<p>oooh I love the oldies 
I am currently going through Beatlemania too :D</p>
<p>The only thing keeping me alive through the study hols for the boards is the Beatles!
I don’t know what my life would be without them!</p>
<p>Life without the Beatles <em>shudders</em> But I’ll live, there’s always Floyd They’re the ones who are keeping me alive through my exams</p>
<p>i had no school today yay!!!</p>
<p>the beauty of living in a politically unstable country… ahh</p>
<p>Slim, I gave my props to NAS. NAS is amazing… ever since “Illmatic”, Nas has been great, but “Ether” kind of brought down my opinion of him. The reason Im not so into 50cent is because of his mainstream messages… often he sounds more and more like Lil’ Jon than 2pac or Nas. A lot of his songs are really pointless and have no meaning to them… other than a beat and rhyme. Eminem, in his rhymes has been going downhill. Encore turned more and more into crunk and mainstream than the great songs that he turned out. Essentially, it feels like he’s leaving his roots behind and turning more and more “MTV” and pop-like.</p>
<p>Jadakiss was great and all… until someone interviewed him and asked him who he thought the greatest president was… he said “Ronald Reagan”. Obviously this man doesn’t know his history very well, considering Reagan took down some of the many reforms and programs that benefitted those from the hood the most.</p>
<p>? Why does everyone like rap ?</p>
<p>Encomium- something like 3 out of the 17 people on here likes rap. maybe the better question is why does everyone like alternative/rock? </p>
<p>And for me, why I like rap? The lyrics in rap music, I am much more connected to and I feel a closer connection to. I grew up in poverty and saw much of this stuff that rappers see (there was a crackhouse across the street, people smoked weed and crack in my hall, people dealed crack in my driveway, etc.) and I feel the despair that rappers often feel. I cannot connect with rock or alternative, as I grew up in a completely different environment and have no connection with what is often considered “white music”. My biggest goals are to try to help eliminate a lot of the problems that rappers rap about and talk about. It’s not something that “white america” deals with and its music reflects that. Of course, I mean no disrespect to “white music” and I have no problem with people who listen to it, I’m sure that for those that can relate to the music, its very profound and deep.</p>
<p>By the way, this forum is dominated by kids who are essentially middle-upper class and doesn’t really have to deal with these issues.</p>
<p>i have had to live in a country that has been plagued by poverty, starvation, drugs, coup detats and quasi-civil war but i still love alt rock / “white music”, rap, classical, electronica, house, reggae, and hell even candy pop.
i dont think its fair to generalize about the people in this forum…just because i listen to alternative/rock doesnt mean that i have been out of touch from the problems in my country…</p>
<p>peace</p>
<p>I think that is too narrow of a definition for rap. (A lot of rap also degrades women and people of other races btw)
But there can be white rappers, asian rappers, etc. And just as often people rap about wealth, not poverty.</p>
<p>Tool, Electric Six, Green Day, and System of a Down right now.</p>
<p>maj - i understnad, but i am just saying that generally, rock music and such has been classified with the middle-upper class. And even in poor countries, there can often be rich people who do not deal with issues like that, are there not?<br>
Zante - i apologize but i was talking about rap that is mostly non-mainstream. I hate lil’jon, usher, all that crap. Real rap came from the NWA, Run DMC, and such. A lot of the rap that deals with wealth and such are more “crunk” than anything else, there is no real structure of lyrics or anything.</p>
<p>Most of the rap we hear are mainstream, even Run DMC and the others you mentioned. I think the “real” rap then takes place on the local level.</p>
<p>oh gag me! mher, middle america… boo hoo.</p>
<p>HEAD AUTOMATICA: “Beating Heart Baby.” I suggest everyone download this.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE: “Helena” and “Cemetary Drive”
BRAND NEW: “Sic Transit Gloria”
DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL: “Warmth of the Sand”
THE BLOOD BROTHERS: “Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck” and “Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers”</p>
<p>etc. etc.</p>
<p>zante - most of the rap that people who dont care for rap hears is mainstream… thats why its called mainstream. and real rap is much more than just on the local level. 2pac and BIG brought it about fine, although some of their later works were “mainstream”, most of their songs still have a social meaning to it and a lot of them asked for change and a unification for the poor.
But the thing with run DMC, truthfully, I dont really know them or like thme much, but they were part of the original rap movement. However, NWA, Wu-Tang, and many local rap groups are a different story.</p>
<p>Ah yes, Beatles albums are great. If you like them I suggest you pick up a copy of Brian Wilson’s “Smile” or the Beach Boy’s “Pet Sounds”. Paul Mccartney learned how to play bass from the latter, and even admitted to “nicking” some harmonies from Brian Wilson (the musical brains behind the Beach Boys). </p>
<p>Let’s not call them oldies, I prefer Classics :).</p>
<p>I have Beach Boys Pet Sounds. And yeah, I love it :)</p>
<p>Sucharita we have ver similar taste-- Floyd, Beatles, Beach Boys—I Think it’s because all of their music has a very layered, multiple harmonies kind of feel–they also switch up styles really well in albums yet maintain strong continuity throughout the whole album. I’m a sucker for a musician who can make a really smooth bridge either in a song or between songs…a really good build up to a transition is many ways (sorry for being inappropriate) orgasmic.</p>
<p>haha, music nerd :)</p>