Rap conveys the desires of the American urban youth, a desire for power, to escape, to join the degenerate holders of power and wealth in their chase for ever more money, cars, houses, and women.
And all through history people have been espousing about "bitches, money, and sex", just because it's in ebonics doesn't make it any less valuable as a means of expression or artistically.
It's easy to dismiss what comes from the ghetto, and yet often they are rapping about their very existences. And we all need to come to grips with being a part of a society which has fostered such lives and attitudes.
Of course there are club bangers too, and not every song is ever going to be full of meaning and depth, but I think discrediting an entire movement of music for the nostalgia of the hippies prior is a bit disingenuous.
Which I'm not doing though your straw-man argument was nice to read. In fact, I've often spoken the very same things you are. This is 2015 though and I'm afraid to tell you that most rap is not what you're talking about. The last great album that does exactly that is Illmatic in my opinion though you hear Kendrick's latest stuff and that's on-point too.
You don't get a moral blank check for growing up the ghetto. It's fine to rap about what you know, but it gets to the point of absurdity for most rappers who only know how to talk about bitchs. Am I supposed to stand aside and rally behind the virtues of big butts shaking on the TV 24/7 -- because it's from the ghetto and I just don't understand?
You're not seeing the full picture and though I enjoyed your tangent, I do not enjoy being written off as a nostalgic hippie. The hippies I'm apparently nostalgizing about were singing about ending the war -- what popular songs do that? What popular songs stop and make you think the way "Time" did by Pink Floyd?
No, the time when rappers actually rapped were more back in the day. I'll close out with one of my favorite verses by Big Boi that is basically what you're trying to say:
But they be making it seem
That my music and crime are a team
But I'm speaking the truth not dreams
So what in the fuck they mean
My lyrics ain't clean
Citation needed.
Or how about you try to find me a band in the last 20 years that released three indisputable classics:
- Kid A
- OK Computer
- Hail to the Thief
Anyway, listening habbits differ from 20 years ago. I agree people don't appreciate and relisten to a complete album as a whole like they used to, but there's so much quality and innovating music going on.
http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/radiohead VS http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/the_white_stripes
Listening habits and distribution have changed dramatically. The time where one band would rule the world and put a ton of effort into saying something because it was going to be a huge album release is over; now-a-days an artist you like a lot will release something and you're just like "oh ya? that's cool I'll check it out later"
Looking at the top hits, I still say it's sad though. The Biebers and Gagas rule this generation despite there being a plethora of good (maybe even great) bands that go unnoticed because it doesn't have the sugary pop hook that everyone needs for their low attention span.
I don't get the time to update it like I used to, but you can check out my personal RYM here: http://rateyourmusic.com/~joslin01
I love music man, but I definitely got a little bit of a gripe with the culture today.
Edit: Oh, now I see, you're complaining about the useless Bieber and Gagas of the world, so you're probably a small handful of years younger than I am. There were plenty of fantastic bands that predate the Bieber/Gaga era. I think your frame of reference is a bit narrow.
Now here comes you to his rescue, you white-knight you. You also seem to have an opinion worthy of a music critic ("okay"). That's great. Good for you. Go read some critics' opinions and go tell them they're all wrong and you know good music when you hear it and that Radiohead is just "OK". I really couldn't care less if you think another band is #1 or if a critic does -- just GENERALLY SPEAKING, Radiohead is probably the #1 band of the last 20 years. If you can find critical reception to another artist that is just as great if not better, good then you beat me.
Then there's me, oh poor me who doesn't know anything about the music world and thank God you're here to correct me. Just by your opening sentence ("I grew up listening to alternative music"), I probably have listened to 5x as much music as you. I've been in love with music since I was 13 religiously downloading and listening to as much as I can. You have no idea who I am, but you feel compelled to defend a pointless comment so you can patronize me.
For what it's worth, most people who don't like Radiohead or call them overrated, in my PRETTY DECENT amount of experience of talking with music lovers is that they're usually into metal. That wasn't some attack you overly-sensitive man, you.
It's rather sad how little cultural value music gets these days while a handful of billionaires churn out #1 pop hits every other week.
~50 years ago, musicians sparked the hippie movement which was largely a protest against the Vietnam war. This would soon transform into the angry 80s where the advent of electrical music created more industrious, louder, and often-angrier music. Then came the apathetic 90s where bands like Nirvana dominated with their "don't care" attitude.
Today, we have nothing. The last great band was Radiohead and yes I listen to a TON of music and love many bands, but I'm sorry Pink Floyd, Beatles, Dylan, etc.. were not just a backdrop to a party or exercise. They actually had something to say besides bitches, money, and sex.