Not too challenging, IMO.....Body Count posed a question and an answer in the same song.....Celion Dion was just "pure expression" (of a song she didn't even write).
To me, art that has the power to change minds and opinions easily trumps art of the sake of pure expression. Done!
Nope. Not by a long shot. Far too narrow, in my experience. There are those (of us) who would argue that Body Count perform art, and Celine Dion doesn't...which cuts your "Done!" off at the knees. And, once again, that's the challenge.
But I think I understand what you're trying to express here--art should alter our world in some way. If I had to put a finer point on it, I'd say that the greater the art, the greater the effect. Great art also has both timeliness and timelessness, because it captures the essence of a time and place, in a way that it can still be understood at great time and distance.
I suppose those, who in their profiles, stated their music preferences were, 'anything but rap', need to go back and place a 'c' before the 'r' to avoid any confusion to art. It also widens the window to what one may or may not deem to be suitable music.
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Music is too important to be left to professionals.
Scastles wrote:I suppose those, who in their profiles, stated their music preferences were, 'anything but rap', need to go back and place a 'c' before the 'r' to avoid any confusion to art. It also widens the window to what one may or may not deem to be suitable music.
I can't say that I hate it. I can say that I could do without most of it and I feel that it's become rather cliche. I've heard quite a lot as I have a brother that is 8 years younger that myself and grew up with the genre. To me, Rap is just merely the continuation of the Blues motif. Same type of braggadocio in the lyric content that is set to modern experience. It depicts street life much as say Muddy Waters depicted his life growing up in the delta of Mississippi. Give a listen to the lyrics of "Mannish Boy" or "Just To Be With You"; some of the same attitude but in a more tame delivery. I have a feeling that the first generation electric Bluesmen would have embraced Rap and identified with it. Guys like Muddy and Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter were risk takers who redefined a musical genre by going "electric". Later, Muddy was keen to use amplified bass, piano and even used electric harpsichord on "You Need Love" from the late '60s... and subsequently ripped off by Led Zeppelin and retitled "Whole Lotta Love". I think they would have embraced the technology and continued to push the music forward had sampling been available during their lifetimes. Just my ramblings, mind you.
I loved the Dela Soul record "Three Feet High And Rising", although I'd consider it more of a Hip-Hop recording than Rap. I also own the Miles Davis release "Doo Bop" which has a couple very cool ideas. Then there are bands like The Roots who borrow heavily from the old school of R&B and Funk; again, I'd consider them Hip-Hop and not actually Rap. I guess that I just don't get "artists" like Jay-Z ( I think he's very overrated ) but at the same time, I like certain things by the likes of Tupac or Biggie, mainly for their cadence and flow of verse.
BUT... when you check out something like D'Angelo's "Chicken Grease" with a monster rhythm section like ?uestlove and Pino Palladino providing the cushion for the verse, THAT's hip! It's the old school meeting the new skool;
Last edited by peewee on Wed May 19, 2010 5:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I assume this is Outkast?
