Since the beginning of time rap music has been getting the attention of large groups throughout the world. Political heads, trailer trash, project kids, rich people, and people who don't speak English. Whether rap music has been hated on or embraced... it has for many years been a topic of interesting debates.
My question is why do we love it?
In my opinion there are a few reasons why we love it - like being able to relate, pure love for music, and a love for poetry. Instead of going into detail about all three, I will only dwell on how well we as a culture (Hip Hop) can relate to rap music. Hip Hop is cultural as we all know, so it doesn't matter what color, or how old you are. Rap music is just a element of the Hip Hop culture which consists of Emceeing, Graffiti, DJing, and Breaking. Being that there are 4 natural elements of Hip Hop many different arts can fall into the Hip Hop culture depending on how it is presented. For example drawing isn't considered an element of Hip Hop, but when you add the spray paint, and tagging buildings and trains with unique characters... then you have graffiti. At any rate, back to why we Love Hip Hop.
Rap music has always been a form of expression for many poets, or people who just have a story to tell. You do not have to be from the projects with no father to be good at creating a rap. The thing that makes rap music so good is when there is a story that the author is trying to tell. I'm not talking about how their rims shine so bright in the sun... or how that "bitch" has a ass out of this world. I'm talking about true struggles and successes. People love to hear stories of someone who has been through, or is going through the same things as them. Just off the top of my head, there are 3 artists who are good at painting pictures for their listeners. 2Pac, Biggie, and Nas all have music that depicts pictures of their lives positively and negatively. What we get from their music is almost a sigh of relief knowing that we are not the only ones who have to sleep at night in the same bed as our mom and 2 brothers. We are not the only ones who know what it feels like to have our fathers as crackheads. We are not the only ones who have to deal with walking down the street in fear. Here are a few bars:
2Pac on Shorty Wanna Be A Thug:
"He was a nice middle class nigga
But nobody knew the evil he'd do When he got a little bigger
Get off the final blaze
While puffing on a Newport
plottin' on a another way to catch a case
Was only sixteen, yet convicted as a felon..."
Way for the Middle Class teenager to be able to relate. So many middle class teens feel the need to be down, or to show how real they are. Never realizing that they only setting themselves up for a life behind bars... and not spitting bars.
Notorious B.I.G. on Everyday Struggle:
"But they don't know about your stress-filled day
Baby on the way mad bills to pay
That's why you drink Tanqueray; so you can reminisce
and wish, you wasn't livin so devilish, ssshit
I remember I was just like you..."
Grilled cheese sandwiches with Government cheese for dinner. Hand me down clothes. Past due bills. St Ides and Colt 45. Life is hard, and when you don't know where that next dollar is coming from you start to stress. You find that almighty dollar by doing whatever it takes.
And last, but not least... Nas on Life's a Bitch:
"Don't go against the grain simple and plain
When I was young at this I used to do my thing hard
Robbin foreigners take they wallets they jewels and rip they green cards
Dipped to the projects flashin my quick cash
and got my first piece of ass smokin blunts with hash
Now it's all about cash in abundance, niggaz I used to run with
is rich or doin years in the hundreds"
When your pops aint around, and your moms might as well not be... you out there doing ya thang. You coming in at night whenever you want. You feeding yourself, and you getting your own money. School is not a priority... and it sure aint bringing no quick cash. School has no appeal factor whatsoever for many people out here struggling to make it. For people who out here confused and don't know which way to go. People are actually going through this stuff and can heavily relate. Then you have a group of people who are just amused by these stories, but have not actually seen the lifestyle. They get a high out of listening to these stories... but have comfort in knowing that their mom is downstairs cooking supper, while dad is on his way home from the office. Whatever the case... they love the music... the art form... the realness.
The bottom line is that people love rap music because they can relate to it, or want to relate to it. If they can't relate to it, they are so amused by the stories, and the fact that they can get away from West Bloomfield without actually leaving.
Even when you decide to talk about Ay Bay Bay, Grills, Rims, and Diamonds... it lets people escape. Escape. We all want to escape something, and thats why we listen to rap music. It allows us to escape and thats why we love it.
Comments accepted.
Keep Hip Hop Alive, One bar at a time.
Over and Out... DocBoone.
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