Do artists need talent to be enjoyed?
 

I'm currently REALLY confused right now.

For the past few days, I've been arguing with people on 9gag who disses Hip-Hop and Pop artists. I don't enjoy listening to all of the artists insulted.

Their arguments always contain a very common thing :

"Those artists don't have talent."

I plan on finding an argument to counter them but I'm not sure what to say anymore about that "talent" thing.

I want to use this : "I don't care about talent as long as I enjoy the artist's material."

I really hesitate on saying this because I'm not sure if I really do feel that way.

I listen to some genres that many teenagers like : Hip-Hop, Pop and R&B.

Among the artists is Jason Derulo who is probably one of the most hated pop singers right now. People say that he doesn't have talent and that I have bad taste. Yet, I listen to artists a lot of people praise for their vocal talent such as Miguel, The Weeknd, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, etc....

So, that's where I don't know the answer to why I like Jason. His songs please me and I love his vocals too even though he's not the best, but people still say : "Computer music isn't talent; He doesn't have any talent."

Well? Do I enjoy this singer because I see a musical talent in him or is it just because I like the songs he sings ?

I saw this local band that didn't know how to play their instruments and had no lyrics or pre-written songs, and just made them up on the spot by furiously strumming guitars and fretting random notes, slamming random drums, and screaming random words, if any words at all.

I enjoyed it.

"Talent" is subjective. You have some who are extremely precise on the instrument they play, but there may not be any life to their performance. And then someone who's not as technically proficient but has that certain something that grabs your ear and doesn't let go.

But I would argue that you have to at least have a baseline proficiency in what you play, be it a guitar, piano or a voice to at least have a chance of grabbing that person's attention.

+1. What this person said ^^

With that said above, there are (to my musician ears) more "hacks" associated with rap and hip-hop than with bands and singers and I think this is a popular consensus with many players (a lot of this is due to the fact that the rap industry puts a LOT of emphasis on hype and image that talent often takes a back seat)--

HOWEVER, this isnt to say there arent tons of crappy hack bands out there (because there are TONS!) and it also isnt saying that hip-hop doesnt have quality talented artists either....For example: early Eminem's flows are like listening to a poly rhythmic drummer. Your atypical rapper just cant walk up to a mic and cover it.......Flo Rida is going out of his way to be unique, often adding triplets in his flows as well as rapping over grooves that arent typical 4/4 (For example,"Spin My Head" is a 12/8 shuffle)....then there are guys like Tech N9ne and Busta Rhymes whose flows are just mind-boggling staggering (He blew my mind the first time I heard "Worldwide Choppers")....and there are plenty more to name, too

As far as pop artists? Like her or hate her, but Arianna Grande surprised me how well she really can sing...plus, I like the fact that she has a very wide vocal range and - often - her inflections are quite original instead of opting for the usual "Ooohs" and "Aahs". She's just one: there are plenty of pop artists I consider very talented


The most important thing is your topic question: "Do artists need talent to be enjoyed?" Everyday is proof that the answer is "No", and this is in ANY genre

Thank you for the replies ^^ So if someone says that I have bad taste (in this case, it's about a specific genre), then it doesn't mean that they are wrong, nor right? Because "good" and "bad" are subjective.

What does "baseline proficiency" mean?

At least a beginner to intermediate knowledge of the instrument. In other words, they don't have to be a pro, they just have to be able to play something.

Obviously you have to have some talent. I could go onstage banging a dustbin lid for an hour, but do you think people would listen and --- and this is very important --- not chase me out of town on a rail?

If a band or artiste didn't need some sort of talent we'd all be musicians. So yeah, you need talent. How that's defined is another matter, but I would say at a minimum know how to properly play your instrument or sing.

Of course, if you're going onstage with a trio of photocopiers and rhyming in time to their rhythms reading from the works of TS Elliot, that may be a little harder to pin down.

Spot on. :clap:

If someone can play an instrument in a way that sounds good with the other musicians that's talent enough for me.