On August 11, 1973, 18-year-old DJ Kool Herc gave the public something new while playing music at a party hosted by his younger sister: He used two turntables to keep the beat constantly moving.
More on the story: She threw a party to buy school clothes. Hip-hop was born that night.
Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
ddavidv said:Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
I say the same thing about country and pop music. To each his own.
ddavidv said:Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
First, what FBC said.
Second, I'm a middle class, suburban white guy in my late 50s. While I don't much care for rap, I listen to a ton of hip hop, triphop, and lofi.
To each their own.
ddavidv said:IPA Beer is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
FTFY.. :-)
I can't stand IPA but I love Rap and Hip Hop. Always have, I remember having the Juice soundtrack when I was way too young to have the Juice soundtrack!
I'm a bit older than rap and have loved it since a very young age. Started with a 12" vinyl from Sugarhill Gang and haven't stopped since.
Doug Wimbish, Living Colour’s bassist and also a very nice person, used to play in the Sugar Hill Gang. (There’s a signed Living Colour screened print hanging right in front of me at the moment.)
We can trace the drop of musical talent and the inexplicable rise of popularity to that moment. Yes there are some rap and hip hop artists that have talent, but many are just sampling other peoples music and mispronouncing words to create a rhyme over the rented music.
I'm a middle-aged white guy that grew up in Detroit proper. I grew up with country, Neil Diamond, rap, 60s-80s metal, and of course hip hop all around me. I even was a DJ for a few years with some light scratching and mixing thrown in (you can't DJ an inner city grad party or wedding and not do that lol). I like at least some of all genera, but I respect rap and hip hop the least because of the lack of musical talent and because of what much of the music promotes.
Now, the innovation that Kool Herc came up with that night is pretty awesome.
Fueled by Caffeine said:ddavidv said:Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
I say the same thing about country and pop music. To each his own.
Obligatory: "Let me clear my throat!"
Country music (real country music, not the stuff coming out of nashville) and hip-hop (real hip hop, not pop) are very much the same thing, but from very different demographics. Being a kid born in the city, and having moved to BFE, USA sometime later... I love them both.
DrBoost said:We can trace the drop of musical talent and the inexplicable rise of popularity to that moment.
I have detected no drop in musical talent.
And pop music has always sucked.
Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:Fueled by Caffeine said:ddavidv said:Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
I say the same thing about country and pop music. To each his own.
Obligatory: "Let me clear my throat!"
Country music (real country music, not the stuff coming out of nashville) and hip-hop (real hip hop, not pop) are very much the same thing, but from very different demographics.
I’d second that emotion. The same could be said for punk, blues, etc. It’s music from the heart. Might seem simple to some, but it’s from the heart and carries a heavy load.
In reply to DrBoost :
I respectfully disagree but that's ok. Being able to pull the samples and blend them into something new is a talent. Also next time you don't think they have talent go record yourself trying to just duplicate what any good rapper does, play it back and then ask if they have talent.
Example 1:
Then old school, one of my classic favorites.
ddavidv said:Hip Hop is like IPA beer. Lots of people seem to like it but the 'why' escapes me.
No. IPA is equivalent to Metal. The old stuff was relatively mild and balanced, but over time trends have been towards who can make it MORE! Louder, faster, higher alcohol, more bitter!
Hip Hop is like Stout. It's not for everyone. It started out simple and working class. It's gotten bigger and more highly produced over time. It seems like there is less and less that is just straight forward and classic. Now the vast majority of what's out ther is adulterated by a bunch of weird additives because that's a lot simpler than taking the time to put together something with purpose and balance.
Neither Stout nor IPA are for everyone. I understand why people like them and why they don't. Same with Hip Hop and Metal. I enjoy all of the above at different times, but there are more out there I'll pass on than that I'll gravitate towards.
I joke with my guitar teacher that Ramones music can be so easy to play. After all, it’s just three chords played in the traditional 1-4-5.
But I’m not the one creative enough to write some of the most iconic punk songs ever....
(See also: Johnny Cash music is just punk rock without distortion. 
)
So, back on topic, I found it interesting that the birth of hip-hop can be traced to a single moment in time: this date, this party, this person. (And, like my mom, it was born in the Bronx.)
Beer Baron said:Duke said:And pop music has always sucked.
Ahem...
[boring Sinatra standards]
The only good thing about Frank Sinatra's music is Nelson Riddle's stage band arrangements. Other than that, it sucks.
You don't have to agree with me.
Perhaps I should have been more specific: Corporate commodity pop music has always sucked.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I myself am a Tribe aficionado. I remember the day Low End Theory dropped, it was 1991 and i was an intern with the Atlanta EPA OIG and was tasked to serve some subponeas for a Superfund case in and around BFE Ohio. Flew into Cleveland and upon arrival at the Avis counter I was issued a nice shiny Lincoln Town Car to make my rounds in. My first stop was to a Mickey D's for lunch and my next stop was the record store next door to get the Tribe's Low End Theory on cassette.. Spent the rest of the day crusing and listening to this...
Who can recommend me some good newer Hip-Hop?
I enjoy good hip hop, but it's not my first choice of style (classic rock that draws heavily on Jazz/Blues). I like a lot of 80's 90's stuff - Tribe, Wu Tang, Beastie Boys, Dre, Snoop.
The biggest issue for me with hip-hop is - I often have trouble understanding the lyrics, and there isn't enough else going on to keep me interested. It's also my problem with a lot of Bob Dylan - it doesn't matter how good your lyrics are, if I only understand 1/2 of what you're saying and the musical accompaniment isn't enough to keep my attention, you've lost me. I also tend to like to listen to new music first as a background thing while driving, running, or doing yard work. I'm not paying close attention. If it hooks me, I'll go back and listen to the lyrics in depth later.
The Hip Hop I like, tends to have slower and more clearly understood lyrics. The laws around sampling have changed a lot, and you just couldn't create an album like 'Paul's Boutique' anymore. Stringing together a bunch of samples is awesome, but the same sample repeated over and over and over gets old fast.
So, what artists from the past 20 years (or especially 10) really have "It" that is going to hook me. So far, I think Kendrick Lamar might. I also enjoyed Madvillainy decently well.
Drake has *some* okay stuff. A lot of it isn't great tho.
DjGreggieP said:Drake has *some* okay stuff. A lot of it isn't great tho.
Not going to get me. I've been listening to albums, and someone who only ocasionally hits on a single, probably losing me.
I tend to like pretty much any project that Dan the Automator gets involved in. But I realized that's mostly 20+ year old stuff now collaborating with 90's artists.
Perhaps what that tells me is that I care about the DJ/producer/mixer as much as the MC - which is a throughline with him, Tribe, Beastie Boys, and Dre.
In reply to Beer Baron :
I mostly listen to instrumental - or nearly instrumental - hip hop, rather than rap. But off the top of my head, here's a quick list to try:
Gramatik
Nightmares On Wax
Wax Tailor
Hugo Kant
GRiZ
Kero One
The Visioneers
There's a Youtube channel called Seven Beats Music who puts together the Special Coffeeshop Selections. These are usually 90-120 minute mixes featuring a lot of different artists. Cruise a few of those and see if any of it tickles your earbuds.
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