Rap actually comes out of punk rock, not black music.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Why shouldn't rap be esoteric, able to take in current events, history and criticism? I guess it's this old idea of containment - that rappers, because they're black, can't and shouldn't aspire to look outside the ghetto for influence.
Rap is just somebody getting something off his chest. That's all it is.
I think it's a mistake where rap music is these days. It doesn't seem to be able to look out of the ghetto and that's ultimately unfortunate, because it defines our limitations.
I guess hip-hop has been closer to the pulse of the streets than any music we've had in a long time. It's sociology as well as music, which is in keeping with the tradition of black music in America.
I don't even really like rap music.
Rap is rhythm and poetry. Hip-hop is storytelling and poetry as well.
I'm not really into rap.
Sometimes I feel like rap music is almost the key to stopping racism.
Rap was started by black people and, thus, is at the foundation of black culture. So people cannot always wrap their minds around someone like me being inspired by it. But if you listen to the things we're saying, they're authentically us.
Rap is poetry to music, like beatniks without beards and bongos.