What is your opinion on rap/hiphop?

I dislike it. Everyone has their own taste but hip hop just sounds like trash to me. All those lyrics about drugs, guns, whores etc... Yikes.

It sucks

Dislike the vast majority. Especially the new stuff. So mindless.

I think its bad for the black community. Because the vast majority of em grow up without a father and their only role models become Young Jeezy rappin about selling cocaine and slapping hoes. I dont think its good to glamorize that lifestyle to kids. It sounds good tho.

I would tolerate it if they rapped about healthy eating and renewing your library books on time

I really like a lot of the early stuff when it was married to electro and had a positive, unified party message.

Tracks like Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx and Hip Hop Be Bop, Whodini - Five Minutes of Funk, Friends, and Freaks Come Out at Night; The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene, Globe & Whiz Kid - Play that Beat Mr DJ, Newcleus - Jam On It, Captain Rock - Cosmic Blast, and The Return of Captain Rock, Fresh 3 MC’s - Fresh, LA Dream Team - Rockberry Jam, and Rusty P & Sure Shot 3 - Breakdown New York Style - to name but a few. I imagine the youth of today might think the lyrics and delivery cheesy, but there’s no denying the music, and these records still destroy dancefloors.

Even straight hip hop stuff like the early Eric B & Rakim - Paid in Full era, Ultramagnetic MC’s - Critical Beatdown, EPMD’s first couple of LP’s, early Doug E Fresh, Slick Rick’s classic - Children’s Story, Biz Marquee - Rock the Bells, Lord Finesse & Andre The Giant’s - Funky Technician LP etc etc...was and still is pretty uplifting, danceable stuff with minimal negativity.

It all went wrong for me in the late 80’s with NWA’s debut LP and the inception of gangsta rap - but even before that glorified violence and mysogyny had begun to subvert the message in the music. There were still a handful of acts with a gentler vibe, but the overall trend had shifted and I moved on to the Chicago House/Acid sounds and the burgeoning Detroit Techno scene.

I think I just realized how young I am compared to most people here. I was expecting the votes to be an overwhelmingly full of people who like it. Literally 99 percent of people I know thats around my age bracket (late teens, early 20s) dig hip hop, and its usually the only thing they listen to. I don't want to be the "born in the wrong generation" guy but it gets hard to relate to them when literally the only thing they listen to is hip hop, kpop and occasional tik tok songs.

It's alright, depends on the song.

Not really my taste.

I only really like a couple rap songs, the same ones that everyone loves, like Gangster's Paradise, Express Yourself, Today was a Good Day, etc. I don't dislike other rap songs though, I'm just not a fan.

As for it encouraging violence and the gangster lifestyle, well I can listen to it without actually wanting to commit any crime. Just like with watching gangster movies, I can separate fantasy from reality, and I can have fun imagining myself in that scenario without actually acting it out. I get kids often can't do that, but then it's the parents' responsibility to prevent them from listening to that music, not the music industry's responsibility to make only child-friendly music. For any adults that get carried away listening to this music and are actually influenced by it, they also need to take responsibility for their own actions and just grow up.

One thing I don't like about gangster rap though is the rappers who act like their rap songs isn't all just a part of their stage persona, who actually claim (truthfully or not) that they're a violent thug in real life and that it's admirable to be like that. They need to grow up too.

There's nearly always something good from every genre but I find rap overall boring

It's cool compared to the rest of popular music. Or it used to be before the neoliberal invasion in this genre as anywhere. Now it's becoming bitch business as everything US.
The only original music album I've ever bought was The Massacre by 50 Cent. I was surprised that all the tracks except from 'Candy shop' did suck. Note taken, did never ever waste money on music albums.

MC Lars? Immortal Technique? MC Solaar? Tymee/e.via/Napper? Outsider? D12/Eminem? Lady Sovereign? Goldie Lookin Chain?

All great.

I could name any number of hip-hop/rap artists I like but I prefer a more experimental, cerebral and/or parodic type. Tymee has experimented with pop and being cutesy as well well (under duress, admittedly).

Mindless Self Indulgence did quite a funny pastiche called Kill You All In A HipHop Rage.

Most of what's in the charts is bilge, though.
And rap and hip hop aren't the only genres that glorify violence, wealth and misogyny. I guarantee you that at least one song in every genre does one or more fo these things.

it basically is just a boom boom background with unintelligible lyrics where you can hear them say bitch or fuck once in a while (or a lot if they have no imagination) but that is the extent of the noise that it makes.

I liked early British rap such as the Rebel MC but current stuff is rubbish. Hiphop is also rubbish. But I respect one's right to like it.

I like some. I love The Fat Boys, although these days they'd be known as the "Mildly Overweight Boys"

People can listen to whatever garbage music they want.

I'm an instrumental music kind of guy so the prospect of a mostly vocal genre isnt very appealing.

I don't have anything against it but I can't see myself actively liking it.

it started out good but turned to shit like everythin else in the fuckin world

The majority I don't like but there are some good songs in between