not all of it is sampled. I'll leave that last comment about 'what white people are like' alone. That deserves a lengthy response on its own.
I forgot. It's only racism if a white guy says it. It's not that great of an over-simplification at all. And it's startlingly, even to me, accurate.
3): "Good rapper" is an oxymoron. As a form, rap hit it's own wall the second it was invented.
I'll agree that there are a lot of talentless rappers out there, but there are several good rappers, too. It's a difficult skill and even more difficult to do while delivering a coherent message.
The title was "A Word About Gangsta Rap".
4): "Rap music" is an oxymoron. It's an art form. It's not music, though.
It's not music to you. "Music" is a highly subjective experience.
So's sex, but i doesn't come on 5 1/4" metalicized discs. It's also not something that promotes violence as cool. Unless you're into S&M. The whole notion of tribal music, as opposed to formally structured music, is relatively new to Caucasian culture. Enter rock and roll. It saved my life. Gangsta rap alienates. It doesn't unify.
Plus, there is a lot of variety in the "rap" genre (Ugh--I hate talking about genres) and quite a lot of it is composed, contains melodies, and can be performed live. Is that not music? I am pleased to see that you at least consider it an "art form" for the moment, though.
I'm deeply moved.
5): The whole purpose of rap is to give kids something to defend from "the man" when it is, inevitably, pronounced utter shit by almost everybody over 30. Then the kid can smirk and say "You don't GET it, maaan!". We get it fine.
That's just silly.
Are you smirking? :- )
6): Eminem is a middle class twat. Most white rappers are.
I pretty much agree with this.
As you should.
7): "White rapper" is an oxymoron.
Is there a "rapping gene" that whites don't possess?
Yes.
8): Trying to bring down the cultural wall that divides white audiences and performers from participating in the rap "scene" is stupid. This isn't the 50's or even the 60's. They don't want the white kids in the rap "scene". They don't want a crossover market. They want the ofays to fuck off and dig how slick and dangerous all of those gun-toting, crack smoking, bitch slapping brothers are.
This is only true for a minority of rap acts. Few rappers are racial segregationists.
See you at the next Wu Tang show, bro.
9): Somewhere, way down deep inside of your lily-white ass, lies a small part of you that longs to listen to the Carpenters on a rainy Saturday afternoon and sip tea. It's true.
Busted.
Word.
10): My name is, my name is, my name is NOT Marshall Mathers III.
I'd like to see some ID please.
No.
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I wanted my half in the middle and I wound up on the edge.
