Lyrics

My Thoughts On Rap Today Since there's not many new albums worth reviewing (90059 can't come soon enough), I might as well share my thoughts on music today. Warning: Rants & Contradictions Rap is an art. This, naturally, makes rappers artists, and a song is their canvas. So I (or you) have no right to judge what picture they paint or how they paint. But we all do anyway. Some paintings are obviously better than others, some artists paint murals, and some paint stick figures in comparison. Some are more abstract, and some are simple and straightforward. But all songs are art, and they should all get some recognition. Which is why casual rap listeners are just as good as analytical ones. I consider myself both, I thoroughly enjoy well thought-out and geniusly written songs, and I also enjoy listen to a Young Thug banger as well. But rapping is harder than you think, which is what I take into consideration every time I write a review. I've tried it a few times, and it didn't go well. I can barely write something as good as Future. And different artists are better at certain types of rap, I wouldn't hold Gucci Mane to the same standards as Lupe Fiasco. And all music is made to be enjoyed, not analyzed. When you analyze it, you take all the fun out of the entertainment. Because that's all music is: entertainment. I would seriously take a look at this poem if I were you, because it makes a great point. All these artists are trying to do is entertain you, not make the next Moby Dick But there is more to the art of rap than just lyrics Instrumentals/Beats Instrumentals have come a long way from what they once were. Now they have evolved from just plain drum beats, to a variety of sounds. Rapper's flow over everything from rock instrumentals to abstract trap beats nowadays. Some are electro infused, loud instrumentals, and some are stripped, dry unnoticeable ones. I don't think a song has to have a great instrumental to be a great song, a good instrumental always makes a song better, but lyrics are most important to me. BUT NOTHING IS UNIMPORTANT, every little bit that goes into a song matters Delivery One of the most important things here, delivery is what makes lyrics pop, or lyrics drop. Somebody can have flows better than Lupe Fiasco, but put everyone to sleep with their dull, dry, monotone voice. Some artists have simplistic or bad lyricism, but what makes their songs pop are their delivery. The two best examples of this are Young Thug and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Both have lyrics that if spit by any other rapper, I would call "disgusting, simple, and flat", but their new and left-field interesting delivery makes you want to listen over and over again. Delivery is so important, and one artist that I think lacks this is Future. He is constantly monotone, dry, and his lyrics aren't great either. I don't really see what people like about his songs, but I think if he put more "oomph" into his work, he would be a great trap artist. (Side Note: I have only listened to Future's DS2, Beast Mode, 56 Nights & Dirty Sprite, so I may not be qualified to say that) Flow Some artists have great delivery, great beats and great lyrics, but the way their words clash with each other makes you want to scream. From little inconsistencies, (I like to use Run The Jewels]as an example here) to big annoyances (Most of Eminem's Marshall Mathers LP 2, notably Bad Guy and Rap God. Eminem fixed his flow in ShadyXV (more thoughts on that later), but on Eminem Bad Guy, there were rhymes that were said so badly that they clashed so bad, and sounded so awkward. The emphasis and speed he says the words, and the pauses in between make my hands clench. Great song, but terrible flow. The way he says these lines is the worst: "Think you can hurt people and just keep getting away with it" "You left our family in shambles/And you expect me to just get over him, pretend he never existed?/May be gone, but he's not forgotten" Maybe some people like it, but it just doesn't… you know, flow Concept/Meaning All songs have to have meaning. If they don't, it will show. Without some sort of message, a song just falls flat. Like on ShadyXV, I enjoyed Eminem's new flow, and his spectacular lyricism and lyrical acrobatics, but they were all just playful songs that he made for fun. And thus, the songs don't sound good, and they just leave you feeling the same. because that's what music should do. You should finish a song feeling different, in a good or bad way. It should change you, or make you want to change. That's why new music just doesn't hold meaning for me. Artists like Future release the same mixtape three times, and none of those times does it have any meaning. Rap has come to be known as "Bitches, money & weed", but it should be more. Which is why I'm fine with Eminem releasing the same inspirational song over and over again, instead of having Future flood the airways with lean love songs. It seems to be Future's one trick, he has officially become rich off lean. And you might not think that it really affects kids, but it does. They might not listen to a Future song and immediately run out to the store and buy actavis, but maybe when they go to their first party and some kid offers them dirty sprite, or a xanny, or molly, maybe they won't turn it down. Maybe they take their first sip, thinking "if Future and A$AP Rocky do it, then can it really be that bad?" But it is. Maybe they sip a little too much of that cough syrup, and then it's lights out. Wow, I sound like my parents now. Of course, you're thinking: that won't be me, I'm not stupid. That's exactly what I thought. But when I went to my first party, they offered me molly, and I hesitated. I practically had to force myself to say no, and maybe if I had listened to a little more Young Thug, I would have said yes. But that's off-topic Here are my thoughts: bad music spells it out for you, good music makes you read between the lines. Good music has deeper meaning, bad music is only face value. Like the infamous ScHoolboy Q lyric: "No metaphors, nothing like that I'm keeping it straight to the point with you So, I'mma put this dick up all in-side-of-you" That's the difference between Yeezus and College Dropout. Both are simplistic, but one has deeper meaning Bangers This is a small subcategory of rap, but they are essential. I think that every album has to have at least one banger, but an album with all bangers is destined to fail. I like bangers that maintain artistry, instead of having the artist change his ways to make a simplistic banger. Which is why I enjoy Swimming Pools instead of Studio Lyricism This is by far the most important part of rap. There are three types of rappers: - Storytellers - Trap Lifestyle - Lyricists Most of the time, you can't be both, and you can never be all three. A great storyteller is Kendrick Lamar, a trapper is Lil Durk, and a great lyricist is Lupe Fiasco. Then there are rappers who are a mix of two, and rappers that don't fit any of those What to look for in Storytellers: most storytellers don't have fantastic lyrical ability, Kendrick Lamar rarely busts out a double entendre, but he gets his story out. I look for what story they are telling, if it's a fake story, or a ghetto story, whatever, and if they tell it well. There's not much more to it What to look for in Trap: Most trappers don't have great lyrical ability, either. What's most important here is delivery. It's what makes Young Thug fun to listen to. Is it catchy? Is the beat good? Do you enjoy the sound of it? What to look for in lyrical rappers: are there double entendres, metaphors, similes, interesting rhymes, good technical flows? Is there wordplay? This is what makes rap great This is the kickstarter for a series I will be doing on what makes certain rappers great (or not). I will be assessing the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Eminem, Young Thug, Future, and more. I will get into some more of the stuff I discussed here in those, too. This is just for me to share my thoughts and vent. I will also expand my thoughts into Pop & Rock, and some R&B,too. Also, I will be sharing my thoughts on current events in the rap world (i.e. Kanye's 2020 run). If you want to get notified about this series, upvote. I will also still be doing reviews Next in the series: Thoughts on Young Thug