I hate to say it but modern rap really is crap.

[LostInAnomie]

The sad thing is that I am a huge fan of rap. I have loved it since I bought LL Cool J's "Bad" when I was about 6 years old, but modern rap though is horrible.

It really has turned itself from the expression of urban angst, and culture of the street to a vapid parody of itself. Seriously, listen to any popular rap song of the last three years, and 90% of it is nothing more than rhymes about how rich the rapper is and what car they are driving. I don't even see how urban kids can relate to it anymore.

I guess that is what happens when one of the true cultural arts of America sells out to rich white kids from the suburbs.

[MrScorpio]

1. I agree

The Golden Age of hiphop was between 1984-1994. Even the commercial stuff was hot. Lot's of hungry rappers got into the game.

Then it hit the big time. Trying to appeal a wider audience diluted the message. Wack ass DJs, barred from sampling classic beats, failed because of their poor muscianship.

It all became big business.

BUT, there is the UNDERGROUND. There is true hip-hop culture out there. The thing is that they reject the commercialism. The play the rawest form of hip-hop and they keep it pure.

Check these guys out:

Common
The Roots
Guru
Madlib
Quasimoto
The Pharcyde
And More

Peep this

http://www.epitonic.com/genres/hiphop.html

Turn off your radio, turn off BET

If you look in the right place, you can find people who keep it real.

[MazeRat7]

2. And that is different from pre-modern or classic rap how ?

[Tom Kitten]

3. try listening to it

be your own judge

[MazeRat7]

4. Oh I've tried.

We should stop now...there is only badness to follow. *LOL

MZr7

[Spinzonner]

5. It's Cultural Entropy

Ninety percent of everything is crap:

http://www.jargon.net/jargonfile/s/SturgeonsLaw.html

[ET Awful]

6. Honestly, the same thing can be said of music in general.

There are a few exceptions (some very notable ones), but for the most part, the 90's was a decade of steady decline in good music, and the decline has become even more pronounced since 2000.

There is still some good hip-hop being made, but it's not something you'll hear on the radio, see on MTV or find at Sam Goody's.

[MirrorAshes]

7. mainstream music, perhaps...

there is actually quite a renaissance of independant music being made, imo

[ET Awful]

8. Those would be the notable exceptions that I mentioned :).

The same applies to hip-hop. Mainstream is pure shite, and the independent stuff, as usual, is far better.

[MirrorAshes]

10. indeed... I just think its more than just a few exceptions though--

there is another world of music entirely which is still honest, artistic and dignified. I know I'm preaching to the choir though, you're absolutely right in what you said.

[ikojo]

9. It's not the "urban" kids who are buying most of the rap

CDs out there..it's well off white kids in suburbia.