The Reason Why Hip Hop is So Popular Now

(I'm not making fun of you, but your cloth-eared friend.)

(I don't like it much--or the stuff I like the most on an asethetic level is too disturbing to me based on its lyrical content--and I haven't followed it closely since around '92/'93, but I have actually ended up listening to enough (in the form of radio, borrowed CDs, mp3s) that I feel I can comment.)

Anyway, Eminem is obviously more melodic than most rappers before him, and several of his melodies are even composed by himself, which is absolutely a positive thing.

I guess the only rappers that can actually sing are Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill and that guy who used to be in P.M. Dawn.

I wasn't sure what you meant by this, but when I saw you use the term "micro-sampling," this is what I remember liking about some (maybe not even most) Bomb Squad tracks: that you could hear it was genuinely a collage or assemblage, not simply one loop over and over again. (I can think of some P.E. songs that did feature repeated loops though.) Something like "Night of the Living Base-Heads" that Terminator X "Valley of the Jeep Beats" (or whatever it was called) had a lot more going on with its sample (as I remember) than just one thing repeated over and over again.

(I understand if you don't want to argue it with someone who is only marginally familiar with current hip-hop, as I am. Here's what I can remember hearing of things from the last ten years (not a very systematic look at the genre): Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP, Outkast Stankonia, an album by Eve (with the "Who's that Girl" song), Common Electric Circus, Handsome Boy Modeling School, inividual songs by Jay-Z and Nas heard on the radio, some Missy E. songs (if you count her--I had been thinking of her as R&B until recently seeing people class her under hip-hop around here), Floetry (not sure that's even worth mentioning), a Bahamadia CD, one Tupac mp3, some Delinquent Habits songs, a Cannibal Ox mp3, and random unidentified stuff on the radio or coming from passing cars.)

"Cleaning Out My Closet" (the chorus)
"Marshall Mathers"

And I have also heard there is one song on his last album where he does actually sing rather than rap throughout the entire song. Definitely a step in the right direction, despite the fact that he cannot sing.

Ok, ok, you're right. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But what if to the people who make this music and care about it most, your opinion is patently ridiculous?

Ok, ok. I'll just slink away quietly.

This is also a thread about melody, and a thread about melody attracts me, obviously. :-)

i think the idea that hip hop is more popular now due to more melody is just ridiculous. there has been melody apparent for many many years. there have been crossover acts that blend singing and rapping since the late 80s / early 90s at least.

why is hip hop more popular now than it was in the 80s or 90s? because it's been around longer. there's a whole generation of kids that have grow up w/ nothing but hip hop in their lives.

why is rock more popular than it was in the 50s? the same reason hip hop is more popular now than it was 20-30 years ago. the public has grown accustomed to its sounds, styles, and lingo. it has become part of the culture as apposed to an underground movement.

this is possibly the stupidest thing i've ever read on ilm

-- jess (dubplatestyl...), March 3rd, 2003 4:14 PM.

check these out:

Dave Matthews Band : Name Your Reasons Why They Are So Bad & Hated.

Dave Matthews Band : Name Your Reasons Why They Are So Bad & Hated.

Well, if you notice, I felt half bad about posting that even at the time. I guess I was speaking for my hip-hop DJ friends who won't touch this board just because the hip-hop discussions piss them off so much, and I guess it's not my place to do that. It's just that their cringes have rubbed off on me somehow.

Ok, slinking back into my indie dork corner now. Once again I find myself out of my depth. Hey, at least I'm aware of it.

1.) Wear-in
2.) Hooks
3.) Critical acceptance
4.) Heterogeneity

easy

Although I thought this was interesting, I think that the reason why hip hop is "better" now is because of Philadelphia.

*ahem*

Cee-Lo, Andre 3000, Lyrics Born, Jill Scott, Nelly, Kool Keith, Princess Superstar, I'll mention Cee-Lo again 'cause he's THAT GOOD a singer, Wyclef Jean, Mos Def, Ol' Dirty Bastard (he's gotta a helluva voice, actually), Bone Thugz N Harmony, Michael Franti, there's HELLA rappers who sing.

Maybe we should pledge that when something like a 50 Cent thread starts and posts appear that begin "90% of hip-hop" (or end "that's why I like Def Jux so much"), everyone should just ignore them and concentrate on discussing the topic normally.

Kenan, have you friends tried the Nas vs. Jay-Z sub-board?

why is rock more popular than it was in the 50s?

Um, it's not.

Hip hop obv has been popular for quite awhile, but it was never the mainstream, as it is today. The few hip hop songs that cracked into the mainstream during the 80s and early 90s (after its novelty had worn off) did so by either blatantly sampling an old hit (Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer), by having a good hook/melody (Biz Markie), or w/comical lyrics that everyone could relate to (Fresh Prince).
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg=memorable hooks/melodies (sing along w/me "smoking endo, sippin' on gin & juice")
Outkast=ditto
Try to hum any song that was very popular among hip hoppers, but didn't reach a massive audience (T.R.O.Y, I Used to Lover H.E.R., etc.) I can only think of one that could be hummed (The World is Yours)

nabisco said something about micro-sampling and production innovation, but then later noted (or was it someone else) that the Bomb Squad and Prince Paul pioneered these techniques. Now, isn't it just a case of people infusing this template w/melodies and hooks?

(Obv I'm not arguing this is the only factor in the popularity of hip hop, but I think it may be a large one)

For instance - one of the things that characterises the approach to hip-hop on this board is that most of the posters are musical magpies who relate to hip-hop as part of a broad spectrum of music and don't particularly relate to it as a culture, which is the way many more committed fans might see it. Now it might be that thinking about hip-hop as part of pop means you miss out on a huge chunk of the experience, but it might also be that thinking about hip-hop as culture means you lose out on something, too. It's an argument that can't really happen on ILM as it's currently constituted.

(I agree with Nabisco that the generalist slant of the discussions doesn't help at all, and here I am not helping, doh.)