"Rap isn't music cause all it is is pushing buttons.."
 

DJ Shadow, DJ NuMark, and Cut Chemist-"Pushing Buttons"

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Yep..

See I've gotten into two separate arguments lately with shitheads who hate "rap".. I've broken them down so much that they say things like "making beats is nothing but pushing buttons" etc.. After comparing a great MC like Mos Def to a rock singer/song writer (because both write songs and MCs like Mos wouldn't be good without having a God given good voice) BOTH the guys I've argued with have broken down even further and said that if you don't play an instrument then you are not a musician..

:-\

Playing instruments can be taught, having a good voice is natural..

It's a talent. It's a skill. But it is not music.

What makes it "not music"??

So, if a guy was standing in front of a huge set of percussions and did a live show, what is different than what they did??

I guess drums aren't instruments either..

Music:

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OR

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DJ Shadow is a musical genius

Now i don't claim to know too much about this 'rap' thing, or the skippety hops, alls i know is, it's shit. That is all.

Metallica, Bob Dylan, Radiohead - Musicians.

M&Ms, Doctor Dray, Snoopy - Ramblers. With a beat machine.

You really are slow aren't you

Mentioning Metallica along with Bob Dylan and Radiohead okkkkkkkkkkk

Mos Def, Common, and The Roots aren't music..

Slipknot, Puddle of Mudd, and Nickleback are music..

Rap is like any other genre, a whole lot of shit and some good stuff

I give up on people who think that rap isn't music. Ignorance prevails.

I love how guys like St. Jimmy say shit like that then never back it up..

Actually, I hate that but whatever..

so if rap is not music does that mean that electronic is not music? if i'm grooving to a smooth techno beat am i really not listening to music?

fuck that is such an ignorant argument. just because the objects used to create the sounds don't fall into a "traditional" category doesn't mean that it isn't music.

Using feedback while playing electric guitar wasn't "traditional" until Buddy Guy came around.. Music evolves..

It's music but its simplistic in nature.

It doesnt compare to some solid classic rock/hard rock/metal.

And why do you even try and dispute or make the assumption that those bands you listed are more music that slipknot, pom, or nickleback?

Thats kinda negating your argument.

i don't understand "more" or "less" music. music is music. just because some people are too dense to look past preconceived notions and biases doesn't change that fact. sure i think nickelback is terrible. doesn't mean that it isn't music.

Wow, some really stupid comments in here.

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OMG that first video :love:

Never try and convince an ignorant person of anything, seriously

This Ronald Jenkees character creates musical sex. Fucking wow.

Beat, rhythm and melody are the alleged 'fundamentals' of music, but that last one is nebulous in particular, since percussion groups are regarded as music, relying solely on the merits of the first two. Melody is an important, but not crucial part of music. Most early music would have been purely rhythmic in nature before melody was added to the mix.

I'm not even a rap fan, but I appreciate and understand its place in music history and culture. And mostly, it's not even the style of music I don't like so much as the fact I can't relate to anything that's being rapped about and the whole gangsta image thing. It doesn't appeal to me. I enjoyed the stylings of MC Lars, since he was a nerdy white boy, and I understood what he was rapping about. He used samples I was familiar with, referenced things I could relate to, and I got a big kick out of it, since I usually can't get into rap because I couldn't usually do any of those things. Not because most rappers are black or whatever, but just purely, from a cultural standpoint, there is no reference point for me, and being able to relate is a huge part of enjoying most (lyrical) music personally.

Anyway, the point is it's far-fetched and inaccurate to say rap isn't music, and I would gladly refute anybody who wants to disagree.

mitch, Czech out guys like Atmosphere, Sage Francis, MC Chris, Aesop Rock, Del The Funky Homosapien (Czech out Deltron 3030 while you're at it) and El-P.

A lot different than the mainstream. And none of those guys are remotely gangsta.

BTW, do you still have that recording of that song you guys did that was all "I was walking down the street just a checkin' my shit"?

I'll say, fucken radiohead :p

Ahahaha, yes. Yes I do.

I WAS WALKIN' DOWN THE STREET JUST A CHECKIN' MY SHIT
WHEN THIS CRAZY OLD HO CAME UP DISSIN' ON ME
I SAID "WHAT UP BITCH, WHATCHU TRYIN' TO PULL"
AND MY NIGGAS OVER HERE PULLED A PIECE ON YOU
NOW SHE DIDN'T LIKE THE SHIT, CALLED ME A CUNT
PUT MY HAND IN MY POCKET, GRABBED A BIG FAT BLUNT
WENT SICK ON THE HO, GONNA BUST SOME CAPS
THEN I STOP AND THINK AND GO FOR THE BITCH SLAP

FUCK SHIT UP

Best stereotypical rap song ever, if I do say so.

Also:

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:cool:

I will czech out Atmosphere et al, as well.

How so?

DJ Spooky FTW - the brother made music from sounds of Antartica

Well, it lacks melodic depth. It's not insulting to rap to suggest it's more minimalist than pop or rock. There is less reliance on melody: fact. Not an insult. Thus, since nearly an entire musical dimension is (largely) absent, it is perhaps less melodically complex, but probably far more rhythmically complex than pop or rock.

Fucking Downunder.

I just typed out a pretty lengthy response to all of the nay-sayers but then I just decided I wouldn't post it because if you want to believe rap isn't music then just don't listen to it. There are figures in the rap industry that are musical geniuses. Your ignorance doesn't change that.

Del Tha Funky Homosapien is awesome.

I think that this is pretty accurate. Now, if someone had stated this in the beginning rather than just spout off like a douche we wouldn't have this problem.

I won't argue with the elements of melody not being incorporated as mitch already cleared this up. The portion most people fail to realize is that yes, rap music is more rhythmically complex. The music also contains samples from any number of things. I can speak best about RZA's work just because I listen to it a great deal. If you listen to a given song and turn the bass down, you can hear all sorts of crazy sampling. The layers upon layers in the song are just as complex as any pop, rock etc.

Best post all thread.

ummmmm, guys

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the sad thing is country music stations actually played that and people LIKED it.