<p>But I like jazz and R&B! I just don’t see the appeal of the style of rap music, much less the horribly degrading lyrics that many of them sing. I certainly understand the sex and drugs, but the objectification and degradation of women is horrible. Frankly it kind of bothers me that my 21-year old daughter likes it.</p>
<p>Jazzymom,
I date. I have nervous guys call/ask me out. </p>
<p>Also, teens simply do not plan in advance (though I have been forced to due to work and other responsibilities)</p>
<p>teriwitt, I do too, but they took it, put it to a beat and infused it with a sickening amount of drugs, sex and alcohol and yes made it degrading. It bothers me too, but it is something I have to put up with with some of my guy friends.</p>
<p>Note: there are different levels and types of rap, she may not be listening to the rauchy stuff</p>
<p>Jazzymom, teens inability to plan in advance is actually scientific, it has something to do with neural pathways not being welded together or some such thing</p>
<p>I love R&B, which many older people mistakenly consider the same as rap. R&B songs often have catchy beats, which I like, so I listen to them anyway even if I don’t know the artist or the lyrics (I get the general idea though usually). My dad is very surprised, asking what’s happened to me. My friends are surprised as well. I don’t think they even play rap anymore in the most popular stations that teenagers listen to around here.</p>
<p>I can’t really speak to modern, mainstream rap but here’s the timeline I understand it. Back in the day, the late 70s and early 80s, people, most notably Grandmaster Flash, used turntables to repeat sections of jazz, funk, or soul records. These repetitions became the beats and are the foundation of all rap music. The Beatles wrote about girls and drugs because that was what dominated their lives. Rappers dominated about girls and drugs in a different context. As music became primarily image based with the introduction of MTV, young men in the inner-city saw it as a way to get out and make money. That’s where the Wu-Tang Clan came in. For most rappers, there’s an apt descriptor. Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Diddy/Sean Coombs - “I write checks, not rhymes.” Rap is usually described in two eras, the first golden era (1986 with Run DMC to 1993 with G-Funk taking over, Dr. Dre and the Wu-Tang Clan) and then the mid to late 90s resurgence, with more independent artists coming out.</p>
<p>Why mainstream rap (and mainstream music in general) is popular is beyond me. I feel ill whenever people play that garbage in their cars. Ultimately though, it provides some kind of social bonding I guess. I think teenagers like that it’s profane and controversial and that it annoys adults. There are a few really creative and artistic wordsmiths out there, like El-Producto, Deltron 3030, Aesop Rock, and Black Star, but most rap being put out now is slime. Those guys/groups are more political and “real.” I absolutely hated rap for a long time and then I realized it was because the stuff you hear without looking has the emotional depth of Bonneville. If you want to find out the appeal of rap music, I’d recommend checking out the Definitive Juxe label or videos by El-P and Aesop Rock. I hope this helps, I’m a scrawny white guy from small town North Carolina but I listen to a lot of music. My “favorite” rap tracks are Respiration by Black Star, None Shall Pass by Aesop Rock (new but solid), and Madness by Deltron 3030.</p>
<p>Jazzymom, people definitely date formally in college. In early high school (and high school in general pretty often) the progression is usually: go out in groups as friends, decide to “go out,” and then continue to go out in groups, go to each other’s houses, and as it gets more serious go out on actual dates. In college it’s more traditional: people date around, and it usually takes a number of dates for the people to decide to become exclusive, after which they continue to date, hang out in groups, etc. Sometimes high schoolers start their relationships with private, formal dates, but in my experience that’s less common, and the two people are “in a relationship” after just that one date.</p>
<p>I swear relatively frequently when I’m with friends; at least, it’s not uncommon for me to swear. They do too. I do not swear in front of my parents, ever.</p>
<p>liking rap has nothing to do with annoying adults.
i like rap but not all of it. theres certain artists or songs that i definitely won’t listen to- just like any other genre. just because someone likes country doesnt mean they like every country song.
rap has a great beat to it and is usually fast tempo which gets me in a good mood. sometimes the words are actually pretty clever and kinda funny- and then sometimes they’re just stupid. it really depends on what you’re listening to.</p>
<p>“I have a few questions about teenage guys. Why do they say “dude” a lot? Or if they’re talking to another guy, they have to say “dude” or “man” at the end? Like “Take care, man” instead of “Take care, Kevin (or whatever the guy’s name was)”? Or when they make an error, they go “aww, mannn”… I ask them why they’re saying “aw mann” for, but they don’t know. Or when they notice something they dislike about another guy, they say “DUUUDE, what’s up with that?” or something like that.”</p>
<p>–> It’s filler and very annoying. Guys say “dude” and “man” because they think it sounds informal and relaxed. How this got passed down along with the pointless goodbye term “peace” from the surfers and beatniks I do not know.</p>
<p>“Also, I noticed that when they get upset, they almost always cuss and/or lose their composure. I’m a teenage guy also but never had the urge to cuss (though I have no problem cussing). When I get upset, I say “I’m really upset,” stare out into the distance and that’s it. I don’t understand.”</p>
<p>–> I believe this is a product of culture. There are many professional athletes for instance who react with profanity and anger. Michael Vick flipped the bird at Atlanta’s fans for instance. As Charles Barkley said, “I am not a role model.” In this day and age of ego, it’s the most macho and socially accepted way to respond to adversity. There are many who do not but they certainly don’t draw attention. The most obvious group of those who don’t are the “emo” kids, who tend to be quiet, right journals, and be more introspective. They generally face varying levels of derision and social scorn.</p>
<p>“Also, why don’t teenage guys cross their legs? I notice a lot of older men do, so what is it about teenage guys? I think it’s a dignified way of sitting (just saying, not that I want to impose that on people). Also, I think that some of them <em>want</em> to sit with their legs crossed but just don’t because they think it looks feminine. What’s so feminine about that? seriously…”</p>
<p>–> I think it’s taken as feminine because girls are more often seen crossing their legs, because they’re wearing skirts. I remember a Far Side comic about it once though. The image is one thing but I spend 7 hours a day in a desk taking notes, which is a rigid position that doesn’t allow for much creativity. Whether it’s a joint thing I don’t know, but I’m much more likely to prop my feet up on something or sit in a recliner than to cross my legs, even at home.</p>
<p>Everyone.</p>
<p>Let me remind you all that this thread is about coming together to share opinions and experiences in a productive, helpful and POSITIVE way.</p>
<p>Such references like “annoying adults” are rude and do not belong here. If anyone wants to complain about parents they can do so in the high school life area</p>
<p>ahh no im not insulting…
“I think teenagers like that it’s profane and controversial and that it annoys adults.”
i just meant it has nothing to do with (the verb of) annoying adults.</p>
<p>katieg21, I don’t think the beat is the sole reason for rap’s success. The majority of beats are pulled and sampled from old records or even newer ones. Take Kanye West’s “Stronger” as an example. It’s a pretty basic sample of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” with some profane ego padding lyrics. If the beat is the fundamental basis of the genre’s success, I can’t quite grasp why the original video for Daft Punk (on YouTube) has about 9 million hits (the vast majority of those for covers of the track) and “Stronger” has 20 million. Some beat. While what you say definitely has merit, very few people dig out Sly and the Family Stone discs or The Meters when looking for something with a good beat.</p>
<p>I’ve got katieg21’s back on that one, he/she meant it in a benign way saying that rap isn’t popular among the majority of kids because it annoys the later generations.</p>
<p>thanks ninja!
but its “stronger”… haha</p>
<p>I know, I fixed it, I am out of touch with Kanye West. :-P</p>
<p>If it’s any defense, I know almost all the words to Aesop Rock’s “Labor Days” album.</p>
<p>Night everyone, and wish me luck on chem homewrok. Also, I apologize to katieg21. I skimmed a page and grabbed onto an exert. My mistake. </p>
<p>Finally, Mr. ninja.of.love has agreed to take on guy questions as my partner (thanks, you rock!)</p>
<p>i’m kristin, i’m a 19 yr old college freshman, and would like to add that if anyone wants to “ask kristin” in addition to asking danielle–bring it on! danielle, great idea.</p>
<p>lol, go make you own thread!</p>
<p>So much for that Chemistry homework, Miss Danielle.</p>
<p>I would actually like to add one more thing before I turn in,</p>
<p>It shall be called “proactive punishment”</p>
<p>Basically, if you have realized that for the most part “grounding” has little to know effect (obviously not for parents of college kids), try this. It is what happened to my lil bro and I during thanksgiving break. </p>
<p>Note: works only if you have two siblings, works best if one can drive and one cannot.</p>
<p>My little brother got… um, very in trouble right before break and my parents wanted very much to ground him but there would be no one home to ensure that he stayed grounded…so he had to tag along with me, for the entire week.</p>
<p>That means when I went to the mall, he went to the mall, when I went to work, he went to work, when I got coffee, he got coffee, and when I went to the shelter where volunteer tues/wed/thurs, so did he. </p>
<p>At first it was quite unpleasant, listening to him moan and pout (he is 15) but I like my brother. Alot. And it gave him a chance to get to know some of my friends (positive role model ones only) and he experienced what it was like at the homeless shelter where I spend so time/resources. Also, I made him rake leaves with the mens transitional living guys (with my supervision of course). He saw what I did at the office where I work and I put him to work filing for my coworkers, haha. </p>
<p>So, though I had NO part in his mischevious deeds (and my parents are well aware) I got the lucky job of dragging him around, it turned out to be a good experience.</p>
<p>The end.</p>
<p>I know huh, ninja. Its sitting there staring at me.</p>
<p><em>removing myself from this thread</em></p>
<p>sorry to impose!</p>