Rap Apolgetics?
- Thread starter monotonic
- Start date
Re: Send this to your rap apologist friends
I thought an apologist was someone who "apologized" for something but still defended it, IE "there is a lot of bad rap but there is good rap too". I think such a person might appreciate this. But I could just be in the clouds.
EDIT: Okay, I guess an Apologist is something different. Apparently an "apology" is not quite what I thought it was either...
I thought an apologist was someone who "apologized" for something but still defended it, IE "there is a lot of bad rap but there is good rap too". I think such a person might appreciate this. But I could just be in the clouds.
EDIT: Okay, I guess an Apologist is something different. Apparently an "apology" is not quite what I thought it was either...
Re: Send this to your rap apologist friends
FWIW monotonic this is relatively mild IMO and I can see no obvious positive messages. If you would like to listen to a rapper who goes deep into the control system and attempts to speak truth, you may want to check out Lowkey.
FWIW monotonic this is relatively mild IMO and I can see no obvious positive messages. If you would like to listen to a rapper who goes deep into the control system and attempts to speak truth, you may want to check out Lowkey.
Re: Send this to your rap apologist friends
Well, the sheer awfullness of most rap probably made it seem much better than it really is. The main thing that stood out is that the song seems to be about de-escalation, which runs opposite to popular rap... I am by no means a rap fan though, I was just thinking "if I knew someone who bothered me about rap all the time I would send them this".
Well, the sheer awfullness of most rap probably made it seem much better than it really is. The main thing that stood out is that the song seems to be about de-escalation, which runs opposite to popular rap... I am by no means a rap fan though, I was just thinking "if I knew someone who bothered me about rap all the time I would send them this".
H-KQGE
Dagobah Resident
Re: Send this to your rap apologist friends
Keyhole, thanks for the post, very apropos. LOWKEY's "flow" (modern urban colloquialism) in the second video was spot on. The third video had very good production value & was emotive, to me at least. It's pretty frustrating in the UK hearing fake Mc's & their inane babble on the mic. (microphone) These days they let anyone on the mic & they have no character( voice), charisma, or much else. It's just an endless stream of "death talk" - materialism & ego. And their voices all sound the same too! Their grammar is usually bad (even factoring in slang) as well as their word selection, even their timing. It's all attitude & violent gesticulating whilst the rest of their "friends" tell them how "sick" (ironic) they are. SMH. And if any vocal track is played ("old skool") with guitars, a piano, saxophone (God forbid!) etc, they shrivel up or complain. But the deepest darkest worst baseline that gets them hyper... is actually music to them! Ugh. I know there ARE rappers out there that are like LOWKEY but not many. And there are a lot of people that are either aware or know about what's going on in the world. They're a minority of course, but the sad truth is that without a proper network, they're going to be stuck wading through the exoteric "soup" - opinions, hearsay, speculation, wishful thinking & the rest. :(
Keyhole, thanks for the post, very apropos. LOWKEY's "flow" (modern urban colloquialism) in the second video was spot on. The third video had very good production value & was emotive, to me at least. It's pretty frustrating in the UK hearing fake Mc's & their inane babble on the mic. (microphone) These days they let anyone on the mic & they have no character( voice), charisma, or much else. It's just an endless stream of "death talk" - materialism & ego. And their voices all sound the same too! Their grammar is usually bad (even factoring in slang) as well as their word selection, even their timing. It's all attitude & violent gesticulating whilst the rest of their "friends" tell them how "sick" (ironic) they are. SMH. And if any vocal track is played ("old skool") with guitars, a piano, saxophone (God forbid!) etc, they shrivel up or complain. But the deepest darkest worst baseline that gets them hyper... is actually music to them! Ugh. I know there ARE rappers out there that are like LOWKEY but not many. And there are a lot of people that are either aware or know about what's going on in the world. They're a minority of course, but the sad truth is that without a proper network, they're going to be stuck wading through the exoteric "soup" - opinions, hearsay, speculation, wishful thinking & the rest. :(
Yeah Lowkey is an exception I think, and there is also "Akala". These are two extraordinarilly talented rappers, and I often find that listening to their music provides a small shock, brings me back to reality to some extent, and gives me a push in the right direction. It is not simply listening to the music to dissociate from reality. Most genres of music these days have succumbed to the ponerization process, so it is quite refreshing to see that there are the few who can SEE things. But you are correct Ascien, with no network they are all essentially wondering around alone in the dark.
This one is quite an emotional one, you may enjoy it Ascien. It has a different flavour to most rap music.
This one is quite an emotional one, you may enjoy it Ascien. It has a different flavour to most rap music.
Keyhole said:
Keyhole,
Thank you for these examples of aware rappers. I was touched by the honesty and empathy they seem to express. They even have a musical background that is support for the rap parts which seems to be lacking or almost non-existent in most of the rap I have heard elsewhere. Too bad there are not more like these.
H-KQGE
Dagobah Resident
Keyhole you've made my day... possibly my week & more to come LOL. I felt the "Akala" track was even better than LOWKEY's though they definitely compliment each other. Poignant & reflective, insightful & THAT is true "UK rap." To me at least. Loved seeing an actual band playing (they looked to be "feeling it" too) which makes a HUGE difference with the vibrations from the instruments, in conjunction with the lyrics. A combo of these two artists (cuz they are - especially compared to the idiots within the "urban" or dance music scene) would be great. Loved the way the track finished too. This makes me want to put pen to paper again 
They are both friends and have collaborated many times actually. I suppose they have formed their own mini-network to try and influence people in positive ways.Ascien said:
Lowkey and Akala speaking about the corruption of hip hop and the US government
Lowkey on RussiaToday
He's a major artist so not everything he does is on the same level as Lowkey and Akala, but Lupe Fiasco has some good work out there.
Blackalicious is well known for their social commentary in some of their songs. Here's one that I enjoy, called Sky is Falling:
Tigersoap
The Living Force
Interview with Jasiri X about how political & social messages in rap music won't sell.
Starts at 12:35 min (featuring other rap artists with a political message)
http://www.rt.com/shows/in-the-now-summary/269764-putin-pharrell-rappers/
I am paraphrasing from memory but if rappers don't conform to the idea that the PTB has of them, being only interested in money, cars & women then they won't succeed.
Starts at 12:35 min (featuring other rap artists with a political message)
http://www.rt.com/shows/in-the-now-summary/269764-putin-pharrell-rappers/
I am paraphrasing from memory but if rappers don't conform to the idea that the PTB has of them, being only interested in money, cars & women then they won't succeed.
