03-17-2010, 01:15 AM
At the same time, Jacob, a large number of people strongly feel that hip-hop and gangster rap are as different as country and rock. Yeah, the first two use beats and rhymes to convey their messages, but the second two use guitars and vocalization, and yet most agree that they are very different.
Hip-hop also tends to find a strong place with the skater crowd and has a noticeably different sound to it over conventional rap of today (Aesop Rock, for example, or even the Gorrillaz) and isn't as heavily focused within a singular race.
However, its also a bridge that today's rap has grown from, which in itself shows just how strong of a cultural influence it has/had. Similarly, I would place disco, blues, jazz, even the hippy movement as being worth mention. To discount hip-hop over the opinion that its vile (which in itself is questionable, depending on what hip-hop you are trying to use as your example) is irrelevant to the entire topic, as "rock and roll" was considered "the devil's music" even in the times of Elvis, and yet most will consider that a significant cultural movement, would they not?
Hip-hop also tends to find a strong place with the skater crowd and has a noticeably different sound to it over conventional rap of today (Aesop Rock, for example, or even the Gorrillaz) and isn't as heavily focused within a singular race.
However, its also a bridge that today's rap has grown from, which in itself shows just how strong of a cultural influence it has/had. Similarly, I would place disco, blues, jazz, even the hippy movement as being worth mention. To discount hip-hop over the opinion that its vile (which in itself is questionable, depending on what hip-hop you are trying to use as your example) is irrelevant to the entire topic, as "rock and roll" was considered "the devil's music" even in the times of Elvis, and yet most will consider that a significant cultural movement, would they not?

