I very much agree with both of these comments. It's funny, the people who mouthed off about rap in this thread i'm sure are the people who don't know anything about the genre.
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If people actually took the time to read the lyrics from people like Ice Cube, 2pac and Eminem, you would find they have a hell of a lot more meaning than most mainstream music.
EDIT: IMO
and a lot of other offensive content without any rational reasons to be singing about
I Can Lyrics
Artist(Band):Nas
Review The Song (1) Print the Lyrics
I Can Lyrics
I know I can
Be what I want to be
If I work hard at it
I'll be where I want to be
[Kids]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I want a be (be what I want a be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard at it)
I'll be where I want a be (I'll be where I want a be)
[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen up
You can be anything in the world, in God we trust
An architect, doctor, maybe an actress
But nothing comes easy it takes much practice
Like, I met a woman who's becoming a star
She was very beautiful, leaving people in awe
Singing songs, Lena Horn, but the younger version
Hung with the wrong person
got her strung on that heroin
cocaine sniffing up drugs all in her nose...
Coulda died, so young, now looks ugly and old
No fun cause now when she reaches for hugs people hold they breath
Cause she smells of corrosion and death
Watch the company you keep and the crowd you bring
Cause they came to do drugs and you came to sing
So if you gonna be the best, I'm a tell you how,
Put your hands in the air, and take a vow
[Chorus - 2x (Nas and Kids)]
I know I can (I know I can)
Be what I want a be (be what I want a be)
If I work hard at it (If I work hard at it)
I'll be where I want a be (I'll be where I want a be)
[Nas]
Be, B-Boys and girls, listen again
This is for grown looking girls who's only ten
The ones who watch videos and do what they see
As cute as can be, up in the club with fake ID
Careful, 'fore you meet a man with HIV
You can host the TV like Oprah Winfrey
Whatever you decide, be careful, some men be
Rapists, so act your age, don't pretend to be
Older than you are, give yourself time to grow
You thinking he can give you wealth, but so
Young boys, you can use a lot of help, you know
You thinking life's all about smoking weed and ice
You don't want a be my age and can't read and write
Begging different women for a place to sleep at night
Smart boys turn to men and do whatever they wish
If you believe you can achieve, then say it like this
[Chorus]
[Nas]
Be, be, 'fore we came to this country
We were kings and queens, never porch monkeys
It was empires in Africa called Kush
Timbuktu, where every race came to get books
To learn from black teachers who taught Greeks and Romans
Asian, Arabs and gave them gold when
Gold was converted to money it all changed
Money then became empowerment for Europeans
The Persian military invaded
They heard about the gold, the teachings, and everything sacred
Africa was almost robbed naked
Slavery was money, so they began making slave ships
Egypt was the place that Alexander the Great went
He was so shocked at the mountains with black faces
Shot off they nose to impose what basically
Still goes on today, you see?
If the truth is told, the youth can grow
Then learn to survive until they gain control
Nobody says you have to be gangstas, hoes
Read more learn more, change the globe
Ghetto children, do your thing
Hold your head up, little man, you're a king
Young Princess when you get your wedding ring
Your man is saying "She's my queen"
[Chorus]
ah ahahah ahhh ahahaha ahaha
ah ahahah ahhh ahahaha ahaha
ahaha ahaha ah aha
Save the music y'all, save the music y'all
Save the music y'all, save the music y'all
I rest my case.
i'll admit, i dont know much about the genre on a whole, and admit that some songs do have meanings (as do rock songs etc) but (as a personal opinion) i dont find listening to people talking to a beat (frequently about their hoes etc) very appealing to listen to. note: PERSONAL opinion
Well rap does have its good side. Like if you ever go to the website "You're The Man Now Dog" they have a bunch of hilarious things with Chamillionaire's Riding Dirty and we wouldn't have had them without rap!
And its not like I hate all rap either. I listen to Hip Hop. Only by certain artists, but I still like some.
My thread wasn't about gangster rap, it was about the art of rapping and the technique involved. When a Hip Hop artist opens his mouth and "spits his game" he's rapping and you think the art of rap rapes the english language?
I'm just trying to create discussion, but as DK pointed out...
I'm giving people kicks!Quote:
I love these threads, you always get a bunch of people sitting on their high horse mouthing off about this and that and just showing everyone else just exactly how ignorant they are. It's really quite amusing
Go back to rap before 94-95, that's the rap i listen to only (with the exception of J5, Blackalicious & Mos Def for nowadays rap). The people who know, & genuinely love hip-hop aren't really gonna appreciate a song like 50's 'Candy Shop' or whatever, and that includes me. Before hip-hop went mainstream, i believe produced the best and most real songs. With a lot of things, when stuff goes commercial it gets tainted in a way that it's not about the music anymore, but about the money, and that's what i hate about nowadays hip-hop. So i wouldn't like to be associated with nowadays rap, which i believe was a once promising genre which took a disapointing turn over the years.Quote:
Originally Posted by I Don't Need A Name
But there are a few artists out there that try to keep hip hop at it's roots. I love how the upcomming Nas album is tittled "HipHop is Dead" I think he was right on with that. Hip Hop is dead, it's just about the money and fame. I will quote AZ "Catch me, smurf sales long as the streets accept me
It's respect before the money if I'm on correctly"
dont forget u have to drop the N bomb after every other sentence