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  • The lyrics
    • Lack of substantial / sophisticated messages in the lyrics.
      • Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) - "So many words, so little said." (Source)
    • Lack of variety in the messages / topics of songs.
      • Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) - "So many words, so little said." (Source)
  • The accompaniment
    • Lack of sophistication in the melodies

      • Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones) - "What rap did that was impressive was to show there are so many tone-deaf people out there. All they need is a drum beat and somebody yelling over it and they’re happy. There’s an enormous market for people who can’t tell one note from another." (Source)

Why are rap lyrics so heavily focused on the tough-guy image? Why isn't there a Marvin Gaye of rap?
  • Here's my guess
    1. Rap depends heavily on the ability to rhyme words and convey information in the smallest number of words possible.
    2. The "black" accent and grammar simplifies the pronunciation and grammar and changes the sounds of many words in such a way that words and phrases that would normally not rhyme do rhyme.
      1. Example: Biggie rhymes "picture" with "get you" on "Warning" → "pick-cha" and "get-cha"
      2. Because the ubpringing of other cultures focuses heavily on pronouncing words "properly" and using "proper" grammar, it may not be as easy for people of those cultures to sound "natural" while bending words the way rappers do.
        1. It's not impossible, and it's getting easier as the pronunciation and grammar that shows up in rap becomes more popular among non-black groups, but it also seems to be not as easy.
        2. Asher Roth's "I Love College" actually shows some interesting ways that white rappers can bend words and not sound like they're pretending to be something they're not: "I am champion, at beer pong / Allen Iverson, Hakeem Olajuwon"
    3. The "black" culture also seems to have become somewhat / somehow dominated by a tough-guy culture.
      1. I've read that sagging pants became popular because
    4. Internal rhyming sounds became dominant in the mid-80s and all through the 90s.
    5. Teen guys were drawn to buy rap records that made them feel pumped up / excited and powerful, and conveyed an image of being a tough guy.
      1. The music people hear coming from your car stereo or boombox says something about who you are as a person. Guys who listen to romantic music (Backstreet Boys) could be seen as not tough.
Criticisms of pop music more-generally

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