People's perception of rap

It's so off. Everyone hates on rap because it degrades women, is too explicit, blah blah blah. That's true...SOME of it is that. You know which rap songs are like those? The ones played on the radio. Ayy Ladies by Travis Porter, Tyga, disregard that shit. It's catchy but that's just it. Every genre of music has their shit side. That is rap's shitty side. Let's get passed that side because there's another side of rap.

Another side of rap that involves Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi, Logic, Nas, Kanye West, Odd Future, and so many more.

Other genres of music are beautiful at merely the surface, but look passed the surface...you can't because that's all there is. Here's what rap does-look at the surface and you'll be mistakened. You'll hear the n word tossed around, you'll hear about drinking, you'll hear about the lavish lifestyle. But that's not what it's supposed to be. You have to look passed the surface and see what it's really about.

For instance, Kendrick Lamar dropped a song called "Swimming Pools (Drank)." Such a good song-catchy, good hook, nice beat, and about drinking; portrays the rapper's lifestyle perfectly. Well, yeah, but looked further than that. He's commenting on our society's need to drink for anything. To drink our sorrows away, drink to be fun, drink to love, drink because of peer pressure. Kendrick Lamar is taking on the persona and image of someone else, someone his audience can relate. In this song he's saying he started to drink due to peer pressure. People just hear that he's leading a rapper life by having so much liquor and women flocking to him so he can have any girl he wants. He's commenting on how women give up their self respect for liquor. He's observing how easily women will be manipulated by alcohol because they want to get fucked up because that is what they think society wants.

In the second verse he takes on the role of his conscience and himself. He has a conversation between the two. I don't really feel like analyzing the whole song but that's just the beginning of analyzing it. And it's just one example of looking passed the superficial things he's saying.

That's what makes rap so interesting-the ability to come off as superficial but much deeper when you truly take a look at it. Most people choose to ignore that part.

Yeah Adele has a beautiful voice, but she always weeps about heartbreak. The Temper Trap has a beautiful song with "Sweet Disposition" commenting on...love. These are beautiful on a one dimensional level. We've heard it all before. Try something else?

-GJW