Rock vs. Rap

This is a controversy that has raged perhaps for as long as the two genres have emerged against one another. My opinion may be quite biased, but it emerges from my own experiences. As an avid listener of Rap and Hip-Hop, I can tell you they are quite possibly the most stereotyped music on the planet. It is interesting to note that world wide Rap and Hip-Hop account for almost 71 of all record sales, beating any form of rock for the last decade.

Being biased may not necessarily propel the argument, but it does give an interesting point of view. Being raised amongst an environment that sheltered nothing but Rap and Hip-Hop, I was taught to identify with the music and the message it wrought. Now contrary to the belief that Rap is just about “Pimps and Ho’s” is grossly inaccurate. Rappers such as Tupac and Nas are prime examples of this. In their lyrics they describe the pain and hardship of growing up on the streets and the struggle to escape a bleak existence. It is filled with emotional references to their families and the fear of not living past a certain age. That’s what the essence of Rap is- to describe an overwhelming circumstance that seems quite inescapable and to overcome it by sheer force of will. Now granted some Rap do make references to the proverbial “Pimps and Ho’s”, but the root core of this genre has nothing to do with such endeavors.

On the other side of the fence there is the Rock genre. Now making blind arguments against something that one knows nothing about would quite ignorant. However, I myself have made extensive studies on the subject. I have been to Rock concerts and have listened to rock music, albeit with extreme apprehensiveness. I can tell you straight forward, what anybody sees in this music mystifies me. Not only can I not identify with this genre, I can see only negative aspects to its supposed messages. Many groups have abrasive lyrics, or for that matter no lyrics at all and barrage the listener with nothing but mindless wailing. Several groups such as “Nirvana” and “Pantera” solicit a very dangerous mindset of complete anarchy against government, state, and religion. They are filled with gruesome references to ritualistic murder and demonic worship. However the real danger lies with this music’s outcast signature. Indeed the whole overall message from this genre is an outsiders point of view, to deviate from the norm and be welcomed to a dangerous highly perverted, alternative life style. The preaching of rebellion is their forte, along with their morbid fascination with the color black and its signification with death.

To approach a very obvious point would be the mentioning of the certain environments that sheltered these two yin and yang genres of music. Rap is typically associated with the slums and central “ghettos” of big urban cities, while rock is more associated with underground occultists. With environment also comes the segregation issue. I surmise that the major rift between Rap and Rock is racial in nature. Because Rap is almost always seen as the Black man’s vehicle of self expression. It is also interesting to note that near 100 of rock groups do not feature any members of so called minority backgrounds. While Rap is mostly an African American invention, there are exceptions such as Eminem, Vanilla Ice and Snow.

In summary I would like to say that of course personal preference is always the key factor. While biased my opinion might be, its not without research. I have come to my own conclusive evidence and have shed my own thesis. People need to ask themselves, is it a war of music or a war of race.