If rap bacame more like rock...

[sonic1988]

Before anyone goes crazy (*cough* Peace Angel *cough*) what I mean is the whole Parental Advisory thing and the "need" for a rapper to curse.

here's what I mean:

Since about 2000 any artist with a "Parental Advisory" Sticker would be more popular (Limp Bizkit, 50 Cent, etc) While other artists that don't curse, or get a parental adivsory sticker don't sell as well (Will Smith, Biz Markie)

But in the Rock world an artist can curse and sell well (Green Day) or they don't curse (Three Days Grace) and they still do very well.

So, If Rap became more like Rock in that context, do you think Will would do better (sales and image wise?)

[Hero1]

I don't think cursing has anything to do with it... In the early 90s positive rap was extremely popular.. I'm sure it will come back around again

[Chief]

it always does.....just like bell bottoms..they always come back..

[Mike]

i can see your point, but nobody goes "oh man this isnt parental advisory i wont buy it" but there is an element of rebellion in it i guess. more thug like music has cursing and thug music is popular now.

[Luigie]

yeah everything circles around...dats wat we call "retro"

[rawad_m]

there'll probably be a backlash against this type of "rap" anyway in the next few years

[sonic1988]

let's hope rawad

[bigted]

Well the thing is in the early days of hip-hop from the early 80s til the late 90s there wasn't really any "Parental Advisory" albums until NWA came along but there was still quite a bit of rappers like MC Hammer, Heavy D, JJFP, LL Cool J, KRS-ONE, Salt-N-Pepa, Tribe Called Quest, etc. who would have albums without "Parental Advisory" labels sell millions and then once Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" blew up really there weren't that many popular hip-hop albums without parental advisory stickers anymore 'cause labels made a lot of money off the negative images so they dropped all the positive artists, really this has a lot to do with the way record labels sign artists, they're looking for the next 2Pac imitator, like I said quite a few times before if Kel Spencer was a gangsta rapper that cursed a lot like 50 Cent he'd be selling millions right now but instead he's still trying to get on, there's a lot of positive mcs like Kel out there but they ain't gonna get signed 'cause of their image, and now with Three Six Mafia winning an Oscar I'd say it'll take years before we see more positive hip-hop get high on the charts, the industry is getting rich off of the pimp image and they don't want nothing clean to do well :paperbag: It seems that more rock fans are more open minded to listen to rock with "parental advisory" and rock without "parental advisory", they won't call clean/positive rock songs bubblegum, backpacker, or corny like rap fans seem to call clean/positive rap songs bubblegum, backpacker, or corny like we see them say about Will Smith and MC Hammer but it seems that rap fans are programmed to just like "parental advisory" rap, it all starts with the fans, if they keep on buying what labels give them, then there won't be a change anytime soon....

Edited March 7, 2006 by bigted

[JumpinJack AJ]

The explict lyrics sticker can take an album far. It's quite depressing. Ever since the early/mid 90's...those stickers have dominated Hip-Hop and Rap album covers. Some people had messages and skills...and lots didn't. It's progressed to 2day...where if u your album goes platnium, there is a 99% chance there is an explict sticker on it. Young kids think "it's cool." Ignorant teens think it means that the music is "real" and "raw." And record labels enforce them 2 push the bar. All these newers guys are little puppets who don't write anything worth listening 2 over cookie cutter beats and make sure they lace every bar with cuss words.

I personally hate cussing. Years ago i desided i waz gonna clean my mouth up and hearing it in music started 2 annoy me 2. I'll gladly support people like The Roots, Common Sense, and Talib Kweli even tho' they have explict lyric stickers on their album. Their albums are filled with stories, messages...and most importantly...SKILLZ. With them, they aren't out 2 spread poison and just cuss. That's what idiots like G-Unit do.

[bart5]

The explict lyrics sticker can take an album far. It's quite depressing. Ever since the early/mid 90's...those stickers have dominated Hip-Hop and Rap album covers. Some people had messages and skills...and lots didn't. It's progressed to 2day...where if u your album goes platnium, there is a 99% chance there is an explict sticker on it. Young kids think "it's cool." Ignorant teens think it means that the music is "real" and "raw." And record labels enforce them 2 push the bar. All these newers guys are little puppets who don't write anything worth listening 2 over cookie cutter beats and make sure they lace every bar with cuss words.

I personally hate cussing. Years ago i desided i waz gonna clean my mouth up and hearing it in music started 2 annoy me 2. I'll gladly support people like The Roots, Common Sense, and Talib Kweli even tho' they have explict lyric stickers on their album. Their albums are filled with stories, messages...and most importantly...SKILLZ. With them, they aren't out 2 spread poison and just cuss. That's what idiots like G-Unit do.

I agree with you AJ. I hate cussing too and I wish rappers could just take out the cursing. Rap probably wouldn't have such a bad image in some people's minds if there wasn't as much cursing in the ryhmes. I am glad that there are postive mcs out there though. I will support rappers that I like that have curses in their rhymes though too. Hopefully postive hip hop will become popular again soon, instead of the crap that is out there right now.

[bigted]

I think if hip-hop was less explicit and had more of a positive message it'd draw a more broader audience than it does now, with the way it is right now basically only teenagers and young kids are the ones listening to what's on the charts, like I can't picture that many over 30 years old listening to Ludacris, rock music and other genres don't have that problem 'cause it seems there's artists out there that reach to the TRL fans and artists that reach to older audiences but it ain't like that with rap though even though hip-hop/rap is considered the highest selling genre but most of that genre's fanbase who buys a lot of albums 15-30 years old, it seems like the rap game is just catering to the youth unlike when it started and it appealed to all audiences, people older than that might of grew up on it but they probably can't stand what's it's turned into so they don't listen anymore or just listen to the old music although there's always a few trying to fit in with their kids and listen to Jay-Z, lol, but I think that the majority of older folks can't stand it 'cause they look at it as trash, like I could picture a 50 year old watching the Oscars and seeeing Three Six Mafia on there and they'll be like "damn that hip-hop music is the devil", lol, there won't be so many older folks against hip-hop if it were more positive...

It wouldn't be the thing for kids to call Will bubblegum if there were a lot more hip-hop artists out there like him dominating the game even if they did have a "parental advisory" sticker like for instance a Public Enemy or a Common, it's up to the new generation of artists coming along but I see that the ones who're inspired off of 50 Cent'll and Mike Jones'll probably make it in the game before someone like me who's inspired from JJFP and Chuck D will and the cycle'll continue

Edited March 7, 2006 by bigted

[Turntable]

Rock aint doing better than Rap. It seems so. Yeah Green Day, Good Charlotte etc. are aight, I like them. But I know there are when it comes to the music allot of better bands out there, that dont have theyr succes.

And the cussing.. I dont care about it. Just be you`r self.

[J-o-e]

Hip Hop is being urself....so how can u compare it?

[bigted]

I don't really think Will's doing that bad selling albums either though, he's a bad example to use to make your point here, maybe if you said KRS-ONE then that'd be a legit argument of a positive artist not selling much, "Lost and Found" was one of the 10 highest selling albums in the rap industry last year that sold more than a lot of explicit rappers like Tony Yayo and Lil' Kim so it shows you that if there's still a market for positive rap, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes got videos in major rotation right now so they'll probably go platinum again when their albums drops plus we got Kanye West, Black Eyed Peas, and Common having more success than a lot of explicit rappers so rap is starting to be a lil' bit more balanced than it was a few years ago and is still the highest selling music genre, but it's still not close to being another golden era....

Edited March 8, 2006 by bigted