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[BluRayHiDef]

Most genres of music consist of a harmony of melodic and rhythmic sounds that are produced via instruments - or instruments and a singing human voice. Genres that meet this criteria are classical, rock n' roll, rhythm and blues, pop, and country.

However, rap doesn't meet this criteria as it doesn't rely on instruments to produce the non-verbal portions of songs but instead relies on wholly electronic equipment, and the verbal portions of its songs are produced by a speaking voice rather than a singing one.

In light of this, do you consider rap to be actual music? Also, while we're at it, how about techno?

 

[Anal Wake]

Yep, but only tracks about drug dealing, killing police officers, fucking hoes and being a tough motherfuckin hustla in the ghetto/hood. The rest is trash.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Yep, but only tracks about drug dealing, killing police officers, fucking hoes and being a tough motherfuckin hustla in the ghetto/hood. The rest is trash.

I sense sarcasm. Anyhow, what about positive rap, such as that by Will Smith or Lupe Fiasco?

 

[DKehoe]

Why does use of electronic equipment stop something from being music?

 

[EviLore]

Yes on both counts.

 

[nush]

that are produced via instruments

Learn your hip hop history. The New York black community in the 70's without the means to own actual instruments made the record turntable into an instrument.

 

[Anal Wake]

I sense sarcasm. Anyhow, what about positive rap, such as that by Will Smith or Lupe Fiasco?

I enjoy rap music, both positive and “gangsta”. As a matter a fact, in my early 20s I was really into horrorcore subgenre - Psychopathic Records (Insane Clown Posse etc.), stuff from Necro, his brother Ill Bill, Jedi Mind Tricks and many others.

 

[Bullet Club]

Yes

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Why does use of electronic equipment stop something from being music?

I don't hold that viewpoint; I was simply being neutral in the OP.

Personally, I think that the argument against wholly electronic equipment is that it automates the production of a beat rather than require operation by a human for the entirety of the beat. Hence, no significant skill or talent is needed.

 

[MudoSkills]

Bone Thugs N'Harmony would like a word about rap not being sung.

 

[Arimer]

Rap and Techno are both Music but i haven't found any of either i'm interested in listening to.

 

[InterMusketeer]

Whatever it is, it's trash.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Learn your hip hop history. The New York black community in the 70's without the means to own actual instruments made the record turntable into an instrument.

Yes, but what's the excuse now? How many rappers actually have a team of instrumentalists who produce the beats in real time as they perform in the studio or on stage?

 

[DogofWar]

Of course Rap is music, just like Noisecore and even Power Electronics can be considered music.

Then the fact that 99% of all Rap is really crappy music is another thing (but of course highly subjective).

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Yes on both counts.

Do you listen to rap?

 

[EviLore]

Do you listen to rap?

Yes, I listen to most genres of music.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Yes, I listen to most genres of music.

Which rappers do you listen to?

 

[nush]

Yes, but what's the excuse now? How many rappers actually have a team of instrumentalists who produce the beats in real time as they perform in the studio or on stage?

The genre was set, to change everything makes it not part of the genre at all.

 

[Birdo]

I went through a rap phase in my teens, but very quickly grew out of it.

I can't even listen to it now. It just sounds like someone talking gibberish with a beat in the background.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

The genre was set, to change everything makes it not part of the genre at all.

Seems like a poor excuse.

 

[nush]

Seems like a poor excuse.

Excuse? It's a fact. Don't troll me.

 

[BlackOlivesMatter]

This is art

 

[DKehoe]

I don't hold that viewpoint; I was simply being neutral in the OP.

Personally, I think that the argument against wholly electronic equipment is that it automates the production of a beat rather than require operation by a human for the entirety of the beat. Hence, no significant skill or talent is needed.

So where is that viewpoint coming from? What made you choose the criteria you listed in your opening post?

There’s still plenty of skill and talent that goes into creating an electronic beat. For one thing the sounds used can be made from scratch rather than relying on something like a drum kit that has a fixed range of sounds it produces. A huge amount of work and time can go into producing the beat. I’m not a rap expert by any means but someone like Dr Dre is known for being a perfectionist with that kind of thing. It’s not like it’s an afterthought that just gets spit out by a computer pre-arranged.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

Why does use of electronic equipment stop something from being music?

Yeah I'm not sure I get the op here. Seems like a silly question. Of course rap music is music. Same with techno. I've been listening to rap since the 80s, still do on an almost daily basis though it tends to be stuff from the 80s and 90s.

Just so I'm clear on what is being asked here. Is the issue with the electronic portion of rap music? That the instruments aren't performed live?

Rap still has a "harmony of melodic and rhythmic sounds", it is the crux of the genre. Not sure why you emphasized singing either, rap songs have singing in them. Maybe not singing that fits your criteria, but singing nonetheless. Where did you get your criteria for what music is anyways?

 

[BluRayHiDef]

So where is that viewpoint coming from? What made you choose the criteria you listed in your opening post?

There’s still plenty of skill and talent that goes into creating an electronic beat. For one thing the sounds used can be made from scratch rather than relying on something like a drum kit that has a fixed range of sounds it produces. A huge amount of work and time can go into producing the beat. I’m not a rap expert by any means but someone like Dr Dre is known for being a perfectionist with that kind of thing. It’s not like it’s an afterthought that just gets spit out by a computer pre-arranged.

The skill required to work a beat box is different from that required to coordinate your hands and fingers in order to manipulate an instrument in real time. The former requires mere trial and error, whereas the latter requires top-notch hand-finger coordination, muscle memory, and pattern recollection.

The following requires true, awe-inspiring talent.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

All music is music.

 

[Yoshi]

Garbage music. But music.

 

[#Phonepunk#]

Yes. Rhythm is half of music. At least!

 

[Spukc]

Jesus OP

 

[TTOOLL]

It's music, but it's bad. All gangsta shit is literal shit.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

Jesus OP

What did I do?

 

[MrS]

Fuck Beethoven this is the jammm ^

 

[DKehoe]

The skill required to work a beat box is different from that required to coordinate your hands and fingers in order to manipulate an instrument in real time. The former requires mere trial and error, whereas the latter requires top-notch hand-finger coordination, muscle memory, and pattern recollection.

The following requires true, awe-inspiring talent.

Surely the end result, the music itself, is more important than the process that goes into creating it?

Besides, have you seen what a high end mixing console looks like? The average person would have a much harder time producing anything meaningful from that than they would from any traditional instrument.

 

[BlackOlivesMatter]

Fuck Beethoven this is the jammm ^

Madden 2004 had the best soundtrack of any sports game, MLB the show 15 was pretty close though.

 

[Phunkydiabetic]

The skill required to work a beat box is different from that required to coordinate your hands and fingers in order to manipulate an instrument in real time. The former requires mere trial and error, whereas the latter requires top-notch hand-finger coordination, muscle memory, and pattern recollection. What is your arbitrary level of skill required until you deem it to be "music"?

The following requires true, awe-inspiring talent.

So because the skill set requirement is different from the skill set required to play a real time instrument, that makes it less worthy of being music? Playing the triangles requires for less skill than the cello, does that mean the music made with a triangle is lesser than?

All music requires trial and error. You think those women picked the guitars up and boom they were rocking out like that? It more than likely required many hours of trial and error to reach that point.

"top-notch hand-finger coordination, muscle memory, and pattern recollection"

Rap music, and really any music that involves electronics all require those three bits in order to create. Have you ever seen a dj spinning? Or an EDM dj for that matter?

I'm starting to get the feeling you just have beef with rap (and electronic music) more than anything here.

 

[GobbledeeGoo]

Yes...? What kind of stupid question is that.

 

[HellforLeather]

Of course. Unfortunately it seems its mostly the shit that rises to the top though. Most of that shit could only loosely be considered "rap"

 

[steve_o_3000]

I’m not a fan, but of course it is. WTF.

 

[Spukc]

 

[The Pleasure]

Is country music the white version of the blues or rap?

 

[Chuckie]

Yes it is. And I like it too. But the older stuff like Wu Tang, Tribe, Nas etc.

 

[Elektro Demon]

I guess it's music but I don't like it. The actual music is very simple, almost tribal at times. The so called singing is just some fast talking, imo.

 

[Threeshotgamer]

Of course it is and like all music some of it is good and some of it is bad. But going by this logic in the OP does that mean Acapella groups are even lower forms of music since they don't have any instrumental accompaniment therefore making them less music than those with pure electric instrumentals?

 

[BluRayHiDef]

I guess it's music but I don't like it. The actual music is very simple, almost tribal at times. The so called singing is just some fast talking, imo.

Tribal? That word has some serious connotations in regard to the demographic that created rap and comprise a majority of its artists.

 

[Nester99]

Op really enjoys nonsensical bait threads.

Why are so many of you so keen to take a bite?

 

[Elektro Demon]

Tribal? That word has some serious connotations in regard to the demographic that created rap and comprise a majority of its artists.

It does to Americans, the rest of the normal world doesn't have a problem with calling the music tribal. That music does sound like african tribal music at times to me.
You people really are insane, everything is racist to you.

 

[BluRayHiDef]

It does to Americans, the rest of the normal world doesn't have a problem with calling the music tribal. That music does sound like african tribal music at times to me.
You people really are insane, everything is racist to you.

Rap music sounds nothing like Afrrican tribal music; you're being ridiculous and are stating that only because rap is the creation of black people.

 

[Airola]

If this is music, rap is music too:

 

[ExpandKong]

I like rap. I like how Houston rappers always say who they are in the first ten seconds just to make sure you know.

Tribal? That word has some serious connotations in regard to the demographic that created rap and comprise a majority of its artists.

Jesus Christ words have more than one meaning sometimes maybe pick one that doesn't make you think everyone's a racist once in a while.

 

[Elektro Demon]

Rap music sounds nothing like Afrrican tribal music; you're being ridiculous and are stating that only because rap is the creation of black people.

I don't care that it's the creation of black people. I really don't give a shit if an Asian, black, white etc created the music.
To me, it does sound like african tribal music. And that's my opinion. If you don't like it or disagree with it, well, deal with it bro, I don't care tbh.