"I disagree that the rap scene is harmless. Some of it is fine and I like it. With that said, many mainstream rappers make it cool to mistreat "hos", kill cops and do crack, and generally be an unproductive member of society. Kids emulate them, never learn to read or do math, and end up on the streets as dealers or homeless people."

In an effort not to hijack a good thread for the sake of discussing your comment posted above, I thought I'd start a new thread.

I don't entirely disagree with your comments regarding rap lyrical content but the lyrics in rap are not that much different than when rock and roll started way back when. Granted, there wasn't much talk of killing cops, which is never acceptable lyrical content but the other things you mentioned have been used in lyrics since the inception of rock and roll, a term that was coined in the '20's, by the way.
When Big Joe Turner, one of the pioneers of rock, sang "My baby's a jockey and she's teaching me how to ride" he wasn't talkin' about riding horses. Drug references have also been part of the lyrical content since the beginning also.
As far a kids being dissuaded from learning because of rap music, I think that's more of a parental control issue than because of the lyrics. My sons both listened to rap when they were younger and both are doing well as adults.
I'm not sure how old you are but when rock and roll first hit in the early '50's the outrage at the songs and the singers was great from all sides. When Elvis first appeared on tv, the stations wouldn't even show him from the waist down. Of course, a black singer performing for white kids was a tough sell in the Jim Crow era also.

It goes right along with the crap that's on TV and in the movies these days.

Rappers don't usuallly do much if any of that stuff just FYI...

They talk about it to sell their music....

It creates controversy in the minds of parents and then its gold to their listeners ears...

That's how pop culture works...

The problem with rap music and modern day music in general is the lack of good musicianship. What happened to bands that could actually really play their instruments? If you look at rock form the 60's through the 80's you will notice that many of those musicians were phenominal,creative,had great songrwriting skills,showmanship on stage,and put a lot of thought and effort into entertaining their audience. I see an apathy and a lack of effort in todays music world,not to mention blatantly commercialized garbage but I see todays generation settling for mediocrity at best. I won't do it.

That is not ot say that I hat rap. I dig the Beastie Boys,Tupac,Eminem,and even some Jay-Z on occasion. Overall I wish we could have a boom of music like the 90's,where these bands came out of nowhere and were great. -AA

Sorry for the delay, I've been busy with school. I'm only 21, so I don't remember the start of rock and roll. Man you guys are old. I agree with what you're saying. I guess my comment was made based on what I've seen riding the bus through the ghettoes of West Philadelphia. There are tens of millions of people, the majority of whom are minorities, in poor urban areas throughout the U.S. who have incredibly rough lives because they are surrounded by drugs, violence, and poverty. Many of them fail at school because their schools suck or because they just don't try since it's not cool or they have already lost hope. They end up with no skills, poor work ethic, and stuck in the same situation as their parents.

You could argue that rap is just expressing what life is like on the streets. The problem is that successful rappers become the superstars of the 'hood, and some of their messages glorify and normalize drugs, violence, etc. This just reinforces negative aspects of hood culture.

The hood has enough problems to solve without rappers making it cool to slap a bitch, shoot a thug, and smoke crack. That's why I don't like some rap artists. I'm not worried that the fake white ganstas in high schools in the suburbs are going to be more violent because of the lyrics.

To me......."music" is a pleasant listening experience.
Rap is neither music nor pleasant.

If music is composed of melody, harmony, and rhythm, then rap is missing two elements. Rap probably qualifies as rhythmic poetry. Sort of.

Rap is crap.

People turn out to be loosers, because they are loosers...

Cut the free handouts, maybe the illegal immigrants would have some competition for the jobs...

Is it really easier to get from Mexico accross the border to find work, than to hitch a ride out of a 'Hood ? I didn't think so, I guess all that's missing is some ambition................

I don't believe in free handouts, but the problem is much more complex than the story you have made up in your head.