Rant on Rap (part 2)
Okay, so yesterday I treated myself to two new CDs with a gift certificate I got many moons ago for graduation. I purchased Alanis Morrissette's new one, as well as the 2nd Avril Lavigne CD. The latter CD is a lot like the first, but the melodies are certainly catchy.
As I was listening to Alanis, I once again found myself really identifying with a lot of what she was singing--either from past or current experiences. And then I started thinking about my students from this summer, and how so many of them said they "didn't relate" to any of the music they listen to.
Then it hit me. My students were predominantly urban, listening to predominantly rap. What do rap artists talk about? Gettin' high, gettin' laid, tryin' not to get shot. Or they talk about all the Gs they're making. Well of COURSE these kids can't relate to any of the music they listen to. This music is lacking a certain amount of intellectual depth that we find in (some) pop music and (more) rock music.
So, I asked my brother about this, because I know the bf doesn't listen to the lyrics of songs. Now, Mr. Anti-Social (the brother, not the bf) told me that while he doesn't listen to the lyrics of a song on the first go-round, he does after that and, yes, he does identify with music from time to time. My brother likes classic rock and some of that guitar-laden "new" rock that isn't as angry as say...Limp Bizkit.
I'd love some feed back on this. Am I just being a white, suburban bigot? Or have I actually hit on something?
2 Comments:
I personally have always wondered how middle class whites can be into rap since there isn't any way for them to relate unless their gfs are ho's...Now, I seethat they don't relate which leads me to the question, why are they listenng if they don't relate? I mean with rock yeah I suppose you can listen to the music and not the lyrics but, to me, take out the rhymes from rap and you have nothing...
You're not a white, suburban bigot. Most kids probably can't relate to rap because rappers write about their celebrity lifestyles and/or their urban backgrounds, neither of which really applies to most middle-class white kids. Rap has some redeeming qualities, if it's good. Missy Elliot, for example, is hilarious, empowering to women, and a *fairly* acceptable role model (if one excuses her potty mouth, which I do). But most rap sucks and is just a bunch of manufactured crap to squeeze money out of the masses. So is most pop. Classic and alternative rock have that element to them, but I think to a lesser extent.
*climbs down from soapbox*
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