Neo

WEEK 3: SNOOP DOGG - DOGGYSTYLE TW: murder, misogyny, sex Description: Lyrics: Doggystyle is, in my opinion, the greatest album to come out of the West Coast scene edging out The Chronic 2001, Straight Outta Compton, AND Death Certificate for this title. The last two posts were legendary East Coast albums, so I decided to switch it up. Snoop Dogg, 19 at the time, lays down an excellent performance backed by production from another legend Dr. Dre. This album and many of its songs have become the definition of G-Funk and West Coast Hip-Hop. You've more than likely heard the song "Gin & Juice" before, you've more than likely heard the phrase "Ain't no fun if the homies can't get none", and we all know about the words "Fo' shizzle my nizzle". We have Snoop for popularizing these things. The album's biggest shortcoming is that it is horribly misogynistic, which, sadly, isn't exactly surprising dude to Snoop drawing from Pimp culture, which in and of itself is misogynistic. That being said, this album is still an easy 10/10, and a very important one in Hip-Hop's history, so scroll back up and give it a listen. (unrelated, but don't forget y'all can discuss the music/ask questions n shit. Especially those who aren't totally familiar with Hip-Hop)

I'm really glad that you liked the album, fam. Lauryn's impact can be felt, less so musically, and more culturally as you'll have rappers calling back to her and this album constantly. She's an all-time great that's recognized as one by other all-time greats.

JUNE IS AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH! Just in case y'all ain't know. This month is mad important, because it helps recognize the very foundation of music in this country. Y'all can celebrate by listenin' to Jazz, Soul, Funk, or maybe I dunno, Hip-hop. I'll be posting a nice little mix in celebration of this month pretty soon.

Don't waste your money on Talisman or rechargeable potions, go eyes, get your damn aegis, sunfire is a nono

WEEK 2: Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Description: Lyrics: One of my favorite albums ever. Period. Lauryn is an excellent MC all-around, and to many has a place in the GOAT conversation for this album and her work with the Fugees. This album is an absolute staple in the genre, and gained Lauryn respect amongst other rappers as one of Hip-Hop's finest. Thematically, the album is a departure from Illmatic, which is why it was chosen to display a completely different spectrum of Hip-Hop AND to give exposure to, one of, if not the greatest woman in Hip-Hop. (All the albums are in the bookeeping post for the sake of reducing lag)

Professional piece of shit rolling through

PRETTY BOI FACE, EYELASH GAME SKRONG, HAIR ON POINT

Musically the regions have significant differences, linguistically they do not have significant differences.@Medic That's more than fair. Thanks for taking time to contribute to the thread @Ama Keep an eye on the other threads and I'll see if I can post tracks with beats that might interest you

It's a dialect that, as to be expected in a country so large, has small regional differences. These regional differences aren't big enough to be dialects themselves.

Many rappers break outta they're out box every so often. Rick Ross' tape Black Dollar is a great example of this, We gon' make it in particular. I admire you for sticking to your guns, even if they are offensive to myself and my people. That being said, I feel as though saying "I don't like the way AAVE sounds musically" is not only anti-black, but also ignores the fact that like with any sort of accent and voice, each person has a different one. You've got New York soundin' guys like the Wu-Tang Clan You've got the diverse voices of the South The Midwest with it's huge vocal variety and the West Coast which also features many diverse vocal types And that's not even mentioning places like Miami, Philly, New England each with their own type of voice and way of speaking. To say that you don't like the way AAVE/Black Accents sound when used musically is a huge generalization, and frankly ignorant and racist, fam. I urge you to at the very least understand why that's a problematic statement, even if you can't find enjoyment from the music being put out. Edit: Hip-Hop is a genre that relies often on metaphor, subtext, and prior knowledge. Lyrics are and often times will be used to represent other things. Many times, and I can legit make a huge list, drugs, sex, and crime are all looked upon negatively but from looking at the song on the surface you wouldn't know that. Hip-Hop is very much a genre that challenges the listen to listen and not just hear the words coming from the MC's mouth.

First and foremost, thanks for the responses. Right, though a good think to keep in mind is that even though these rappers may be record label owners, many of them have to answer to bigger labels/distributors @Huk I'm glad that you've taken something away from these threads. I appreciate your openness to understanding a music/culture different than your own. While art is seen as something that is purely subjective, there are definitely cases where music can be and is objectively good based off of musicality alone. No one would argue that Beethoven's 9th isn't good. They may or may not argue if they like it or not, which is the case with all music, but music is definitely an art where things can have an objective quality to them. I'm gonna ask you to examine the rest of your post before giving it a proper response.

I haven't completely decided. This thread in particular is mainly about criticisms of the genre and examining them. I do hope to compile a list of posts/threads I plan on writing in the OP of the Album of the Week/General Knowledge thread.

GHETTO GOSPEL (Why you don't know shit about Hip-Hop and its language) Hip-hop is and has always been “A Black Thing” born of Black culture and Black People of the inner city experience. - Paradise (X-Clan, Zulu Nation) I don't think the above except is any secret. Like every other great American form of music (Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock&Roll) Hip-Hop finds its roots under the decks of slave ships and in Africa. Jazz, Blues, and Rock&Roll all served a purpose. The purpose of being the Negro spiritual for the modern day. Each of them a voice for the disenfranchised Black population of America. Each of these voices gentrified and stolen. Enter the Bronx in the 1970's and the role of the Griot (traveling poet, ancient parallel to the modern day rapper) is inherited by kids on the stoops of the Ghetto. Black America, yet again, has struck artistic genius and has given itself another voice. The name of this voice: Hip-Hop Keep that word in mind. A voice. The people speaking happen to speak their own dialect of English. This dialect is called African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Which linguists overwhelmingly agree is a language/dialect in its own right due to have a very distinct set of rules governing its usage. It is not slang, nor is it improper English which is an impression seen in this community and in many other places. This, of course, is linked to racism and anti-blackness. A speaker of AAVE is no less intelligent than those who speak Standard American English, they can damn well have a greater command of the English language than you do. Many do. Many display this command over their language along with other artistic merits professionally. You're more than likely familiar with them. They're called "MCs or Rappers" At this point, I'm more than certain that those of you that do not have a favorable view of Hip-hop are thinking that I'm effectively calling critics of the genre the dreaded "R-word" ("gasp how can I be racist? I have a black friend!!"). I'm not. Though I am saying that there is a incredibly high chance that you're unconsciously acting on anti-black ideals thatpermeate every facet of our society. That being said, if you're able to examine what you dislike about the genre and can still look at the genre as a legitimate form of art that is not inferior to other types of art, then more power to you. That being said, there are a few reasons that are often cited as the reason for disliking hip-hop that are without a shadow of a doubt rooted in anti-blackness. Let's examine some of these reasons and why they aren't legitimate reasons for your dismissal of this great art form. "It's about drugs, crime, fucking women, and money" Congratulations, if you've said or thought this you've earned the "I enjoy talking out of my ass award". Hip-hop, like any genre has many many many different subject matters, but you know that. You're just not fond of, and I love this one "How prevalent and mainstream those topics are". Well, guess what, you only have your friends and kin to blame for that. (assuming you're white) The commercialization of the game that took place in the 1980s was the cause of an internal schism in Hip-Hop (one that I will examine in depthin another thread). Many rappers opposed the commercialization of the genre for two reasons: It'd take away from Hip-Hop as the voice of Black people Themes of violence and other not-so-savory topics became widespread because it sold to sheltered White suburban audiences Bear in mind that this does not in anyway make that type of Hip-Hop illegitimate. It is still apart of the genre, and it is definitely still art. This commercialization actually gave us the great album Straight Outta Compton and many other West Coast classics. Now, I assume you're asking about artistic integrity and all sorts of shit like that. When you're a disenfranchised youth from the hood, odds are you're not going to shy away from the type of money record labels throw around. Not only that, but you'll find that many rappers, especially those found on many GOAT (greatest of all time) lists will openly criticize this system. Many rappers that don't find mainstream (or critical, or much at all lol) success also criticize and decry those that work within this system. As stated above, however those who do accept money for the type of Hip-Hop that is so often criticized by the uninitiated are not any less legitimate than those who don't. Many simply rap about what they know, because speaking first hand life in the hood ain't easy, and it sure as shit ain't fun. Hedonistic ideas often provide an escape to the grim realities that are ever-present in inner-cities and the hood. "I just don't understand what they're saying" Okay and most people can barely understand Bjork, and yet she's hailed as an incredibly talented and influential artist. As I explained earlier, Hip-Hop is more often than not performed in AAVE. If you can't understand the language due to your lack of exposure to Black people, you're not alone. That being said, there are so many resources out there to help you that this just doesn't hold up. Not to mention that listening to the genre (along experiencing other types of Black art which is so painfully underrated despite being among America's best) will help you understand the cultural gap! Hip-Hop provides the ability for non-Black to engage in cultural tourism. Y'all get a glimpse into Black America without having to experience it. (I'll also be touching on how Cultural Tourism can be a negative thing in another thread) People often fear and dislike what they don't understand. Which is why many people are put off by use of certain language in the genre. (Right, Ark?) "I can't get down to rappers that aren't lyrical/intellectual" Hip-Hop began as party music. (August 11, 1973 is Hip-Hop's official birthday) It may not be for you, but please do not disparage artists that aren't lyrical-spiritual-miracle types, because they're just carrying out the genre as it was. Not to mention, the shit's good more often than not. Like, objectively good. (Source: Beastie Boys) Outwardly this one can definitely seem much less racially charged, but it definitely can have its roots in the view that AAVE and its speakers are unintelligent, especially as this type of music mostly relies on taking sounds found in the language and giving them a much more musical touch. This is a touchy and fine line, one that I myself am not going to point any fingers towards, but definitely examine why you're not particularly fond (and don't just immediately absolve yourself of anti-blackness. Like, everyone know you think you're not, but read a little and actually examine yourself and the ideas you hold. Perhaps they match up with things I said further up in the post) Tupac is a perfect example of this, because he wasn't particularly lyrical but was an incredibly intelligent man who got his ideas across. Tupac embodied Hip-Hop like few other have or ever will, and I personally believe that anyone who can understand Tupac's message and just how he went about things will understand the genre AND everything I've spoken about here today. In conclusion, Hip-Hop is an incredible art form, one I would say is among the best ever conceived. If you find yourself disliking the genre, cool, that's fine, however, examine just why it is you dislike the genre, and ensure that you're not allowing unconscious biases to get in the way. Hip-Hop is a beautiful thing, and even if you don't like it, you can recognize it as art and respect it as such. Thanks for your time today One Love - Erick Sources for shit along with good reads:

Happy birthday, fam. The GOAT reborn user tbqh