...My 2 Cents - Rap Music .... PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS!!! ...

Now - the little Princess Haters out there might take this as a negative post, but there is serious curiosity here.

I'm a bit of a lover of music - and I write my own - there are many music styles that I don't like but can appreciate for what they are.

Country music is not my thing neither is Gospel - but, if I listen to it, I can appreciate the style of music for what it is. But with Rap and Hip Hop, I have no clue.

My mother - G-d bless her - refers to Rap Music as that music style where everyone shouts to a beat.

Is this true? Is that all rap is - an updated version of Spoken Word? If so..... then why do these people get 50million dollars a contract?

Or is there something else that I am truly missing. For example, Kanye West. Now, his ego and posturing aside (me-thinks there is some internal homophobia going on there) but I dont see how he is this super star that everyone says he is. He can not sing. He raps against the beat and out of tempo. I dont get it. Genuinely dont get it.

Now take Britney for example. I liked the original Britney because it was mindless pop that you could clean the house to and it was inoffensive and bubble-gummish - the new Britney is a sad attempt to take herself seriously when no one else does..... but Kanye West - I'm agog.

From what I can tell scrolling through page after page on Wikipedia... rap music and the hip hop genre in general had its roots with the Griots who were travelling musicians and poets. Now - I look at 50 Cent - Bow Wow - Kanye - Ja Rule et al and I don't see poets.

I see African American men who seem to want to promote a stereotype of mysognistic homophobia that is mind blowing. Women are objects without merit - except for tits and ass jiggling. Gays are to be vilified and white people are these supposed 21st century Nazi's who want black people to be kept down.

Now - whilst I agree there is always going to be a racist element in society - a young Serbian man in Melbourne pulled his car over one day when I was walking with my yarmulke on and screeched epithets at me - I do not believe that the majority of people ARE racist these days.

I do not believe that White America wants Black America to stay in ghettos nor do I believe that Arab America can not get along with Jewish America - if they number interfaith initiatives are anything to go by, America is ridiculously engaged to the point of total wonder.

Rap / Hip Hop is the only music style I can not fathom. It eludes me and that's something that drives me crazy.

I don't think I'm any high intellectual but I do like to understand and explore the world around me. When I try to explore Rap - I find myself offended, bored and - sometimes - appalled by this genre.

I reiterate that this is not a RANT - as a hater would say - but I am genuinely confused and disturbed by this.

I welcome every and all insights, thoughts, comments, et al re this.

Thanks all.

That's my 2 Cents - and it's seriously confused.

Damien.

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