on one hand you have the pointless, degrading, nonsense that exists purely to appease record companies or the hard-headed individuals with something to prove. i'm sorry for the strong word choice, but really, what reason could you possibly have to listen to a song about little other than squeezing every known cuss word into a 3 minute rant as many times as possible? i'm open to a suggestion or reason if one exists. however, i have yet to come across one.
but on the other hand, you have poetry. a representation of a culture, a struggle, an emotion, a fight, a perseverance. rap that actually has a story to tell, or a meaning behind it, can really be a beautiful art form. while it may still have lyrics about gangs, about brutalities, and about objectification, those lyrics are only a fraction of a bigger picture. it can be a powerful statement about big issues in the world, spoken only as a brutally honest poet could.
just today i listened to a rap by a man who goes by the name of Immortal Technique. a friend told me, "this is one of the most moving things i've heard, you have to listen to the words." not being the greatest at recommending me music, i almost brushed it off, but i decided to listen carefully and i'm very grateful i did. the rap was titled "Dance with the Devil," and i don't even have words for it. parts of it were shocking, most of it was awful and saddening...but not all beautiful things are happy. i can't say i recommend him yet, because i haven't done much research on him, or listened to much more of his music. but i would say i've been encouraged to view the style of rap in a different light, and not group it all under the same heading as some of the more trashy and mainstreamed rap.
"So when the devil wants to dance with you, you better say never
Because the dance with the devil might last you forever."
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