re: Do you believe rap/hip hop music has been a net positive or negative for society?

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It's always funny when people throw this dead line out there.

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It's true.

It's a world full of imitators, not innovators.

Maybe it's because the human experience has become for more singular.

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Second, rap music glorifies deviant behavior like violence, pimping, prostitution, drug use, and disrespect of women. I find it funny how the Me Too movement has not targeted rap music yet

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OP, this is something that I consider regularly. I'm an old school rap fan and still listen to a lot of the genre, but it is getting harder and harder to find music that isn't disturbing.

I think part of it is based on racist views. Is there a push by the music industry to only raise up musicians that fit into society's preconceived notions of what blackness is? For instance, rap music today only allows for a view of blacks as violent or overtly sexualized. These are old prejudicial tropes. Or is it that Americans are more accepting of lyrics that reinforce our prejudices?

Other musical genres are not any better though, because I see the similar things from popularized female artists. Female artists are predominantly popularized when they are sexualized or when they adhere to our society's desire to objectify them, see them as emotionally unstable, or materialistic. Female artists that don't adhere to stereotypes don't get the same push from the record studios. Is this a devious plan by record execs or just giving the people what they want?

I don't have answers, but hopefully things will swing back around again and we'll see the popularization of meaningful lyrics that are less ego driven and more self-aware.

As a black man I will not date a woman that listens to rap music

New country is a breath of fresh air. I like Florida Georgia line and dan and shay


One tells u how much better they are than cause they got money one tells u that money isn’t the key to happiness which one do u want ur girl listening to

Negative by a long shot

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but hopefully things will swing back around again and we'll see the popularization of meaningful lyrics that are less ego driven and more self-aware.

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Amen...

The social awakening of today is pretty damn shallow. I feel we are due a spiritual revival, but it might take some hard times for it to happen. The civil rights movement and Vietnam War gave us some fantastic music.

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The only reason that you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Unskinny Bop" is because you are overwhelmed by nostalgia

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Those fricking suck.

However there was some good pop in the 60's and 70's.

One reason people appreciated what became known as Grunge was because we were sick of shallow lyrics and simple chords that came with hair metal and sugar pop.

The 90s were the last real awakening though. We've become tethered.

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Unfortunately, the massive underground scene witnessed during the late 1990s and early 2000s has all but disappeared.

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It hasn't at all it's just not in the forefront there are plenty of artist from that era still making hip-hop today

Aesop rock
MF Doom
Brother Ali
Atmosphere
Talib Kwali
Royce the 5'9
Logic

and a fewer newer artists that are using a more lyrical style Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino being a couple



I think the problem is that most of this is not mainstream so when people think of rap they think what is on the radio is all that exists.

Lyrically there is no other genre that can touch the amount of vocabulary variety presented in the Hip-hop genre. So before painting a broad brush about what is out there make a little effort to search for good Hip Hop that isn't on the radio it isn't difficult to find.

There's good and bad hip hop.
There's good and bad rock.
There's good and bad country.
There's good and bad dance pop.

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I'm an old school rap fan and still listen to a lot of the genre, but it is getting harder and harder to find music that isn't disturbing.

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You mean like NWA, Ice T,KRS ONE Cypress Hill? I'm sure you know what NWA stands for and know the song "frick tha Police". Rap has always had the "gangster rap" sub genre. It's not anymore violent and gangster sounding than when it was in its infancy.

When the music starts and they say they're taking over for the nine nine and the two thousand... I believe I'm speaking for white girls everywhere when I say yeah, it's been a net positive.