I like his question as to why would a white guy dance to and recite lyrics that are negative about himself his family and his race. The hum along to his very own women being raped. Hmmmm. Youthful identity crisis? Hating being a white dude and wanting to be cool and black maybe?
I find it interesting that the places the create rap negative toward the white man and degrading to him as the white man are places that shall we say are known to exploitation. France with colonialism toward blacks, Germans for their Holocaust and American Whites which are saddled with white Guilt over slavery. Almost like a social construct that you can see play out right in front of you, but only you see it.
I thought Elvis and Rock n’ Roll destroyed our Culture LONG before Gangsta’ Rap?
Mufasa[/quote]
Many forces destroyed our culture. But yes, Elvis & Rock are cultural trash as well. No one will be listening to any of that crap 100 years from now. [/quote]
I think you should write all the congressmen (or call!!) with that “burning anger” of yours.
I thought Elvis and Rock n’ Roll destroyed our Culture LONG before Gangsta’ Rap?
Mufasa[/quote]
Many forces destroyed our culture. But yes, Elvis & Rock are cultural trash as well. No one will be listening to any of that crap 100 years from now. [/quote]
I think you should write all the congressmen (or call!!) with that “burning anger” of yours.
[/quote]
LOL - what anger?
GL, you seem rather traumatized about my actually getting involved politically…
[quote]Rohnyn wrote:
What is your opinion on the effect of ‘gangsta rap’ on ethics & culture of today?
[/quote] Gangsta Rap doesn’t really exist today like it did in the 90’s and early 2000’s. There is still rap songs about killing people, and whatever else, but it’s not nearly the energy of previous gangsta rap records. Early gangsta Rap was far more realistic feeling of trying to get out of the typical ghetto, with no visible options. Even in the worst communities now their are numereous examples of people who made it. In that time period it was a popular myth that most black youth would not make it past 23. Gave Rap much more of an edge. Now the gangsta rap is more mass marketed trying to pull out any remaining funds, while the energy behind the rapper just doesn’t match. The lyrics and feelings are just not harsh, they’re just trashy.
Their have been bully’s and actors long before gangsta rap, but they’re not going to listen to love songs in public. It won’t hold up their image, so of course they’ll listen to something offensive."
Before rap Black bully’s were singing dolemite songs, not sure too much of the white community.
But warrior’s listen to warrior songs, its what gets you amped up. Do YOU need it NO, but some people do, but they were warriors before the songs. And whoever your talking about was an asshole before he heard his first gangsta rap song.
[quote]
These guys all walk in and put on some ‘kill you- motherfucker’ gangster rap, and lift to songs about killing & robbing people, a few times there were lyrics that make fun of white guys or talk about fucking their women.
Thus, it confuses me that these white dudes, listen to stuff that basically degrades their background, and at the expense of their community.
Can someone explain this bullshit to me?
…
Anyways what do you guys think of all this? What is the solution? Why do people listen to music that deprecates them?[/quote]
Some people are thrill seekers, shock value creates comfort for them. You just chose to notice the rap, but there are other genre’s that say weird shit.
That being said Gangsta Rap has had a huge effect on culture even on the fact that we have our first black president, but is not the source of the problems in your post.
There has always been bad music. There’s always been violent lyrics. But back in the day, that stuff didn’t survive very long (wasn’t preserved). Think about the money and resources it took to preserve something as complex as an Opera in the 18th century: pay people to copy it line by line, enough copies for an entire symphony, preserve/re-copy the paper as it started to fall apart. It’s a miracle we have any of it.
Fast forward to today, every crappy song written since there’s been audio-recording is now in digital form, and short of the Apocalypse, will never really go away. Instead, like the high-culture stuff of the older days borne from a privileged elite, this stuff gets passed down, adopted by others, and propagated (they don’t have to re-invent the wheel each time).
I think a lot of this stuff is pretty offensive, and I don’t listen to it.
As long as there’s a market for it, it will continue. But I don’t think the music created the market.
I don’t like techno either, but that’s another product of everyone with a computer thinking they’re a musical genius.
Populism/egalitarianism cuts all ways, you have to take the good with the bad.
Frank Sinatra was once the entertainment at a summit between the heads of the major crime families throughout the country. Sinatra’s association with gangsters has been well-documented and romanticized by many.
How would people react today if a similar summit occurred between various gangs and Jay-Z was the evening’s entertainment?
Frank Sinatra was once the entertainment at a summit between the heads of the major crime families throughout the country. Sinatra’s association with gangsters has been well-documented and romanticized by many.
How would people react today if a similar summit occurred between various gangs and Jay-Z was the evening’s entertainment?[/quote]
Actually, the stuff written about Sinatra was largely pure fiction written by those in the press who didn’t like Sinatra because of his arrogance and refusal to allow photo’s and give exclusive interviews.
Isn’t it nice to know that you could never really trust the press?
There has always been bad music. There’s always been violent lyrics.[/quote]
True, but not as violent and not as many violent songs.
Then you are saying that advertising doesn’t work, which we know is not the case. The demand for a product, any product is created and grows through the proper use of the media. I’m not claiming that there was not a market already there, but to state that it has not been vastly expanded because of the constant drum beat of the same old vicious lyrics is wrong minded.
There has always been bad music. There’s always been violent lyrics.[/quote]
True, but not as violent and not as many violent songs.
Then you are saying that advertising doesn’t work, which we know is not the case. The demand for a product, any product is created and grows through the proper use of the media. I’m not claiming that there was not a market already there, but to state that it has not been vastly expanded because of the constant drum beat of the same old vicious lyrics is wrong minded.
[/quote]
I don’t think that’s what I’m saying. I think there’s a market for just about anything i.e., people who would want product x given its availability.
I think you’re right about marketing being able to expand a market… but it makes me wonder how many people listen to music they don’t really like because of the marketing (image) around the product, and their peer group insisting on it.
I grew up in a rural village, and then starting in middle-school took a 45min bus-ride to school in a relatively ghetto neighborhood of the closest metro area. As a kid I wasn’t a huge fan of country, but it was around (I like it better now). Starting in Jr. High, saying you liked country was asking like asking for an ass-beating by the little gang-banger-whatevers. Don’t know why they cared about the music, but that was def a period where what music you liked was expected to (and often did I guess) create your image and the personality you displayed.
Makes me wonder how much of any music is really about the aesthetic value of the music itself versus the image marketed/identified with it.
Minorities are disproportionatly portrayed as thugs, criminals, martial artists (asians) on television. In the sub-culture of latinos or African-Americans, who have less life chances or less chances for success. The new culture revolves around RESPECT, how to get it through violence because that is the only way these people feel they can get it. You’ll see that alot of rap videos promote posturing and resorting to violence the first chance you get. I think those videos affect not only minorities but also white suburban kids, who watch these videos and adopt the “wigger” syndrome - because thats how they are TAUGHT to validate their manhood.
Frank Sinatra was once the entertainment at a summit between the heads of the major crime families throughout the country. Sinatra’s association with gangsters has been well-documented and romanticized by many.
How would people react today if a similar summit occurred between various gangs and Jay-Z was the evening’s entertainment?[/quote]
Actually, the stuff written about Sinatra was largely pure fiction written by those in the press who didn’t like Sinatra because of his arrogance and refusal to allow photo’s and give exclusive interviews.
Isn’t it nice to know that you could never really trust the press?
[/quote]
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Don Rickles telling a story on Letterman that highlighted Franks ties with organized crime. Although you did say “largely” and not “entirely”.
OP, I feel like you’d have gotten a more well rounded, and more lively overall discussion had you posted this in Get A Life (Off Topic) instead of here.