Why is bad music like rap so popular instead of music like heavy metal or rock?

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I saw the Moody Blues at Merriweather Post Pavilion back in the mid-'90s 🙂
 
exnihilo said:
The reason rap music is popular is the same reason metal is popular. We are descending towards the animals rather than rising towards Heaven. All these genres of music bring out our more base desires.

If you think about how you would move your body in response to the music this is obvious. With rock there is a certain amount of sensuality to it. When you get to heavy metal the obvious reaction of the body is a sort of thrashing about. Rap the music has both a chaotic aspect but also a mindless rhythm. Think about how your body doesn’t react the same way to classical, folk or bluesgrass music as it does these other forms. If you still don’t believe this think about how movies and shows use music. Imagine where the various forms of music would be used and what feelings they would be used to induce.
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Uh, so you know classical forms were considered quite sexual at times. Have you heard of Franz Liszt? He had his own mania his music impacted his fans so much. The waltz was considered very sexual as well.

Also, as someone asexual who loves music it doesn’t need to be sexual. Not everything is.
 
I lived a few blocks from the place for a couple years. I had season tickets at that time since I could just drop by and see shows after work (I actually worked in the office building across the street which made it super easy).
 
The waltz may have been very sexual for the time. That we’ve gone further isn’t a good thing.

People fawning over celebrities isn’t exactly new. The Romans did this with gladiators. The extent and depths of this may be greater now. Or rather they may be returning to the level they have been at the collapse of other civilizations.
 
I think it’s silly to hate music genres. As a musician, I enjoy all music except experimental and avant-garde music which sounds like a drunk is banging their head on keyboard.

Music is music. All the musicians are skilled, they just go down different avenues towards success.

I guess I’ll never understand classical music snobbery lol 😂
 
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OsculeturMeOsculo said:
I honestly don’t know why people like rap in the first place. The melody isn’t really that great most of the time.
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fin said:
Let me add. There is no melody in rap.
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Rap tends to put more emphasis on rhythm and depending on the type of rap metaphor and narrative. There’s sometimes crossover between spoken word poetry and rap and there have been some in which their involvement in such poetry was their pathway to rap. Melody is one element of a musical presentation that can be appreciated, but it isn’t the only element. Much like other music people tend to like certain rap songs for certain reasons, and someone that likes some rap songs may not like all rap songs. It is going to vary from person to person. A person that likes Eminem might not like Kendrick Lamar or Macklamore.
 
exnihilo said:
All these genres of music bring out our more base desires.
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All music appeals to base desires. It demands we look for patterns in the melody and rhythm. It is written to emotionally resonate with the audience. It appeals to our desire for beauty. The major differences are in how it goes about doing that, which is where genres come from, and what emotions a song is speaking to, which is completely genre-neutral. Yes, metal and rap tend to be stereotypically “angry” genres, but any fan of either knows that that is a horribly simplistic labelling.
 
I agree it is complicated. You also have things like hard rock played on bluegrass instruments with a bit of a bluegrass feel. Although I think the feel of the music when hard rock remains despite the instrumentation.

- YouTube(name removed by moderator)PUc

Or
 
ZMystiCat said:
All music appeals to base desires. It demands we look for patterns in the melody and rhythm. It is written to emotionally resonate with the audience.
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I agree music resonates emotionally. But not all emotions are base.
ZMystiCat said:
Yes, metal and rap tend to be stereotypically “angry” genres, but any fan of either knows that that is a horribly simplistic labelling.
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I don’t think so. I agree there is complexity to the issue. I used to listen to metal myself. I don’t anymore precisely because I don’t want the emotional response it gives me. Find me just one bluegrass or old time country song that makes you angry like metal or rap (I don’t mean covers). You won’t because the genre isn’t suited for it. That tells us something.
 
exnihilo said:
The reason rap music is popular is the same reason metal is popular. We are descending towards the animals rather than rising towards Heaven. All these genres of music bring out our more base desires.
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This reminds me of the movie Rock: It’s Your Decision. Like Reefer Madness, except it moralized about rock music instead of moralizing about weed. In other words, ridiculous to the point of parody.
 
Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of bluegrass or country.

Anyways, metal is an incredibly diverse genre, to the point that “metal” is almost meaningless at this point to label your musical tastes unless you enjoy a wide range of its subgenres. Yeah, the most popular bands like Metallica and Slayer tend towards the angry, but they’re also two bands that essentially made up the “Big 4” within a single subgenre of metal.

Once you move outside, though, there’s a ton of diversity:
  • Power metal is well-known for its optimistic, uplifting tone, often being mocked as “happy metal”. The genre focuses heavily on classical and folk-influenced epic melodies used to tell tales from fantasy, science fiction, and history. Emotionally, covers the whole range of emotions, again with an overall optimistic outlook on life.
  • Progressive metal tends towards complex songwriting and thoughtfulness. There’s really no one emotional style.
  • Symphonic metal is, as its name implies, very much based on classically-inspired music shoved through metal’s structure. Again, there’s no one emotional hook, and it can range from childlike-wonder to unsettling reflections.
  • A lot of metal bands across all genres write “concept albums”, which are albums that tell a story. As is the nature of storytelling, there’s obviously a lot of ground to cover, and they don’t necessarily stick to the angry.
These are just four examples, but I could go on if we wanted to start getting down to specific bands. Even some angrier bands like Metallica and Megadeth don’t necessarily scream about anything and everything. They’re often expressing anger at injustices or are just telling stories.

But as someone who has a music library filled with metal, “anger” is not really the emotion I would attach to a vast majority of my music. Granted, I don’t like a lot of extreme metal, so that keeps me away from the really aggressive side of the genre, but that’s really just a testament to how diverse metal is musically and emotionally.
 
There is such a thing as objectively good music and objectively bad music.

There is music inspired from Heaven and music inspired by the devil.

Without judgement as to why people make rap music, my judgement of the facts, of the music itself, is that it stirs people into a kind of hyped-up state, instead of appealing to a person’s capacity for spiritual-intellectual interiority.

This stirring on the emotional level is popular because ‘popular culture’ often lives on an emotional level.
 
TheAmazingGrace said:
This reminds me of the movie Rock: It’s Your Decision . Like Reefer Madness , except it moralized about rock music instead of moralizing about weed. In other words, ridiculous to the point of parody.
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I used to think Reefer Madness was a joke, until our culture became it. I agree there can be an exaggeration of the consequences. But the exaggeration is probably restricted to being the worst things wont happen to everyone. That doesn’t mean society as a whole doesn’t degrade.
ZMystiCat said:
Anyways, metal is an incredibly diverse genre, to the point that “metal” is almost meaningless at this point to label your musical tastes unless you enjoy a wide range of its subgenres. Yeah, the most popular bands like Metallica and Slayer tend towards the angry, but they’re also two bands that essentially made up the “Big 4” within a single subgenre of metal.
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I don’t dispute metal is diverse, but there is something common enough for it to be a classification. There is definite talent in metal. The music can even have a classical influence. A lot of the musicians are very talented and the music can be complex. But there is a reason people chose ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’ for their wedding over Sepultura’s ‘Roots’.
 
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friardchips said:
Without judgement as to why people make rap music, my judgement of the facts, of the music itself, is that it stirs people into a kind of hyped-up state
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Beethoven does the same for me - much more so than rap.
 
If so then you are very unusual. For the vast majority of people that isn’t so.
 
exnihilo said:
I used to think Reefer Madness was a joke, until our culture became it.
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Became what? Hyperactive rage monsters who dance till they drop like LMFAO’s Party Rock zombies?

Pretty sure that hasn’t happened…anyway, off topic.
 
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These discussions never go anywhere because the vast majority of people who aren’t music geeks, and even some that are, are incapable of recognizing value in any music they personally don’t enjoy for whatever reason they don’t enjoy it.

I am sure God will have music of all possible genres and some not even dreamed about in Heaven. I look forward to awesome concerts there
 
Yes. I surveyed movies, shows, advertisements, the results of different types of concerts, and weddings. The survey results are that classical music causes people to be much more calm than other forms. For instance shootings are unheard of at symphonies but not uncommon at rap concerts. But i suggest you personally don’t attend any symphonies since you report it sends you into a rage.
 
It’s the style of today. Modern rap got its influence from Public Enemy (what a fitting name) in the 90s, and I cannot stand it in the least. Most of it glorifies drug use, objectifies women, and advocates for killing and hating the police. I feel rap does more harm than good on modern youth.
 
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