Is listening to rap music on magnepan frowned upon audiophiles? - Page 2

Anyone, can be an audiophile. Personally I think that everyone on this site in the speaker forum is an audiophile. We want our music to sound its best. We have an enthusiasm for audio. Whether its DTS-MA, DDTHD, DSD, PCM, 16/44.1, 24/192, etc.

We all want our movies and or music to sound its best; "like being there". Well then we are all audiophiles.

Any well recorded musical album would thus be audiophile music. It doesn't matter if its Strauss, Metallica, Miles Davis, White Stripes, Mahler, Notorious BIG, 2-PAC, Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd, Eva Cassidy, Led Zeppelin, or Two Door Cinema Club.

Stereophile had an article once before, and the writer was talking about how as a kid, he loved to listen to music, didn't matter if it was his uncle's high end system or a ghetto blaster or a walkman. He loved the music. So that drew the question, what matters most? The music or the gear? Whos the bigger audiophile? The one with the gear, or the one that loves the music more?

Theres good and bad recordings of all types of music. There's compressed music from jazz, classical, rock/pop, and hip-hop. Theres good well recorded music from them all too. Someone said in here that there's the old and new audiophile. I guess Im a new audiophile. Cause I love music, and it comes from all the bands/genre's I listed above. My dealer thinks Im funny cause I bring in Dvorak, Foo Fighters, Miles Davis, John Mayer, Metallica and Ella Fitzgerald to my auditions. He says I have the largest musical tastes of any of his clients.

Theres some comments here that are just not needed. We all love audio, we are thus - enthusiast for sound reproduction, thus audiophiles. We just have different tastes. Its just like the threads like should I buy X or Y speakers. Doesn't matter, buy what YOU like.

Hey, I always want to hear references about "bitches and hoes" to be clear and detailed!

Very balanced response I hope you can keep your attitude--the net needs more contributors like you. Don't ever change.

*That's to callas01 and most emphatically not to Elihawk.

HA! I bought that album when I was in college. Kool Keith is a legend and a visionary to those who know, but Black Elvis was one of his lesser works.

then listen to Toby Mac, he raps about God. Can you tollerate that?
http://www.tobymac.com/

Example of heavy metal the nu-audiophile listens to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPJKuygePHk

Version old audiophile listens to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z67IqrmygZY

Loses something in the translation, doesn't it

Rap ISN'T music, neither is hip-hop. I love the internet...I hate the internet... Play what you want.

this is F-ing hilarious!


for some reason I can't stop playing the later.

Not sure why you would say that. Of his solo stuff, it is one of the better ones. Regardless, my point was that it sounds great. Better than Dr. Octagonecologyst (which I also have), IMO.

Interesting! I thought you were just adding your voice to the chorus of "Rap sux LOL" that always wells up in places like AVSForum. After Doc Oc I found Black Elvis unsatisfying, but if your library includes stuff like this, then I think you're capable of having an informed opinion on it... do you know what I mean? As many of the RapSux chorus have never heard anything like this and don't know that it exists, and are basing their conclusions on whatever they heard some joker blasting in his car the other day.

There's a whole album if you like it: In a Metal Mood: No More Mr Nice Guy. I get a kick out of the Paradise City version. One of these songs would be great for a comedy movie soundtrack

Whatever you like to listen to is your choice...but if instruments are NOT used to create the sound and any voices are enhanced...is it really music?

Are we really at this point--trying to argue that music we don't like, can't be called music? For real? Dude, that's absurd.

I wasn't being completely serious...relax! To each his own!

Im not a big fan of most modern rap, like "Rack City Chick"... OMG I want to kick the radio when that comes one; however I do like some things like Outkast, 2Pac, Biggie, Snoop, Jay Z... Dre how can anyone NOT own Chronic? Even Music Direct sells that album. Maybe Im just old skool.

Most of my music is "indie rock", but I have a lot of older stuff to like classic rock, classical, Jazz, Blues, Heavy Metal, I just don't own ANY country... can't stand it.

haha... I don't think Id buy it... but its funny to listen to.

Yep. Definitely in the "fun to listen to on YouTube, but not to pay for category." Except as a gag gift for a friend that's into heavy metal (lol).

There are no bad genres, just bad artists who make bad art. I found some country that I really dig a lot (Neko Case) but purists--if there are country purists--probably frown on alt-country stuff like hers.

I love hip-hop and rap, but I can't listen to the mainstream stuff; I favor the underground scene (Def Jux Records! The new El Producto is supposed to drop in late May, can't wait, I'll Sleep When You're Dead and Fantastic Damage were two of my favorite albums of the last decade.)

I just came back from Of Montreal's set at Webster Hall. Paralytic Stalks is making me fall in man-love with Kevin Barnes, all over again.

Toby mac is great. His Tonight Album rocks on my Dyn's

< snip >
One man's music is another man's noise..............

probably the same guys who cannot imagine a white doing rap.

Maybe because Rap isn't music? They don't sing, play an instrument, read music , or write music. They talk in a microphone with a backbeat. Poetry maybe?

Let the ignorance and racism begin...

just because it is racism does not mean it does not exist.

I see your sarcasm meter is on the fritz today.

Of all of your posts here that is the only humor you have offered up...Usually so serious.
Having cocktails when you posted that?

Mainstream Hip Hop follows the same tired and tried formula's as Modern Pop Music. "Rack City Bitch" is a great example. These songs have nothing to do with what "Hip-Hop" is, and there's clearly no artistry involved. It's just generic pop music. Call a spade a spade.

Hip-Hop is music with emphasis on the vocals and percussion. The amount of lyrics in a rap song are 4x the amount of your average rock song. This makes it a a great platform for vivid stories and imagery.

Song for reference:

Macklemore - Wings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAg3uMlNyHA

Amazing visuals painted lyrically about youngster's artificial infatuation with sneakers. How kids try so hard to be different, only to look like everyone else trying to be different. How meaningless the sneakers are yet how they play such a huge roll in peoples lives. The threats that go with sneakers (in the 90's). There's a nice twist at the end also. As an addict...he's still wearing them.

The song lacks technical-complexity and rhyme patterns , but the focus is on the vocal-delivery and the writing - which is excellent for any genre. The instrumentation is great, changing through out, with live instruments prominent.

Another example we could use is Tonedeff - Porcelain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2_wLfgF3yQ

This rapper has a extreme understanding of technical concepts in rapping. This song shines with its story though. It's a song about a junior-highschool crush that didnt work out. It touches on how what was so important young relationships are and how they scorn people for life. It's beautifully written and technically complex. He's rhyming at an extremely fast rate (never missing a rhythm), with complex rhyme patterns. He's rhyming words in the middle of sentences , words at the end of sentences, rhyming words in alternating lines, etc. Some have 7+ syllables throughout. Tonedeff also wrote, rapped, produced, and provided the vocals).

Bonus: Making of which he talks about the layering/sampling portion of the music (which he created using live instruments, and sampled afterwards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LamsjFgq0

Tonedeff also uses a rhyme pattern analysis "guide" called a flow notation system. This allows him to visually keep track and monitor the usage of rhyming words/syllables/et al. An explanation of the Flow Notation System can be found here:http://qn5.com/tonedeff/fns/ and a example of a song using this system is here:

http://qn5.com/tonedeff/media/fns/fns_arch_01.pdf

And finally - An obligatory song by The Roots with heavy Jazz influence and some percussion. Yeah - They ALL know how to read/write/music.

The Roots - Rising Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WbJ9Yc0whc

Both songs are worth a listen and are a far cry from "Rack City Bitch". There's alot more to Hip-Hop than just "talking into a microphone" and some of these guys have more talent than you can imagine.

A rapper rhyming at 13.5 syllables per second as Tonedeff did on the song "Velocity", is the equivalent of a guitarist thrashing away in the hip hop world. I can post songs where the emphasis is on complex rhyme patterns, or "emotion/feelings in the delivery", or the "speed" or "flow(timing)" of the words, or hidden/dual meanings and metaphors, or simply the story/message(lyrics).

Bottom line - with Hip-Hop music you have to understand that the focus is on lyricism. Does that make it good or bad? no it has its strength's and weaknesses like every other genre of music.

I doubt he intended that as sarcasm.

This is as close to rap as my speakers will ever be exposed to:

http://www.amazon.com/Madam-Butterfl...4339844&sr=1-2

Opera either, for that matter.