Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Awesome
No it's not and it never was. A lot of rappers have big ego's that doesn't make it a part of rap. That's like saying part of being a guitarist is snorting cocaine.
and i didn't say having an ego was stupid. But arrogance is something you have to earn, talented lyricists have earned the right to be arrogant and egotistical because they are great at what they do. Being arrogant and saying you're the best without being able to back it up is at the very least foolish.
I'm not dismissing the idea at all. I've already acknowledged there is/was good gangster rappers e.g Big Pun, Big L and Royce 5'9. All i said was by fitting around the stereotype of rap music (guns, whores, drugs and chrome plating everything) they are wasting their talent.
I repeat, yet again, and for the last time.
"the aim was breaking the mould not trying to fit the part"
as for "the majority of rap lies within the lyrics but that's not all it takes". You're right, you need to have a good delivery, good flow, good rhythm and to be a truely multidimensional emcee you need to be well rounded. But looking sexy, being muscular and having lots of money are not essential to any music genre.
"So because some stupid people aren't doing it right, the whole thing sucks?"
No, actually it's a lot simpler than that. It's just this, "the whole thing sucks". It isn't a case of "some stupid people aren't doing it right". There is literally only one gangster rapper i can think of who is still releasing music and is a talented lyricist. But again, he is just fitting around the usual stuff. His first couple of albums had some different things and i was excited because it felt like he was trying to be more than just your run-of-the-mill gangster rapper. Unfortunately he slowly headed in a downward spiral and is now just a more talented version of 50cent, lil wayne, ludacris or any other gangster rapper.
I'm not saying gangster rap isn't entertaining. I'm just saying it isn't what rap should be. Vin diesel movies are entertaining but i'd rather watch robert de niro or michael caine.
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Since the beginning, the brag has been a big part of rap. Battle rapping is a huge part of the hip hop culture, and so is competition. Why do you think feuds are more common in hop hop than other genres?
I don't think you're understanding how necessary it is that gangsta rap exists. Rapping about certain topics doesn't mean someone is instantly "wasting their talent." You're saying that an entire dimension of rap should not exist, and more specifically, the one that all kinds of different rap ideas spawned from. There are a lot of layers to gangsta rap, and just like any topic, there are many ways to approach it. Don't dismiss it entirely.
Just because something has become a stereotype doesn't mean it's a bad thing. There is no topic that people "should not rap about" or "should rap about." Don't choke the freedom that rap represents, man.