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Listening to back episodes of The Skeptics Guide To The Universe, I heard an interview with a skeptical, atheist, hip hop/rapper.
I don't listen to rap music for two reasons:
1) I prefer my music to have some kind of musicality
2) I prefer my music to not insult my intelligence
If a song fails on one account, but excels in the other, I might still listen to it (note, my enjoyment of modern country music - guess which one it fails in?). But when if fails on both accounts, I don't want anything to do with it.
Much of the rap I hear from friends, in neighboring cars, at clubs, have shouted lyrics with very little singing or instruments, no harmonies, just a beat and shouting. That just hurts my ears. I can't understand the lyrics in the first place, and there's nothing music-wise to enjoy the way I might enjoy foreign or classical music where I don't understand the lyrics (if they have them).
Much of the rap and hip hop that I hear, even those songs that do attempt some level of musicality, are lyrics that are insulting or offensive. I grew up near the ghetto. I saw that as destructive and dangerous, and I kept as far away as possible, leaving the gang culture as early as I could. The last thing I would do is listen to music that celebrates or elevates that culture to infamy status through its music. I also don't enjoy listening to music that oppresses, infantalizes, or objectifies anyone, let alone a category of people that I, personally, belong to. I'm also not a big fan of overly-sappy, romantic, monogamous, no-one-has-felt-anything-like-this-ever-in-the-history-of-the-world kind of songs, which the softer side of hip hop has a tendency to lean towards (most of my favorite country songs are party songs, not love songs).
This guy, Greydon Square, does not fail. Although rap, by its very nature, is somewhat lacking on the musicality part, even on its best days, his lyrics are intelligent, and he raps about subjects that I can relate to, for a change. He raps about atheism, skepticsm, and he rages about injustice, anti-intellectualism, and the downfalls of the ghetto community.
Plus, he's a physics student working on his doctorate to go into research.
This is something I can get into. I'm particularly fond of his song "The Cpt. Theorem", but I couldn't find that in his youtube, so here's his song "Say".
and his song "Rational Response"
Go check out his albums at http://www.soundclick.com/Store/digital/01_shop_singles.cfm?bandid=577007 where you can preview each song, purchase individually, or buy whole albums. I'm going to buy both.
Although I did find myself enjoying listening to all the songs I previewed, I decided to purchase his albums before I even heard enough songs that, for any other album, I would normally have required to justify spending money on an album. I think people like Greydon Square need and deserve the support that would proclaim that this kind of message is worthwhile and accepted, and to make a statement to others out there who are perhaps afraid to be "out", as he says in his interview, that there is a community who will support you if your own rejects you.
I don't listen to rap music for two reasons:
1) I prefer my music to have some kind of musicality
2) I prefer my music to not insult my intelligence
If a song fails on one account, but excels in the other, I might still listen to it (note, my enjoyment of modern country music - guess which one it fails in?). But when if fails on both accounts, I don't want anything to do with it.
Much of the rap I hear from friends, in neighboring cars, at clubs, have shouted lyrics with very little singing or instruments, no harmonies, just a beat and shouting. That just hurts my ears. I can't understand the lyrics in the first place, and there's nothing music-wise to enjoy the way I might enjoy foreign or classical music where I don't understand the lyrics (if they have them).
Much of the rap and hip hop that I hear, even those songs that do attempt some level of musicality, are lyrics that are insulting or offensive. I grew up near the ghetto. I saw that as destructive and dangerous, and I kept as far away as possible, leaving the gang culture as early as I could. The last thing I would do is listen to music that celebrates or elevates that culture to infamy status through its music. I also don't enjoy listening to music that oppresses, infantalizes, or objectifies anyone, let alone a category of people that I, personally, belong to. I'm also not a big fan of overly-sappy, romantic, monogamous, no-one-has-felt-anything-like-this-ever-in-the-history-of-the-world kind of songs, which the softer side of hip hop has a tendency to lean towards (most of my favorite country songs are party songs, not love songs).
This guy, Greydon Square, does not fail. Although rap, by its very nature, is somewhat lacking on the musicality part, even on its best days, his lyrics are intelligent, and he raps about subjects that I can relate to, for a change. He raps about atheism, skepticsm, and he rages about injustice, anti-intellectualism, and the downfalls of the ghetto community.
Plus, he's a physics student working on his doctorate to go into research.
This is something I can get into. I'm particularly fond of his song "The Cpt. Theorem", but I couldn't find that in his youtube, so here's his song "Say".
and his song "Rational Response"
Go check out his albums at http://www.soundclick.com/Store/digital/01_shop_singles.cfm?bandid=577007 where you can preview each song, purchase individually, or buy whole albums. I'm going to buy both.
Although I did find myself enjoying listening to all the songs I previewed, I decided to purchase his albums before I even heard enough songs that, for any other album, I would normally have required to justify spending money on an album. I think people like Greydon Square need and deserve the support that would proclaim that this kind of message is worthwhile and accepted, and to make a statement to others out there who are perhaps afraid to be "out", as he says in his interview, that there is a community who will support you if your own rejects you.
