9/24-9/30: Is Rap Dying?

A "New York Times" editorial on Sunday called Tupac Shakur's murder "one more blow to a fading school of music," claiming that white surburban teen-agers will soon grow bored with the music and the spectacle. Will the lifestyle flaunted in gangsta rap become the downfall of the business? Is rap dying, or will we soon see a kinder, gentler rap?

Here's what Tripod members had to say:

mganderson: I think that rap will not die, but it will change--for the better. Gangsta rap is definitely on its way out, but it will be replaced not by a kinder, gentler rap, but a rap with no mentions of killing cops or bitchy ho's. For example, The Fugees, the Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, and Tribe Called Quest are all popular rap acts who have all the aggressive edge of gangsta rap without the deregatory call-outs. Rap, like any other musical style, is forever changing, but will never die, no matter how much we want it to (case in point: disco). And that's all I have to say about that.

TBlackmore: I hope rap is dead and gone forever. I still don't understand how it could ever be considered a form of music. It was mostly just a glorification of ignorant fools.

AlMiller: Rap will never die; it will just go out of style and resurface 20 years later in silly nostalgic costume parties (as disco does today). Those stupid baggy pants, backwards baseball caps, and Raiders jackets are just as lame as acetone shirts and polyester leisure suits that were part of pop culture in the 70s. I hated disco, and I hate gangsta rap, but they will remain as signatures to the sorry state of affairs of the time and the people who embraced them.

fuzzyeng: Rap music will not die, but evolve. There's a strong following for rap music and it is a part of American culture. Contrary to some views, rap music is not all about gangsta shooting and drugs -- there are some excellent lyrics in some of the songs and are enjoyed by a good percentage of the population. In the near future, I think rap music will have a softer edge, and the successful artists will be those that can still have a good beat and meaningful lyrics.

FreekBoy: Rap will never die, the true followers of the rap world will never grow tired of it. Rap is not for people who like to hear one hit song and then say they listen to rap, it is for people who like it for what is, has been and will be.

kendra: I think that unless rap follows the innovative turn of artists like Digable Planets, or Arrested Development, then it will perish as an art form. Angry people yelling the same way, with the same "music" behind them are not going to inspire new artists, or listeners.

Rachel: I think there may be a trend in rap towards a more complex sound and lyric -- look at the Fugees. (The one rap album that I really, really love.) Every time I listen to it I catch a new reference to something -- it's like poetry, in places. This is all to say that I think rap is still very much alive and exciting. Rap's not gonna die. I would like to see it become less explicitly violent, in lyrics as well as in lifestyle, but I think a serious political and social change would have to take place in order for that to happen. The violence reflected in rap doesn't originate in rap; it originates in the wretched lifestyle that inner-city black kids have. So my thoughts would be: if we can effect a change, if we can improve those people's lives, if we can provide them with the opportunity to live in a way that is not imbued with violence and injustice, well, then rap will become less violent.

brmonse: I think rap is on its way out. Many of the kids at my school listen to rock 'n' roll and other "lighter" music. Rap was "it" for a while, but now I hear it less and less. Even on the rap radio station, they play the same things over and over--NOTHING new, ever. When nothing new in a genre comes, the genre dies out. I think rap is dying.

BillyD: Gangsta rap should die with Shakur. It has no redeeming value. Tupac's death, like Easy-E's before, should stand as notice to people that that lifestyle leads to death. These artist should use their influnce in a more positive manner. Real life stories should be told, but crime, violence, drug use, and immorality should not be glorifyed.

starfly: While there are those who would like Rap to die, it will not die. Tupac Shakur left the world of Rap a legacy. There will be lot's of changes in rap. They will be for the betterment of society. I hate to see the ignorance of Rap displayed by many. If you don't take the time to listen to what an artist is saying, how can you judge them?

Talien: I tend to agree with those who believe that rap will not die. My reasoning being, that it will most certainly evolve before it comes to dying out. There are many artists out there (and not only the ones whose albums you see in the stores) who have started to change the meaning of rap. They are looking at things they way they truly are; not as a violence infested world in which there's no hope for any change, but one where violence is the result of confusion, and if one takes the time to open his or her eyes one can see through it...

Dano27: Rap music WILL die when those kids that listen to it go deaf from the BOOM,BOOM,BOOM coming from thier stereo system that costs more than their car does.

SShokouhi: No way , Rap will never die! W/ new talent like Nas Escobar, rap will keep strong! Now are you all considering Hip-hop and rap as the same thing (seems so) ? Well see Hip - Hop is stronger than ever.. Yeah I do have to say. 2pac and Easy-E's deaths have been big blows to tha rap world but its not gonna die !.. OK gangster rap is gonna die .. but, rap in general won't die (no question) .. Keep It real!! p-out..

Trixster: rap will never die.... rap will never fade.... gangsta rap won't either.... it may tone down just a tiny bit but that's it. I never considered 2PAC's stuff to be "gangsta," more like "real" rap. The things that he raps about are things I see almost everday. Most people will never see this stuff or feel the pain that comes with a "thug" type of life, but it is very very tough to maintain in that world. You can't avoid it once you're in. It does exist and that means it's gonna show up in rap whether people on the outside consider it gangsta or not. Sure it can be just another hit song that caught on with everyone, but if you actually sit down and listen to the lyrics you might learn how it is. "When I say I'm livin' large, all you see is the struggle, When I say I'm still thuggin' all you see is the trouble..." --2PAC-- MUCH LOVE! see ya at the crossroads, and thanx for keepin' it real.

naving: TBlackmore says that rap is made by ignorant fools for ignorant fools. How can you get any more ignorant or foolish??? I'm guessing that TB is just a kid being influenced by what he thinks is "cool" and "uncool" these days. If TB has heard such artists as Wu-Tang Clan, Method Man, the GZA, the RZA, Bone-Thugs, or any others TB would know that rap is:
a) something that doesn't suit everyone, yet it is stupid to say, oh i dont like it so i'll say that everyone who listens to it is ignorant, while i am a god of knowledge
b) something that is appreciated for many different reasons
It is because of the powerful nature of the lyrics and the beat that rap is appreciated. And therefore, if there are enough people to do the music and do it well, there will be enough to appreciate it. Tupak's shooting is not a testamant to the violence of rap, but the violence of our society and the violence of the slums of our cummunities. Gangsta rap will be looked down upon be many, but it will survive as long as there are gangstas to sing about. And i hope that the gangsta rap, along with the gangstas, die out soon.

DollBaby: I believe that this misleading editorial is only voicing the most fervent wishes of mainstream culture. This editorial wants ignorant readers to believe that Tupac Shakur (RIP) truly represented all genres of rap & hip-hop, & that is certainly not the case. The knowledgeable among us KNOW that these beloved cultures have much to offer, despite the ways and methods that the media attempts to use in trying to stop their mainstream "white suburban kids" from listening to them. Rap & Hip-Hop can just as easily show the world the most poignant and talented poets that can be reached by the medium of music. Media stories never seem to focus on the positive; they can only seem to seek out the negatives of any aspect of urban-born culture. Personally, I'm forced to examine this fact often as a Journalism student of the very media that loves to debase facets of my African-American culture. Decrying Shakur's life and legacy is not a justifiable reason to sound the death knell of rap.

gob: Rap died with the Fat Boyz and Vanilla Ice.

TomSlick: We can only hope Rap goes further south than disco! We now suffer with disco parties but lets hope disco DIES! Of all the music Rock, heavy metal, thrash, & even (ish) country, have never incited people to be gang bangers, or treat women as so much trash. I say lets all help kill rap or at least turn it into something positive like D.C. Talk & others doing Christian rap have!!

pmenon: No I dont think that rap will fade away. Rap music is here to stay, like it or not. If rock n roll has been existin' for over 40 years, rap music, which is probably more popular, will exist until the days of my kids' kids' kids' kids! Rap rulez!! Peace out.