advertisement


What is it with hi-fi forums and "not liking rap"?

clivem2 said:
There’s a chunk of defining your preferences in music which is set by what you’re exposed to in your formative years. Often this music stays with you even if you explore new genres later in life. It sounds like your preferences vs your white friends demonstrates the formative years aspect.
Click to expand...

I’m pretty certain the exact reverse is true too. I grew up an only child in a classical-only household. Absolutely no exposure to pop, rock or jazz until I got to school age and started hearing more things. It seems to have led to an independence and willingness to explore for myself. John Peel was a big influence too. He never got tired of seeking out the new. I love the music of my past but I’d hate to stagnate back into it. Once I get to the point when I can’t find genuinely fresh, new and interesting music life is over as far as I’m concerned. I’ve always been curious about what is happening and whilst I’ve no interest whatsoever in chart pop (I never have had really) I’m still always looking around.

Music never stagnates. If what you like no longer exists in the genres you were following then it has simply moved elsewhere and needs tracking down. There is always fascinating new music out there. It never stops.
 
Well, I'm 73 and not brown. I don't like rap. Nor country*, stadium rock, opera, most American jazz, nor pop. But I do like Indian, African (particularly from the Sahel), Brazilian electronic music, reggae, Persian underground music (who knew?), Turkish, Armenian, Algerian Rai, European jazz (more classical influences), blues, chamber music, and so on.
Try to make something racist out of that!
And not stuck in the past either, most of what I listen to these days was recorded in the last 5 years.
* Apart from Dolly Parton, but that's because of who she is, not her musical genre.
 
For me, I just find it lacking in melody, and often too repetitive, however I do think a lot of rappers are very talented, it’s as much a form of poetry as it is music, and in that context, it’s clever stuff. It’s about the lyrics more than the tune… so I appreciate it, but in a different way.

As audiophiles, we get off on listening to an array of notes from an array of instruments all playing harmoniously, whilst being able to follow each individual element, something that rap just doesn’t tend to flex… unless we’re talking about some of the early rap/hip hop.

Just to add, you can’t deduce whether someone is racist or not from their taste in music.
 
gustav_errata said:
It's ok not to like rap. Not only that, but it's ok to say it. However if one watches, one sees a tendancy in some, not by any means all, people to almost proudly and unnecessarily declaim rap whenever given the opportunity. It would seem that this is far more common for rap than for other genres. Furthermore, the OP notes (although I've never seen this on PFM) that on hi-fi forums, mentioning that one likes rap can lead to biased gear suggestions, basically just get a lot of bass and job done. Together, such behaviour can make audio forums an unwelcoming place.

I'll be honest, I couldn't point to any recent examples on PFM of such behaviour, but as a general phenomenon, I'm very familiar with it.

This suggestion, however elicited a knee-jerk defensive reaction from people who felt they personally were called out for being racist for not liking rap. This reaction completely missed all the nuance and awareness in the original post.

My own contributions to the thread have reflected my own thoughts on the broader topic and, yes, questions against my own built-in prejudices and why, despite appreciating rap as an artform, I generally don't relate to it enough to want to listen to it often.
Click to expand...


Thank you for a sensible reply. I didn't miss the awareness and nuance in the original post, but I did feel that that the OP was heavy-handed on the racist accusation. I think Post #13 sums up how I feel about this.
 
linnfomaniac83 said:
It’s about the lyrics more than the tune
Click to expand...

hmmm no it isn't

linnfomaniac83 said:
As audiophiles, we get off on listening to an array of notes from an array of instruments all playing harmoniously, whilst being able to follow each individual element, something that rap just doesn’t tend to flex
Click to expand...

please don't generalise -

linnfomaniac83 said:
Just to add, you can’t deduce whether someone is racist or not from their taste in music.
Click to expand...

it adds to the bigger picture.
 
Let me try another way.

If there was no value or pleasure to be found in community of the like-minded then specialist internet forums would not exist.

In hi-fi forums like minded includes interest in sound, in equipment, in tinkering and in a wide range of musical genres.

Besides the mutual interest pulling people in, there are countervailing pressures pushing people away. Arguments rage about all kinds of things. Some of these arguments drive people out and discourage others from ever joining. You all know that.

But with music there is generally polite tolerance of difference. There are no furious arguments. We take no notice of threads about genres in which we have no great interest or we dislike. No-one ever randomly announces - to a wild chorus of approval - that they really can't stand chamber music. Almost no one hates, at length, on the other genres they dislike.

But many do with rap. Some members go out their way to do it. As if for them "like minded community" means excluding or silencing or driving away those who like rap. They are like cats marking territory. "Rap lovers" not welcome in these 'ere parts is the lingering smell they leave behind.

These people are of course a small but noisy number. The question then for the rest of you is are you content for these people to define "like minded" in this way or do you think the same polite tolerance routinely accorded other musical tastes should also be routinely extended to those who like rap?
 
gintonic said:
you've missed the point - no one said all. A totally unnecessary statement.
Click to expand...
Try reading the original post And what is this "all" you mention?
PS, You seem to be making a habit of attacking my posts these days. Is there a particular reason? Have I done something?
 
I’m impressed that the OP has such insight into the PFM demographic after an almost 15 year gap between posting here. Must have been awfully tempting to speak up if s/he’d been watching and assimilating.
 
Looking back at my earlier post, I guess most of what I don't like is American, or at least American influenced. Not all, but quite a lot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top