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Originally Posted by Hip-Hop Homework
interesting view and a position with which I can relate. I can appreciate a song that is lacking in the lyrics department but am very critical of what I consider to be good lyrics.
e.g., I can listen to Li'l Wayne's "Greatest Rapper Alive" even tho the song is not even a candidate for a great showcase of lyrical prowess but the instrumental is so freakin' on fire and Wayne at least rides the beat in harmony--so it's an enjoyable song in my opinion, but lyrically. I don't require something I listen to--to be a clinic on lyricism. But my list of greats are all lyrical beasts in some form or fashion.
So my question to you sir (or ma'am) is what do you consider good lyrics, i.e. what are the criteria that qualifies lyrics to be good?
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“What is good?” is always a tough question to answer, but I think the things I look for in lyrics are uniqueness, artfulness, and intelligence. Some lyricists manage to have all of those qualities—Billy Woods and Aesop Rock come to mind—but I think it’s pretty rare. Sometimes just possessing one of them is enough to make the words contribute something to the song. Kool Keith is someone who comes to mind as an example of that. I don’t think of him as a great lyricist by any means, but the things he comes up with are so unique that they really do add a decent amount to the music.
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Originally Posted by prisoner437x3y0
Well of course there are going to be more inferior artists than good ones, why that has made your entirely dismissive of lyrics is still beyond me after your posts.
Lyrics are equal or often more responsible for the surrounding controversy that offers new tolerance of music as an art. Sure it can be often dismissed as shock value for the sake of it but a lot of it was vital.
I personally like how lyrics have offered non-musicians a voice within music. It allows new group expression, new characters, new perspectives that you don't get with traditional musicians.
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I’m not entirely dismissive of lyrics. What I’m saying is I listen to music for… the music. That being the case, not being able to understand the lyrics is not a complaint I can relate to at all. In fact, not being able to understand the lyrics is actually kind of a plus because it means I can just enjoy the music for what it is rather than potentially being distracted by crappy lyrics, which are a fairly common phenomenon.