Design a path to get a middle-aged white guy into hip-hop - Music

Skinny
birdman_handrub.gif

God, this thread is so BAWP-heavy.

People trying to defend hip-hop by using the most rockist hip-hop artists out there is depressing. "B..b..but Outkast, Kendrick, Wyclef, melody, things I understand". I realise that this thread is about trying to forge a path for middle-aged white guys to get into rap, but I could've predicted this entire conversation from the start.

Rapping over a sampled beat is the revolution in itself. Filling it with language and sentiments that make white people uncomfortable is the extension. Lots of great hip-hop has contained traditional rock ideas of melody, but the best hip-hop doesn't give a fuck. 'Shook Ones (part II)' makes no fucking concessions.

Look, Beethoven never wrote anything as great as Juicy J's 'Bandz a Make Her Dance', so step off, grandad.
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Puncture Repair

I grew up with The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as I'm sure so many of us did. Hip Hop was, and still is, a dirty word in our household. 'It's all swearing and bitches and hoes' and I held onto that. I loved Pink Floyd because of the huge sounds and the cohesive experience. I'd be lying if I said My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy didn't act as the gate way - it had that huge sound and cohesive experience. I never really enjoyed it, but it made things 'click'. 'Gorgeous' is the first Hip Hop song I can remember actually enjoying, and it's because of it's dirty guitar sample - I loved the melody. I listened to that song over and over, with the volume way down low in case my parents heard it was rap. Not like I thought I'd get disowned or anything, just that they'd think something and keep it hidden internally.

I listened to good kid on my way to work for the first time in 2012 because it was getting so much attention. I remember cringing through the first few songs. Singing about bitches not killing his vibe? His dick being as big as the Eiffel tower? Jesus. But then I honestly don't remember as big a musical revelation I've had since hearing 'The Art of Freestyle', I hung onto every word and listened close - and I loved it. It was like poetry for the real world. The melody didn't matter, it was suddenly about time and place and rhythm. Then the rest just flowed.

If someone forced LL Cool J's 'Radio' on me and told me if I couldn't enjoy rapping over a sampled beat then I didn't deserve rap, I would have written the whole thing off - I could barely get through the entire album just two years ago. Music is such an abstract medium that how we grow up around it has such a powerful influence on how we judge it. Equally, so many of us grow up hearing westernized pentatonic scales, that we struggle to appreciate how different cultures approach an order of melody. I'm sure all of us here are guilty of that.

Out the blue the other day my Dad asked if I'd heard Illmatic. He said it reminded him of Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'. I imagine because that's something musically he appreciates and understands, but he said he couldn't enjoy Nas. I happened to see he had NWA's 'Straight Outta Compton' in his collection just the other day. That made me smile, because I know he still hates it, and it's not the first hip hop record I'd recommend, but because of me - at least he's trying.

Yann

Gender: Male
Location: France

Puncture Repair wrote:

I grew up with The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin as I'm sure so many of us did. Hip Hop was, and still is, a dirty word in our household. 'It's all swearing and bitches and hoes' and I held onto that. I loved Pink Floyd because of the huge sounds and the cohesive experience. I'd be lying if I said My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy didn't act as the gate way - it had that huge sound and cohesive experience. I never really enjoyed it, but it made things 'click'. 'Gorgeous' is the first Hip Hop song I can remember actually enjoying, and it's because of it's dirty guitar sample - I loved the melody. I listened to that song over and over, with the volume way down low in case my parents heard it was rap. Not like I thought I'd get disowned or anything, just that they'd think something and keep it hidden internally.

I listened to good kid on my way to work for the first time in 2012 because it was getting so much attention. I remember cringing through the first few songs. Singing about bitches not killing his vibe? His dick being as big as the Eiffel tower? Jesus. But then I honestly don't remember as big a musical revelation I've had since hearing 'The Art of Freestyle', I hung onto every word and listened close - and I loved it. It was like poetry for the real world. The melody didn't matter, it was suddenly about time and place and rhythm. Then the rest just flowed.

If someone forced LL Cool J's 'Radio' on me and told me if I couldn't enjoy rapping over a sampled beat then I didn't deserve rap, I would have written the whole thing off - I could barely get through the entire album just two years ago. Music is such an abstract medium that how we grow up around it has such a powerful influence on how we judge it. Equally, so many of us grow up hearing westernized pentatonic scales, that we struggle to appreciate how different cultures approach an order of melody. I'm sure all of us here are guilty of that.

Out the blue the other day my Dad asked if I'd heard Illmatic. He said it reminded him of Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'. I imagine because that's something musically he appreciates and understands, but he said he couldn't enjoy Nas. I happened to see he had NWA's 'Straight Outta Compton' in his collection just the other day. That made me smile, because I know he still hates it, and it's not the first hip hop record I'd recommend, but because of me - at least he's trying.

Nice post, but the word guilty is way too strong. I’ll never feel guilty of not liking any exotic culture (or conversely proud of liking some). Besides, hip hop is very western.

Tha1ChiefRocka
Yeah, well hey, I'm really sorry.

Location: Kansas

I figure I should add this as background. In my life, I was exposed to hip hop at a pretty young age from a source that midwestern mostly white kids didn't usually experience. My mother, in her 50's now, still listens to and loves the hip hop of her era. Whodini, Grand Master Flash, Kurtis Blow and the like. So, hip hop in and of itself was never a problem. She didn't much care for the stuff with ribald lyrics, but she never detested it.

Skinny
birdman_handrub.gif

I saw Lethal Bizzle on Top of the Pops and life changed.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Skinny wrote:

God, this thread is so BAWP-heavy.

People trying to defend hip-hop by using the most rockist hip-hop artists out there is depressing. "B..b..but Outkast, Kendrick, Wyclef, melody, things I understand". I realise that this thread is about trying to forge a path for middle-aged white guys to get into rap, but I could've predicted this entire conversation from the start.

Rapping over a sampled beat is the revolution in itself. Filling it with language and sentiments that make white people uncomfortable is the extension. Lots of great hip-hop has contained traditional rock ideas of melody, but the best hip-hop doesn't give a fuck. 'Shook Ones (part II)' makes no fucking concessions.

Look, Beethoven never wrote anything as great as Juicy J's 'Bandz a Make Her Dance', so step off, grandad.

If you are referring to me, I wasn't saying that rapping over a simple beat and that ONLY was bad. I mean rap started even without the beat. I've been in South Central and seen the street rappers get together. It was really impressive to hear those artists work rhythm, melody, and words in a very powerful way... without any beat/music. I was stating such art forms EXIST, and for rockist peeps, that often is the hurdle. So start with a gateway like the artist you mention how have melody, etc. They have a hard time getting to understand the lyrics/lack of melody, etc.

Anyway, you are right.

Also what is BAWP?

Antonio-Pedro
Subspace Highway Traveler

Gender: Male
Age: 24
Location: Rain forest Kingdom

sethmadsen wrote:

Also what is BAWP?

It's an old story
Boring Ass white people I guess

maybe
Broncos are the worst P
Batman and Wonder person
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Skinny
birdman_handrub.gif

sethmadsen wrote:

Skinny wrote:

God, this thread is so BAWP-heavy.

People trying to defend hip-hop by using the most rockist hip-hop artists out there is depressing. "B..b..but Outkast, Kendrick, Wyclef, melody, things I understand". I realise that this thread is about trying to forge a path for middle-aged white guys to get into rap, but I could've predicted this entire conversation from the start.

Rapping over a sampled beat is the revolution in itself. Filling it with language and sentiments that make white people uncomfortable is the extension. Lots of great hip-hop has contained traditional rock ideas of melody, but the best hip-hop doesn't give a fuck. 'Shook Ones (part II)' makes no fucking concessions.

Look, Beethoven never wrote anything as great as Juicy J's 'Bandz a Make Her Dance', so step off, grandad.

If you are referring to me, I wasn't saying that rapping over a simple beat and that ONLY was bad. I mean rap started even without the beat. I've been in South Central and seen the street rappers get together. It was really impressive to hear those artists work rhythm, melody, and words in a very powerful way... without any beat/music. I was stating such art forms EXIST, and for rockist peeps, that often is the hurdle. So start with a gateway like the artist you mention how have melody, etc. They have a hard time getting to understand the lyrics/lack of melody, etc.

Anyway, you are right.

Also what is BAWP?

Dude, I'm not talking about you. Much love.
_________________
2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

Graeme2

Gender: Male
Location: The Upside Down

Skinny wrote:

Rapping over a sampled beat is the revolution in itself. Filling it with language and sentiments that make white people uncomfortable is the extension.

Please elaborate on the language and sentiments part?

RoundTheBend
I miss the comfort in being sad

Location: Ground Control

Skinny wrote:

sethmadsen wrote:

Skinny wrote:

God, this thread is so BAWP-heavy.

People trying to defend hip-hop by using the most rockist hip-hop artists out there is depressing. "B..b..but Outkast, Kendrick, Wyclef, melody, things I understand". I realise that this thread is about trying to forge a path for middle-aged white guys to get into rap, but I could've predicted this entire conversation from the start.

Rapping over a sampled beat is the revolution in itself. Filling it with language and sentiments that make white people uncomfortable is the extension. Lots of great hip-hop has contained traditional rock ideas of melody, but the best hip-hop doesn't give a fuck. 'Shook Ones (part II)' makes no fucking concessions.

Look, Beethoven never wrote anything as great as Juicy J's 'Bandz a Make Her Dance', so step off, grandad.

If you are referring to me, I wasn't saying that rapping over a simple beat and that ONLY was bad. I mean rap started even without the beat. I've been in South Central and seen the street rappers get together. It was really impressive to hear those artists work rhythm, melody, and words in a very powerful way... without any beat/music. I was stating such art forms EXIST, and for rockist peeps, that often is the hurdle. So start with a gateway like the artist you mention how have melody, etc. They have a hard time getting to understand the lyrics/lack of melody, etc.

Anyway, you are right.

Also what is BAWP?

Dude, I'm not talking about you. Much love.

Likewise.