[General Discussion] "Rap Isn't Music"

I have to admit that lately I've been listening to a lot of Saul Williams, and after repeated hearings of "Grippo," it got me thinking. Is it racist to not consider rap music?

There's definitely a racial component to how many people consume cultural products. As awful as heavy metal is (as much as I enjoy it), I don't know of many whites who will claim that it isn't music. I also for the life of me can't think of any blacks who perform heavy metal. We're clearly conditioned to accept certain packages of cultural goods divided across race. Even when whites (I'm not saying this is all whites I'm generalizing here) do listen to rap, they gravitate towards white artists. Eminem was certainly more popular among whites than Dr. Dre ever was, but he'd likely be nothing without Dre's help. This attitude is also prevalent blacks, who will claim that white artists are stealing "their music." Elvis, for instance catches a lot of flak for ripping off black artists and the southern blues tradition. Yet if Elvis hadn't helped popularize "black music" American culture wouldn't have developed the way it did.

So is it racist to claim that rap isn't music? Aren't we holding ourselves back culturally by dividing artistic product across racial boundaries?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

YouTube Video

About halfway through this video they pretty completely explain how rap is music, just to get that out of the way. Basically, you have to consider the delivery of the lyrics as a type of percussion instrument.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I don't give a shit if you think "the niggers are just slapping drums and flashing bling," this is about the attitude which states that rap isn't music.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Dr. Uzuki

Racist to only listen to white rap artists? Situationally, there might be an argument for that, but because of the genre, I'd say it generally isn't. Lyrical style and delivery is visibly influenced by background in rap than in many genres. It only makes sense what relates better to who is going to be about race at times.

What I'm getting at is that we're conditioned willingly or not, to associate these kinds of genres across a racial divide. There is a certain package of goods that are acceptable to whites and a package of goods acceptable to blacks. If you're black and listen to metal you could be accused of being a house nigger. If you're white and listen to rap you could be accused of being a wigger.

If a white person claims that rap isn't music, it may not necessarily racist, but I think that more often than not it's motivated by the implication that the commentator is expected not to like rap either because of his race or class identity.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?