To be fair that's always been happening (Rapper's Delight for example) but yeah, some of them are really poor.
It happens more often now because with the sampling laws it's considerably easier and cheaper to just lift a whole record than it is to patch something interesting together from lots of records. Sadly I don't think we'll ever hear tunes like this again.
Even though hip-hop as a movement died a long long time ago, just as punk has, just as rock has etc... However I don't think hip-hop artists have associated themselves towards the ethos you speak about. It's pretty much the record companies that control the popular output. They're the ones in control of about 90% of the music we are hear
Generally at first, in any genre, you get the good stuff at the start. Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Soundgarden/AIC in grunge for example (big grunge fan here as some could easily guess). Once the record company have bled that pot of money dry they cash in and start promoting easily manipulatable bands that fit the sterotype - Creed/NickelBack etc...
It's happened in hip hop, punk, and all genres. It's so bad now I don't think I have heard a 'fresh' sound for 15 years! Only Dizzee's debut album had that feel of something a bit different, but it still relied heavily on oldskool sounds
Thing is, I don't think any of them have died at all. It's the 'good, mainstream [xxx genre]' that's died. People who listen to popular music just don't like music anymore, they want it as a background or something to boast to their friends about - they're happy to just get force-fed whatever the big labels and popular press happen to have decided is 'now'. If you look to the less-mainstream of any of those genres, you'll still find good stuff.
With both rock, hiphop, even good pop, like the Duran-Duran kind of era has just died as it's fallen out of the 30-second attention span popular eye.
Hmm I'm not so sure. I don't think that in 30, 40 years we'll look back and see a massive void around this period of time, where music was rubbish.
I would imagine our tastes in music will have changed by then, and we'll look back and say, well the turn of the 21st century was a time of money-hungry record companies, but it lead to x style of music, which was so much better than the crap being produced today.
I don't know what defines 'good music'. I know what I like, some of it ranging from the good times of the 60s (bearing in mind I was born in the late 80s), right up to some of the cheese and crap being produced today.
That Rihanna song mentioned, that samples the Numa Numa song. Sure it's a shite song, but you can't deny when it gets played in a club it gets everyone jumping. Maybe that's what we, as a population, like these days.
Good music to me is something that sounds good, something that makes you think, and something that puts you in a good mood. Whilst today's rap might not achieve that on all levels, there is still music being produced that does. And it doesn't necessarily fall under the niche market, or the non-mainstream
There is still good rap music in 2008 e.g. eMC - The Show, Snowgoons - Black Snow, and the new Jedi Mind Tricks Album - A History Of Violence. For me the best Rap Album of the Year.
You might find 'good stuff', but being involved in the 'under-ground' scene myself I haven't witnessed anything that comes close to the essence of proper hiphop/rock/punk. That meaningful youth movement, that extra something.
Maybe it's because of the economic boom years that young kids haven't had anything to shout about, hopefully the depression will produce some good music.
There's a freak load of imitators trying to catch that essence, but of course fail to do so
Meh... 'proper' popular punk (or any genre) has never been mainstream. The Sex Pistols were a boyband put together and told how to behave by Malolm McLaren and dressed by Vivienne Westwood. No better than Westlife by today's standards.
If you live in a decent-sized town, look into your town's local bands. I would put money on you finding some amazing bands from any genre that are still pushing the boudaries of the genre whilst sounding awesome at the same time.
No not all RAP and Hip-Hop is rubbish. Just very little of it is much good IMO. The earlier stuff (from the early 80's) was far better than the modern stuff. At least back in those days it was more original and actually there were quite a few real musicians involved in producing it.
Ultimately though for me the issue is the very raison d'etre of rap and hip hop ie the vocals. It's not singing, isn't intended to be and so never will be. I just can't get around to calling anything that has no melody, (even in the vocals), music, and that's comming from a drummer !
RnB is the only other genre of music that I just can't see any value in.
Other than that I can find good music in a very broad spectrum of music:
Rock, Blues, R&B, Metal (of all sorts), Jazz, Clasical, Samba, Salsa, (and various other Latin styles), Jazz Funk, Funk, Soul, Reggae, Calypso, Ska, Flamenco, Fado, HighLife and others.
Edited to add:
As for RAP being poetry or having it's roots in poetry. Well I guess that opinion would very much depend on your definition of poetry. I've heard a lot of RAP over the years, (I'm old enough to have been around when it started), and there is one thing I can say for sure. If RAP is poetry, it sure isn't Shakespeare, Cummings, Auden, Tennyson or Poe.
Lionel Richie is classed as RnB, so you're saying you don't find value in him either? RnB is a very soothing music for me, I don't listen to much of it, other than Lionel to be honest, but some music suits mood and others don't. Like Techno music being played at a funeral. It just... No. It just doesn't fit.
been there done that... even gone as far as putting on my own gigs (rather popular I should add )
As good as some of the bands are, all they are doing is music and nothing more. In the early days of punk, hiphop, and of course BLUES etc... there was a real dynamic and meaning to it.
Now all we have is a bunch of kids handy at putting together some rhythms and nice vocals and that's it. It might sometimes sound a bit different and zany, and the front man might fool you into believing it may have some worth but V E R Y rarely does it.
singing about how someone misses their girlfriend hardly constitutes meaning as well!
Modern kids, especially in the UK, haven't had anything to get beefed about so naturally the music has lacked a real bite.
I don';t have to agree with what the movement is, or meaning... RATM for example. De La Rocha isn't on my wave length but freak me, they are one of the best bands ever.
Im not really sure what does happen these days. So much of the world that we see every day is fake, driven by money and greed. Sure there's trouble around the world, but as you say, nothing has really happened here for a while (by here I mean the Western world).
After watching Almost Famous again the other night I've been taking a further interest in that period (late 60s/early 70s), I'm not sure that music around that time was built upon anger, quite the opposite in fact.
Truth is, nothing with real impact seems to happen these days. As people like to say, we're all numbed by the media, nothing major like drugs have hit the scene in a big way, life just seems to drift on. God knows when it'll change.
I love Iron Maiden, I think they are a truly great band musically, and I say that despite having been punched by the lead singer, who's vocals are awesome.
But they're not a metal band, they're heavy rock. It's very good rock, maybe even the best, but it's no more metal than "Gothic Metal" is metal, except that Gothic Metal at least has metal in the name, despite not being metal....
Ahh gotta love pidgeon holes. Just what the music executives prescribed for us :P
I am hoping the Great Depression Part Deux is going to breed some good music. It has some potential. Will take maybe 2-3 years though before we seeing some fruits.
I'm just a rap dilettante, but some good more recent stuff:
Nas - Illmatic
MF Doom as Viktor Vaughn - Vaudeville Villain
Outkast - pretty much anything they've ever done
Wu-Tang - pretty much anything they've ever done, including some side projects, such as:
GZA - Liquid Swords, and
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
and, finally, best rap album of the last 5 years or so...
I agree that Nas nd Outkast were pretty awesome but not so sure about Wu Tang Clan... Never heard of Clipse, gunna have to look it up on youtube.
Heard that Clipse song and its a little too gangster rap for me but it's still alright, at least it's got lyrics and not just ''yo yo hoes, money, cars b****, yo''
