| | I agree with original article in that the ideas and sense-of-life put forth by "gangsta" rap (a specific subset of hip hop) is generally nihilistic and repulsive. The fact is that words like "thug" and "pimp" are now commonplace in the mainstream, and they now garner a positive connotation in most cases. Doesn't that bother anyone?? For example, I live in a very diverse neighborhood in the city of Chicago, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard kids - barely older than toddlers - reciting rap lyrics about bitches and hoes, thugs and pimps, etc. They do this in the presence of their elders, who act is if nothing is wrong with that!! Yes, I realize in most cases the parents (who are usually teenagers) are usually to blame for tolerating those influences, but given that these artists receive mainstream exposure and acclaim, it should come as no surprise.
Yes, growing up in the ghetto is a tremendous challenge. Yes, racism still exists and many blacks get the short end of the stick on a lot of things. But weren't black Americans objectively under far more oppression 40, 50, 60, 70 years ago, and didn't their culture instead produce (and revere) Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie etc?
I think this article is somewhat mistaken in that it doesn't distinguish between the different forms of rap music, but gives a blanket condemnation of a vocal technique. However, its criticisms of the "thug" culture in general are well founded. That said, many reputable classical music elites of the early 1900's dismissed early New Orleans style jazz music as the raucous musings of displaced savages, and jazz evolved on to become a rich and complex artform. It would be foolish to suggest that in the future, the techniques being employed in hip hop (samples, loops, dj's etc) will never one be applied with incredible skill and depth by an artist who who truly understands the nuances of melody, harmony and rhythm.
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