Originally Posted by DriveYourCarDownToTheSea

I'm not opposed to anyone doing anything. I just don't like it.

There is a difference, IMO, between someone using their mouths as a genuine percussive instrument, and someone rapping. Someone using their mouths as a percussive instrument is usually a sort-of background thing and does not interfere with the main focus of the song, which in the case of an instrumental would be the instrumental melody. Vocals are also used as background "instruments" all the time (many harmonies, counter-melodies that just go "doo wop" or something like that, etc). Nothing wrong with that as long as they don't overburden the main melody.

But once someone starts saying words, as in rapping, they are clearly telling us the focus of the song is supposed to be on what the singer is mouthing. In this post here, for example, in the 2nd song I said I thought the instrumentation was interesting, but shortly after the singing began I tuned it out because there was no melody in the singing, and I found myself still paying attention to the background instrumentation. But this is kind-of annoying because I feel myself compelled to ignore what is clearly supposed to be the focus of the song in order to try to listen to an aspect of the song that I do like (which, unfortunately, is the background stuff). Eliminate the rapping and I would probably like the song as an instrumental. Or, turn the rapping into something melodic and I'd probably like the song. In the absence of those 2 alternatives, I feel the rapping gets in the way of the music. As I said before I do not like someone merely yakking away at me.