Listening to music is one of my favorite pastimes. Whether it is to occupy my mind while I am driving or to set the mood as I read, listening to some tunes brings me comfort and joy. Even though there are some genres I prefer over others, my taste in music is rather broad and I will listen to anything. Despite this, there is an exception. I do not like rap music overall and will often refuse to listen to it.
The majority of rap songs I hear on the radio or just hear in general feel dull and annoying to listen to. When I listen to music, I prefer to hear someone belting their lungs out or crooning in a microphone, rather than just a voice blandly speaking in time with the music. The second that certain rap songs come on the radio as I drive, I switch to a new station because I would much rather listen to some commercials promoting things that I do not care about than a terrible rap song.
The style of singing the rap employs is also a major turn off for me. It is difficult for the use of just speaking to the beat to do anything for me that I cannot find in songs with more traditional singing. I know that people enjoy the quick pace and lyrical rhythm of speech in rap music but it just makes me cringe. I find the style of recitative singing used in musicals to be a more effective way of performing that type of singing and conveying what the song is about, along with being more engaging to listen to.
I get why rap is so popular these days with many people. It employs a certain creativity with how emphasis is placed on words that is achieved in a way that you do not typically see in more traditional music. Freestyle can be especially effective in poetry and enjoyable to listen to. Though when it comes to rap, I feel that the inclusion of the music can bog down the lyrics. It potentially is because the music itself is bad, and thus taints the lyrics by association, or the music is incongruous with the lyrics and the lyrics’ rhythm is changed to their detriment in order to fit the instrumentals.
I also have a strong distaste for the subjects of rap music. Subjects can vary widely, just like in any genre of music, but from my experience, the majority of popular rap music is about women, sex, drugs, violence, or some combination thereof. Sure, these are present in other genres, but the majority of rap that I hear others listen to or see topping the chart are about these subjects. I do not care to hear about songs that describe these topics in such detail that I often see in rap songs. Additionally the gratuitous swearing that is common in rap music comes across as being in poor taste and bad songwriting. As a result, I am turned off from rap music if it is just going to to have lyrics that I do not want to hear in my music.
That is not to say that I do not like the genre. The rap music I do like consists mostly of songs from the musical Hamilton, with few scattered ones from other artists. And there are several songs from other music genres that employ some rap, that I find to be very effective. It is not not the most robust list of music when you compare it to how much pop, rock, and alternative take up my playlists, but there are some diamonds in the rough that I can appreciate. It is just difficult to wade through a collection of perceived trash to find one’s treasure.
I do respect rap music for what it is and what people get out of it. It is a genre that grew out of the Black community and is seen by many as an expression of it and its history. It is just not for me though, in most circumstances. I will pick a pop song nine times out of ten over a rap one and be content with the fact that I am listening to something that is not terrible rap music.
