When will rap music be less mainstream?

Macdad

Free lapdances on me. :) Loser

Hey Bongofury and Darkmobeus - very refreshing to see a couple of obviously well educated and OPEN-MINDED music lovers on here, yes, MUSIC lovers. I listen to everything from jazz to rock to hard core rap and love it all. As far as intelligent rap goes don't forget Common, Atmosphere, Black Star and Talib Kwali (on his own). Bongofury we should hang out - BIG Mike Skinner (Streets) fan here ....profound insight from this kid. Lets not forget another truly great ARTIST - 2Pac!
Only once people are prepared to open their mind regarding music will they get all they can out of it and it is their loss as far as I am concerned. A quick scan of the music for sale on this site will tell you who we are dealing with - Pat Boone, Johnny Mathis, Cliff Richard, Bing Crosby, I mean come on guys, people have been making great music in the last half-century in case you weren't aware, and while rock really has not been able to out-do the 60s and 70s hip-hop has been driving things forward.
The OP suggests that we won't be listening to any of these hip-hop records in 20 years time???? Sorry to tell you we already are and some from 20 years back are as fresh today as they were back then and we will still be listening to the hip-hop classics in 50 years. The greatest thing I ever stumbled on in my life and it changed my whole outlook on music was techno (in a broad sense) and I am so thankful that I was open-minded enough to "get it" - it has been the most rewarding chapter in my musical life and I know there are people reading this now thinking it is all bang, bang, bang. Maybe it is ...... until you really take an interest and it too is ART and millions of people across the globe are hitting up clubs, festivals and parties every weekend and having the musical time of their lives. It is almost sad that many people will never get to experience the buzz that myself and people like Bongofury get to experience simply because of closed-mindedness. I never listened to jazz until recently and the reason I am enjoying it now is because I decided that if so many people are into it then I must be missing something. I opened my mind and now you can find me on a regular basis tearing the Jazz isle to pieces in search of something fresh, at least fresh to me. I DJ internationally for a living and I can tell you there is nothing to destroy your passion for music faster than playing and listening to the same old tracks. The whole rush for most of us is finding fresh music continuously.
Not knocking anybody for "looping" their music from 50 years ago, just don't knock people for, as Mike Skinner puts it, "pushing things forward."
Happy listening to all of you.

Thomastrouble

Amen to that. I have worked with over 1,000 bands per year in a live concert setting and LOVE all music. It would be a sad day when people dictate personal taste. My 25 and 28 year old children and I are constantly exchanging fresh music. My daughter loves house and techno and married to renowned Bay Area artist Dave Kim, who has fused classic violin over DJ music. I love young bands. On heavy rotation at the moment is The XX, Mos Def, the Throwdowns, Sticky, and the Union Line.

Sit, nice to see someone willing to explore - you won't regret it! Maybe dip your toes into some "trip-hop" this is a kind of chilled out hip-hop and the Ninja Tunes label have been doing this well for a long time, check them out on the internet, I think they are still around but there is a wide variety of stuff on that label so don't be put off at first glance.
Bongofury, did you know that The Streets first album got onto Rolling Stones best 100 albums of all time and still be considered "underground" too! If anybody is from England you will get more out of this guy very humorously depicting english working class life.Bedroom produced stuff but raw as it gets and if there are any clubbers out there you will know what he is talking about, he has definately lived a bit of that life.
Bongofury, gotta say it again, your knowledge is very impressive - what do you do for a living? Are you also from the Bay Area?

Anyway, good to see all this heated debate, wether I agree or not. For me this is where the real passions should come out - regarding the music itself, as opposed to that extra 2% of sonic quality when listening to it.
For any country folks out there you might want to try Bubba Sparxx "Deliverance". Brilliant Timabaland produced album, witty, not gangsta with a focus more on chickens and dogs in the yard than urban life. This was a hugely critically acclaimed album but commercially, no so. "Dark Days Bright Nights is another masterpiece by him, but forget about "The Charm" when he sold out and nose-dived.

Just picked up Vampire Weekend's new release - it was released yesterday - I have been liking their sound since their debut.

Hi-Fi snobbery is an evil disease when it blinds us to music. It can affect us all to some degree and I admit to it too! Once you catch the disease then you can lose sight of what is really important.

Here is what Hi-Fi snobbery can become in its worst form:

Hi-Fi snob forks out $20K on a high-end Hi-Fi
Hi-Fi snob gets more snobby and supposes to now be an expert on music
Hi-Fi snob tells everyone else what they should like and what constitutes good music.

Sadly in reality, our "Hi-Fi snob" has never bought more than 100 albums - all mostly from the 70's and 80's high school and college student days. In reality, Hi-Fi snob spends more time fiddling with and talking about gear than really listening to music or expanding musical horizons. Sadly Hi-Fi snob doesn't even play an instrument. The truth is that Hi-Fi snob is not really interested in music but has plenty of disposable income and a huge ego to feed, which manifests itself in glowing lights and cool expensive looking aesthetic components...