No, you cannot ignore the lyrics of a song.

My friend, Owen (pictured here and many times throughout this blog), gave the counter-argument to our mainstream hip-hop and lyrics discussion. It's very compelling stuff.



You can get it here at CommonPlace.

-----------------------------------------------------
Or you can see it here (copied and pasted without expressed written consent).

Pop Music and Lyricism

My friends Cas and Marius brought up an interesting issue regarding pop music. In particular, pop hip-hop (or mainstream hip-hop... but hey, let's call it what it is. it's pop).

Have the standards for lyricism in mainstream hip-hop gone down?
...Yes. Yes they have. they're predictable, unoriginal, and patronizing.
but that's not the question. the question is: can't these mainstream songs be "good" songs even without the lyricism?

Now, some will say yes. If you're "feelin the beat" (as the cool kids say), then why not just let yourself enjoy it? Pop music is a formulaic, manufactured product, and we know that these rappers are just out to get money. But if one is aware of this, and accepts this, why not enjoy it?

WELL... here's what I think. YES, i realize that i'm a bit biased, and i do have to actively resist some genuinely appealing beats, BUT... as pretentious as it may sound, i feel that there is a real sense of artistry and integrity at stake here. to buy into mainstream hip-hop is to participate and contribute to an audience that does not value lyricism, and the more we shift towards that, the more the music industry will read this and respond... producing the same crap product in fancy, fancy packaging. because we're becoming an audience to which the packaging (the image and style portrayed) is ALL that matters.
the hip-hop audience doesn't care about original content, says the music biz, as long as there's a catchy hook, a ______ style instrumental, and a rapper who fits they image they wanna see.
basically, the bar has been LOWERED. and by patronizing the music, we support (and celebrate) this degradation of musical standards.

(i'll take a minute to say that i think instrumentals are important as well... so if anything, the producers and beatsmiths behind pop songs should be getting the credit, instead of these cookie-cutter artists whose names are on the cover)

Now, i'm not one of these hip-hop purists who bite your head off because you don't know the lyrics to that one Heiro song... but I do lean towards this side that favors a kind of "loyalty" to the idea that lyricism and skill are not only necessary, but ESSENTIAL to hip-hop.
yeah, these mainstream trends are just a fad... but personally, i'm gonna hold out, and yes, try to turn a deaf ear to the mainstream pop. and maybe, just maybe, when the hyphy movement dies out like so many No Limit Soldiers, the music industry will realize that it needs to raise its standards and deliver the full package, both instrumentals AND mc skills/lyrics, if they want to maintain their audience.

Unlikely? Probably. But it's a small matter of principal. And it's nice to dream.
-----------------------------------------------------
I think it's very noble and a bit utopian. Here's what I'm gonna say. As long as there is someone out there willing to exploit the the talents of another person for money, then there will always be a degradation of art, in music and all types of mediums. Is it a desparationist view? I agree.