"The Secret Meeting that Changed Hip-hop and Destroyed a Generation"

i'm listening to rap right now. in my senior quote in my high school yearbook in 1989 i quoted rap.

i went to prison and college.

i call it a full round education.

what will be your excuse for failure in life?

here is a sample of something that can be taken the wrong way:

reply to post by michaelbrux


apparently this is the 3rd installation of DMX's conversation with Satan.

you guys like Satan, right?

i only saw this video in the last few weeks...it is disturbing, but I can't turn away:

reply to post by Jack Squat


Interesting. Helps explain why there are getting to be a lot of music videos with War themes or Chaos in the streets.

Video list (off top of my head)
"We gonna run this town tonight" Jay -Z ft Kayne West & Rhianna
"No Love" Eminem ft Lil Wayne
"Banner" Lights (not a rap artist but war-ish themes)
"Part of Me" Katy Perry (lot of young fans)
"In the Army" Status Quo

reply to post by knoledgeispower


i don't much listen to the people you consider Rap and even though its not really Rap, I did enjoy the following social commentary by Kanye West:



he flips the reality of some upside down for a few minutes.

the weird thing about Rap is that it is older than what Pop Culture calls Rap and it is not bound to the idea of race.

for example:



the above video is Rap and produce in the 1960s

for those that remember how rap, specifically the rap of inner city youths in New York City, crossed over into mainstream American culture...they remember that this single video is responsible:



A collaboration between Run DMC and Aerosmith.



oddly enough, when one is seriously considering the idea that Rap is an American cultural phenomenon...they immediately realize that the 2nd video is also Rap.

the fact is...Rap is older than the specific sub-genre that many racists condemn and if it has produced some of the most incredible artistic personalities any generation will ever see.

the following 'rap' is from the 1960s and the voice of the lead vocal is nothing less than legendary...it would be a shame if we lost it when the fascists destroy all of our arts.

Well there's certainly a difference between the charming lyrics of, say, The Sugarhill Gang and the gangsta rap of later years. Dunno if it was planned that way but I find it very dull when an artist can only sing about sex and violence. I'm far from being a prude. I just want a bit of variety in my music, that's all.

Good artists write lyrics about all sorts of random stuff. The ones who are only in it for the cool just go on and on about "baby gon get some lovin' tonight" and all its vulgar derivatives. The recent, so called R and B revival should have been called T n A, seeing as it was mostly about those body parts.

For me, a good song which also happens to be vulgar is Friggin' in the Riggin' (showing my age). It's just a song about whacking off really but it sure is funny.

Sorry but I don't buy this story. I'm not denying the fact that there is a P.I.C but I think it has little ties (if any at all) to the music industry let alone specifically in the gangsta rap sub genre. I am also not denying the fact that there might be some sinister interests in the music industry relating back to money and greed, but I think the introduction of the War on Drugs and big industry (Tobacco, Alcohol, Gambling, etc..) capitalism have more to the with putting people behind bars.

Originally posted by Zaanny

Brilliant, I think he's a great musician, thanks for linking! Off to add this to the music thread.

Mainstream music is a joke, for the most part, but what's great is, no matter how much they pervert popular culture they can never recreate the source of what they dishonor. Gotta love the underground, it's always a step ahead. If you're lazy you're stuck with what they provide you. If you're sincere in your pursuit of ?????, you'll find your truth. They can't destroy the mathematics of a true man's music. Some glorify awareness, while the rest aren't aware of what they glorify. They don't disapprove of the dope man's dialogue, they become it, deaf, dumb, and blind, while we watch "the death of the cool".

i can see this as true. being from NY and seeing the birth of rap to where it is today then it is alarming to see the direction that it has gone. if you look at any other popular tyope of music rap is the only one that plays on the radio that constantly talks about drugs and some how being thug. all other music you hear has a wide range of topics but rap. if you want to hear real rap then you have to go to underground stuff and you miss so much because it will not get airplay. there has to be a reason for that. so this cold well be it

reply to post by robhines


No underhanded slight to you, but I always laugh at the irony of Prodigy. Did you ever listen to Keep it Thoro? These two bars right here, "Cock blower, duplicate rap cloner, It's me and you do it live on stage for dolo / I smack niggas like you, smash niggas by the tools, Grab niggas by the throat, show 'n' prove". Then the real life version of what Prodigy raps about bucks him on stage at his own show. Saigon pulled that dude's card.

Rapping (also known as emceeing,[1] MCing,[1] spitting (bars),[2] or rhyming[3]) refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics".[4] The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” (rhythm and rhyme), and “delivery”.[5] Rapping is distinct from spoken word poetry in that it is performed in time to a beat.[6][7]
Rapping is a primary ingredient in hip hop music and reggae, but the phenomenon predates hip hop culture by centuries. It can also be found in alternative rock such as that of Cake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapping is also used in Kwaito music, a genre that originated in Johannesburg, South Africa and is composed of hip hop elements. Rapping can be delivered over a beat or without accompaniment. Stylistically, rap occupies a gray area among speech, prose, poetry, and song. The use of the word to describe quick speech or repartee long predates the musical form,[8] meaning originally "to hit".[9] The word had been used in British English since the 16th century, and specifically meaning "to say" since the 18th. It was part of the African American dialect of English in the 1960s meaning "to converse", and very soon after that in its present usage as a term denoting the musical style.[10] Today, the terms "rap" and "rapping" are so closely associated with hip hop music that many use the terms interchangeably.


Given this definition and description of Rap on wikipedia, I would suggest that this is Rap:

Kendrick Lamar - Cartoon & Cereal

reply to post by Jack Squat


Hmmmm....It's a great story....But I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong, I think something similar did, indeed happen...But I believe it wasn't some big plot to make money from private prisons...Rather it was simply greed.

Music is entertainment....and the Bad Boy/Rebel has always been an interesting archetype in that industry....Whether it was 'The Man In Black' Mr. Johnny Cash...Or The Beatles with their 'crazy long hair'....Or Marilyn Manson with his....um...'Marilyn Manson-ism'. The Entertainment Industry has always liked the 'Rebel'.....When they started promoting Inner City Black Music, they simply looked for the 'Rebels' in that culture....The 'Bad Boys'. Unfortunately they hit on Gangs as their 'Rebel' of choice.

It was a bad choice by the Music Industry...and it had direct consequences....They went too far...They helped make a criminal underworld into something 'cool'. Why did they do it? I don't buy that it was a big conspiracy...They did it to make money. It's as plain and simple as that.

this is NOT Rap:



but it is applicable for many.

reply to post by bhornbuckle75


Just like they commercialized the Sicilian mob.