Hip-Hop

[Ed from OC 0]

Disco? I remember hating that genre in my stupid youth. But later in life I discovered that the Disco genre was the rediscovery of music that was meant to be danced to in a social setting. It took dance lessons for me to discover that the essence of Disco dancing is barely discernable from East Coast Swing. And I advanced from a complete wallflower to an occasionally confident Argentine Tango fan.

Ed, what do you mean by this comparison?

I wouldn't say disco is "barely discernable" from EC swing; they are closer in nature than either is to, say, waltz, but there's still a substantional distinction.

My point, though, was only tangential. I meant, more precisly, that it is the modern descendant of disco. The purpose of both is to serve as background for dancing, not to be listened to in the same manner as a classical opera. It is however far more minimalist than disco; it is reduced to little more than a beat to dance to, which might be sufficient for that purpose.*

*One could argue that for the purpose of dancing, all you need is a beat. But that doesn't seem quite right. I can listen to two different tangos, with the same slow slow slow quick quick beat and even tempo, but dance them differently based on melody. One might be far more intense, almost violent, while another is more gentle. I don't know enough music theory to discuss this topic very abstractly, but I can relate observations of concretes and low-level integrations I've made that fit them.

[Bold Standard 0]

*One could argue that for the purpose of dancing, all you need is a beat. But that doesn't seem quite right. I can listen to two different tangos, with the same slow slow slow quick quick beat and even tempo, but dance them differently based on melody. One might be far more intense, almost violent, while another is more gentle. I don't know enough music theory to discuss this topic very abstractly, but I can relate observations of concretes and low-level integrations I've made that fit them.

Does this mean that, since you would dance differently depending on the melody, that more than the beat is necessary in order to dance?

For about the first minute of this clip from Royal Wedding, Fred Astaire is dancing to merely the beat of a metronome, and one could imagine him continuing on without the minimalistic melody that comes in afterwards. But it is interesting--after he sets the metronome, but before he starts dancing, you can hear him whistle a little melody to himself. Not that this proves anything; I just think it's interesting and a good excuse to watch a Fred Astaire clip.

[B. Royce 0]

Not the same music, but music. Sung words are music because the human voice is carrying a tune. If the words were merely spoken, there would be no music. Yet without one word, there can be music. I have been making the simplest possible factual statment, about which there is, objectively, nothing controversial, and no reason for confusion.

Rose, the way I see it, you have been making a statement about an abstraction. Yes, we can think abstractly about the words of a song divorced from music, or some instruments divorced from others (as, for example, the piano part of a trio, played by itself, is still music), but in a specific concrete song all the instruments(piano, violin, clarinet, voice, etc.) were intended to be played together, and are an indivisible whole. Your "If the words were merely spoken, there would be no music" is no different than saying that if a violin is only randomly plucked there is no music. In fact, there would be no music in both cases because the performers were not doing their jobs (or because of a nihilistic "composer").

And yes, an opera composer can write the music and another man the words, but, in both cases, only notations for instruments (voice and others) have been made. Only when all the instruments are playing is there a whole, finished, concretely realized body of music. (I might add here that this is why I implore people to read poetry aloud----the words on the page are just notation. The poem IS the voiced notation.)

[Betsy Speicher 0]

Does this mean that, since you would dance differently depending on the melody, that more than the beat is necessary in order to dance?

I've done choreography (click here), and from that perspective, I always make a dance number "tight to the music" in both rhythm and mood.

If the music doesn't have a strong beat, it's a big problem because the rhythm sets the structure for the dancer's discrete movements. I found one of my favorite pieces of music, David Arkenstone's "Papillon (On The Wings Of The Butterfly)," is impossible for a dancer because it lacks a strong rhythm. Fortunately, it's smooth lyricism makes it perfect for figure skating because, in that medium, the movements are fluid rather than discrete.

[Rose Lake 0]

Rose, the way I see it, you have been making a statement about an abstraction. Yes, we can think abstractly about the words of a song divorced from music, or some instruments divorced from others (as, for example, the piano part of a trio, played by itself, is still music), but in a specific concrete song all the instruments(piano, violin, clarinet, voice, etc.) were intended to be played together, and are an indivisible whole. Your "If the words were merely spoken, there would be no music" is no different than saying that if a violin is only randomly plucked there is no music. In fact, there would be no music in both cases because the performers were not doing their jobs (or because of a nihilistic "composer").

And yes, an opera composer can write the music and another man the words, but, in both cases, only notations for instruments (voice and others) have been made. Only when all the instruments are playing is there a whole, finished, concretely realized body of music. (I might add here that this is why I implore people to read poetry aloud----the words on the page are just notation. The poem IS the voiced notation.)

I continue to be puzzled regarding the various meanings attributed to a very simple statement I made. And I think that if one reads and comprehends what I've written, he would be unable to attribute to me the various meanings that have been attributed to me, and which I never said or implied, e.g. that words do not matter in specific compositions. To be as clear as I can be: That is never what I meant, nor did I ever say any such thing.

I've said that words are not essential to music as such. The context was an objection to a statement made by a particular individual, that he was "all about the words." My objection was that this cannot possibly be true about music as such, since music, as music, does not even require words. Loving words (which I do too) will never make words into music. This, however, does not mean that anyone needs to like instrumental music above all else (I don't), or that he should not like the music that he does like because of the words and all the meaning they bring to any specific composition. My own favorite tunes include great words which help to make those songs as good as they are.

Also, I disagree that any particular tune is somehow not that particular tune, simply because all the instruments it was intended for, do not play it in any given instance. I composed a short song that I would love to hear played by an orchestra, and sung as a duet by two top-notch singers. Nevertheless, I can sing or hum it all by myself, or play it on a keyboard, and lo! It is still the particular song or tune that I composed.

In Atlas Shrugged Dagny is listening to music, a symphony to be exact. When? When an employee on the train is merely whistling its theme. I assume that she can hear a symphony because she has heard orchestras playing symphonies in the past, and her mind is capable of filling in the sounds of the instruments that are not even there. Nevertheless, all she needed to hear, in order to hear a symphony that she had never actually heard played by an orchestra, was a single-note melody line, whistled by the brakeman on a train.

To address the original topic, I'd say that the greatest strength of rap, is an often amazing poetic ability. But the rhythm of spoken words alone is not music, it is poetry. And partly because the words in a rap composition are very often spoken, not sung as a melody, rap seems to me like poetry with a soundtrack accentuating the poetic rhythm.

[Rose Lake 0]

I've done choreography (click here), and from that perspective, I always make a dance number "tight to the music" in both rhythm and mood.

If the music doesn't have a strong beat, it's a big problem because the rhythm sets the structure for the dancer's discrete movements. I found one of my favorite pieces of music, David Arkenstone's "Papillon (On The Wings Of The Butterfly)," is impossible for a dancer because it lacks a strong rhythm. Fortunately, it's smooth lyricism makes it perfect for figure skating because, in that medium, the movements are fluid rather than discrete.

Emphasis added

Betsy, I find this fascinating. Thank you.

[Jay P 0]

I continue to be puzzled regarding the various meanings attributed to a very simple statement I made....

I've said that words are not essential to music as such....

I agree with what you say in this post; your arguments are very clear to me.

[JohnRgt 0]

Hip-hop really is where jazz, funk, soul, and r&b collide. Imagine the improvisation of jazz, the jams of funk, the SOUL of soul and the sentimentality of r&b and you will have imagined hip hop.

If you have the time, could you list a dozen rap pieces where these influences really stand out?

The styles you sight are defined by attributes that are, at best, used as splashes of color in a tiny % of the hip hop I've heard.

JohnRGT

[Go 4 TLI 0]

I wouldn't say disco is "barely discernable" from EC swing; they are closer in nature than either is to, say, waltz, but there's still a substantional distinction.

I meant that only in the beat and the basic pattern of the steps, that they seem very similar to me. There are significant stylistic differences, however.

My point, though, was only tangential. I meant, more precisly, that it is the modern descendant of disco. The purpose of both is to serve as background for dancing, not to be listened to in the same manner as a classical opera. It is however far more minimalist than disco; it is reduced to little more than a beat to dance to, which might be sufficient for that purpose.*

I think I understand what you are saying. In most night clubs today, the music has devolved to simply a loud beat. But I think that it is the devolution of music in general, not a progression or fusion of styles such as, say, the invention of Jazz.

[Valara 0]

JohnRgt wanted a dozen songs to taste --

Talib Kweli - Africa Dream

Blackalicious - Alphabet Aerobics

De La Soul - The Future

The Brand New Heavies - What Do You Take Me For

Erykah Badu - Orange Moon

Dwele - Weekend Love

Lil Wayne - Shooter

The Roots - Proceed

Mos Def - Blue Black Jack

Arrested Development - Everyday People

Common - Resurrection

Jill Scott - He Loves Me

That's a nice representation of hip-hop. I'd love to hear anyone's comments on the above songs, they are all favorites of mine, both lyrically and musically.

[Stephen Speicher 0]

JohnRgt wanted a dozen songs to taste --

Talib Kweli - Africa Dream

[...]

That's a nice representation of hip-hop. I'd love to hear anyone's comments on the above songs, they are all favorites of mine, both lyrically and musically.

I listened to the first on your list of songs to taste and, frankly, it was a bit hard for me to digest. I'm not even sure why this is called a "song." There was no singing, just slow and fast talking (I would say, almost screaming).

As to "musically," I heard some strong drum rhythm with a little background bit of jazzy or bluesy trumpeting and the like, but overall it seemed rather unintegrated, disconnected little bits of sound often overpowered by the extremely loud talking.

As to "lyrically," I don't get it. What is the value of these words? (I removed a few expletives.)

Africa Dream Lyrics

(talking)

If you can talk you can sing

If you can walk you can dance

That's an old proverb from Zimbabwe

You know what I mean

If you can talk you can sing

If you can walk you can dance

Yeah, and the trumpet is blown

Yeah, alright, C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon

Alright, Wooh!

(talking)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, uh, one more time

Yo, anybody can tell you how it is

What we putting down right here is how it is and how it could be

Reflection Eternal for real

And with that-

These cats is no match, plus they lack a certain knack for rapping

They never catch the wagon like Re-run and "What's Happening"

Since back when they had potty issues and snotty tissues we been rockin

Think you poppin next year nobody will miss you

My thoughts is too advanced for the artists on these labels

They come sweeter than sabal and softer than mashed potatoes

I tried to told you the rhymes run over emcees like Land Rovers

Took 'em back in time like Sankofa, Sankofa

We stand over the Atlantic, looking broad like a man's shoulders

The fire is trapped in a belly, ready to pop like canned soda

We outlasting, from middle passage

Touched down in New York

Cincinnatay! Big Ohio status what you thought

Money it's classic these bastards try to treat us like cattle

So life has been a constant battle, battle

Rising above the crabs in the barrel

Way too used to living in death's shadow

We stay on point like the best arrow, arrow

We hit the target accurate

Star [expletive deleted], back it up

When we hit town, y'all niggas pack it up

That's how we get down, straight smash it up

Like a whip, hydroplaning

Hydro on the brain and maintaining

Game changing into subtle [expletive deleted], we remain blatant

Yo, got to tell you to your face

You get replaced in this game, by Kweli

Place the face with the name

These cats drink champagne and toast to death and pain

Like slaves on a ship talking about who got the flyest chain

(talking)

Yo, we the reflection of our ancestors

We'd like to thank you for the building blocks you left us

Cause your spirit possessed us

Yo, you blessed us

Thank you very much (7x)

Yo, we the reflection of our ancestors

We'd like to thank you for the building blocks you left us

Cause your spirit possessed us

Yo, you blessed us

Thank you very much

God bless you (7x)

I realize that you offered something that you value, and I really do not enjoy being negative towards other's personal values, but you did offer this song and I just do not get it. Perhaps you can explain what you value in this.

[Valara 0]

Well, as to sound level, perhaps to you they sound loud. The very beginning, I love the drums -- I wonder as to the level of skill one has to achieve before you could break a 4/4 beat into 16ths with only your hands. Remember what kind of music we are discussing, this is hip hop where people usually rap, not sing. I found the song to be very integrated, by taking bits of sound and mixing them into a coherent whole. Those bits are perfectly timed to run smoothly into the rhythm of the song.

As to the lyrics I will try to explain what Talib is saying:

If you can talk you can sing

If you can walk you can dance

That's an old proverb from Zimbabwe

You know what I mean

If you can talk you can sing

If you can walk you can dance

Yeah, and the trumpet is blown

Yeah, alright, C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon

Alright, Wooh!

-- Kinda self explanatory, he's just quoting a Zimbabwe proverb. Most people think they can't sing or dance and are self-conscious about it, Talib is saying, "Whatever! This is about having a good time, if you can talk, you can sing, if you can walk, you can dance!"

These cats is no match, plus they lack a certain knack for rapping

They never catch the wagon like Re-run and "What's Happening"

Since back when they had potty issues and snotty tissues we been rockin

Think you poppin next year nobody will miss you

My thoughts is too advanced for the artists on these labels

They come sweeter than sabal and softer than mashed potatoes

I tried to told you the rhymes run over emcees like Land Rovers

Took 'em back in time like Sankofa, Sankofa

-- The "cats" Talib is speaking of are all those mainstream rappers who spew gold, guns, women and money constantly (they never catch the wagon) They have been in this game for a long time hence the reference to potty training, they watch the trends flux for idiot rappers knowing they aren't substantial (think you poppin next year nobody will miss you).

I feel like an idiot explaining these lyrics to you, if you want me to I will if you really don't understand what he's saying. To me, he seems pretty straight-forward.

Try another on the list, do not let the first experience dissuade you. I know you are not trying to be personal in being negative towards my values, hey different strokes for different folks. I am not trying to change your mind, just show you a side of hip-hop that most people who don't know hip-hop would never see.

[Bold Standard 0]

-- The "cats" Talib is speaking of are all those mainstream rappers who spew gold, guns, women and money constantly (they never catch the wagon) They have been in this game for a long time hence the reference to potty training, they watch the trends flux for idiot rappers knowing they aren't substantial (think you poppin next year nobody will miss you).

I feel like an idiot explaining these lyrics to you, if you want me to I will if you really don't understand what he's saying. To me, he seems pretty straight-forward.

But someone not already familiar with hip hop wouldn't have a way of knowing that one of the conventions of rap songs is to talk about other rappers, and to criticize or "dis" specific other rappers within a given geographical proximity.. usually city or coast.

Another convention is to adopt all of the conventions of hip hop lyrics, and to attempt to make them individual primarily by rearranging them or doing variations on them that don't necessarily make much sense outside of that context. (Most genres of music have lyrical conventions, eg "sing about your baby leaving you, in blues," but usually they would make sense on their own; I think rap conventions tend to be a little more random--such as, "add the syllable 'iz' in the middle of w-iz-ords, for example).

Another convention is for the rapper to talk about how much better he is than the other rappers, for usually the same conventional reasons that they claim to be better than him, although it could also be because of some actually original gimmick he uses, or a physical trait he has.

I don't know that many of the rules of rap, and it varies from label to label and place to place, but, as I understand it, there are basically pre-set formulas that all rap lyrics conform to, and in some cities they have competitions to see who can come up with the best combinations off the top of their head ("freestyle rapping"). [i'm doing my best to explain what I know as a rap outsider. Please correct me if I misrepresent something.]

[Free Capitalist 0]

If you can talk you can sing

If you can walk you can dance

I see a germ of something positive and optimistic in that. What if the song struck out all of the rest of the lyrics as superfluous, and emphasized and expanded upon this theme to impress it upon the listener?

I find that rappers fetishize negativity, conflict, and blasting at each other with criticism (even if justified). I personally would appreciate it if their songs were more life-affirming... There are very few Hip Hop people who seem to want to do that. Still --- I only really know of two songs of the group Outkast, but at least they're not as negative as the rest in the industry. "Hey Ya" (Youtube link) is not that filled with insightful content, but it's upbeat and happy, and the artist (who stars as all seven members of the band) constantly smiles. That's the Hip Hop that I'd prefer to see; in fact it's hard to classify that song as Hip Hop any longer, but more as a pop song.

[Valara 0]

Rappers do talk about the conflict in their lives a lot -- the good ones are usually only trying to call light to some social injustice just to bring it up. They bring up these issues because no one else does, had it not been for the music a lot of people would never stop and think about the way they live, what they accept, they would never stop to deconstruct their values and premises. A lot of the time, in good hip-hop (usually underground), that is the purpose of the song. To be entertaining enough for people to want to listen to while also making you think about these issues that have a great impact on your life.

If you want more life-affirming songs keep trying more songs off the list. "Orange Moon" by Erykah Badu is beautiful, soft; "Shooter" by Lil Wayne is pretty funny and the beat is quite interesting; "Proceed" by The Roots is very chill; "Everyday People" by Arrested Development is quite happy, you just have to smile on that chorus.

Vernacular in hip-hop is huge -- slang, and then adding unneccessary syllables into words to make them flow better into the song. There definitely is a limit to how silly a rapper can get in a song -- too much and he just sounds dumb -- too proper and the song is not unique. You want intellectual style that is versatile enough to entice you to move -- not only is your mind into it, but your body follows as well. That is what I enjoy about hip-hop.

[Betsy Speicher 0]

If the music doesn't have a strong beat, it's a big problem because the rhythm sets the structure for the dancer's discrete movements. I found one of my favorite pieces of music, David Arkenstone's "Papillon (On The Wings Of The Butterfly)," is impossible for a dancer because it lacks a strong rhythm. Fortunately, it's smooth lyricism makes it perfect for figure skating because, in that medium, the movements are fluid rather than discrete.

I found a much better version of Papillon

on YouTube although the sound isn't as good as the on the albums (In the Wake of the Wind and also in Chronicles) and the last minute of the music is missing. Like most Arkenstone pieces, there is a long intro, but the melody really kicks in about 1:30 into it.

[Stussy88 0]

Rappers do talk about the conflict in their lives a lot -- the good ones are usually only trying to call light to some social injustice just to bring it up. They bring up these issues because no one else does, had it not been for the music a lot of people would never stop and think about the way they live, what they accept, they would never stop to deconstruct their values and premises. A lot of the time, in good hip-hop (usually underground), that is the purpose of the song. To be entertaining enough for people to want to listen to while also making you think about these issues that have a great impact on your life.

If you want more life-affirming songs keep trying more songs off the list. "Orange Moon" by Erykah Badu is beautiful, soft; "Shooter" by Lil Wayne is pretty funny and the beat is quite interesting; "Proceed" by The Roots is very chill; "Everyday People" by Arrested Development is quite happy, you just have to smile on that chorus.

Vernacular in hip-hop is huge -- slang, and then adding unneccessary syllables into words to make them flow better into the song. There definitely is a limit to how silly a rapper can get in a song -- too much and he just sounds dumb -- too proper and the song is not unique. You want intellectual style that is versatile enough to entice you to move -- not only is your mind into it, but your body follows as well. That is what I enjoy about hip-hop.

Judging by your photo, this is probably a bit old school for you, but do you know 'Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy' and their song 'Television, the Drug of the nation'

sample lyrics

one nation

under God

has turned into

one nation under the influence

of one drug

[chorus:]

Television, the drug of the Nation

Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

Full lyrics

for me, hip-hop has a place if there is some kind of message, and whilst I wouldn't agree with all the sentiiments, some of this is certainly true

[Mercury 0]

Rappers do talk about the conflict in their lives a lot -- the good ones are usually only trying to call light to some social injustice just to bring it up. They bring up these issues because no one else does, had it not been for the music a lot of people would never stop and think about the way they live, what they accept, they would never stop to deconstruct their values and premises. A lot of the time, in good hip-hop (usually underground), that is the purpose of the song. To be entertaining enough for people to want to listen to while also making you think about these issues that have a great impact on your life.

If you want more life-affirming songs keep trying more songs off the list. "Orange Moon" by Erykah Badu is beautiful, soft; "Shooter" by Lil Wayne is pretty funny and the beat is quite interesting; "Proceed" by The Roots is very chill; "Everyday People" by Arrested Development is quite happy, you just have to smile on that chorus.

Vernacular in hip-hop is huge -- slang, and then adding unneccessary syllables into words to make them flow better into the song. There definitely is a limit to how silly a rapper can get in a song -- too much and he just sounds dumb -- too proper and the song is not unique. You want intellectual style that is versatile enough to entice you to move -- not only is your mind into it, but your body follows as well. That is what I enjoy about hip-hop.

Judging by your photo, this is probably a bit old school for you, but do you know 'Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy' and their song 'Television, the Drug of the nation'

sample lyrics

one nation

under God

has turned into

one nation under the influence

of one drug

[chorus:]

Television, the drug of the Nation

Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

Full lyrics

for me, hip-hop has a place if there is some kind of message, and whilst I wouldn't agree with all the sentiiments, some of this is certainly true

I referenced the Disposable Heroes earlier on this thread.

[Stussy88 0]

Rappers do talk about the conflict in their lives a lot -- the good ones are usually only trying to call light to some social injustice just to bring it up. They bring up these issues because no one else does, had it not been for the music a lot of people would never stop and think about the way they live, what they accept, they would never stop to deconstruct their values and premises. A lot of the time, in good hip-hop (usually underground), that is the purpose of the song. To be entertaining enough for people to want to listen to while also making you think about these issues that have a great impact on your life.

If you want more life-affirming songs keep trying more songs off the list. "Orange Moon" by Erykah Badu is beautiful, soft; "Shooter" by Lil Wayne is pretty funny and the beat is quite interesting; "Proceed" by The Roots is very chill; "Everyday People" by Arrested Development is quite happy, you just have to smile on that chorus.

Vernacular in hip-hop is huge -- slang, and then adding unneccessary syllables into words to make them flow better into the song. There definitely is a limit to how silly a rapper can get in a song -- too much and he just sounds dumb -- too proper and the song is not unique. You want intellectual style that is versatile enough to entice you to move -- not only is your mind into it, but your body follows as well. That is what I enjoy about hip-hop.

Judging by your photo, this is probably a bit old school for you, but do you know 'Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy' and their song 'Television, the Drug of the nation'

sample lyrics

one nation

under God

has turned into

one nation under the influence

of one drug

[chorus:]

Television, the drug of the Nation

Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation

Full lyrics

for me, hip-hop has a place if there is some kind of message, and whilst I wouldn't agree with all the sentiiments, some of this is certainly true

I referenced the Disposable Heroes earlier on this thread.

whoops, didn't read the whole thread, just the latest posts

[bborg 0]

Lyrics tend to not be very important to me, unless they happen to be very good. What appeals to me is the inventiveness and attractiveness of the melody. Also, I need variety – an artist will appeal to me if their songs don’t all sound the same. I might love a song and listen to it all the time, and then I become dulled to it for a time and want to listen to something different. I have very eclectic tastes and enjoy some music with pretty terrible lyrics because I love to hear the new and different. Some of the “normal” artists I have on my mp3 player are Billy Joel, Queen, REM, and Peter Gabriel. There's an album my dad gave me years ago I've always liked, Kamakiriad by Donald Fagen (it's jazz...ish). With these I also have a Garbage album, called “Beautiful Garbage” (their most melodic and least popular album). So when I say I have eclectic tastes...yeah.

Hip-hop tends to fall far short of my expectations. Generally the music is not creative, it all sounds the same, and more often than not there’s no melody. These elements seem to be missing in order to focus on the lyrics, which are then difficult to ignore. That’s really the problem, that the lyrics are the showcase and they're so awful. Generally they convey helplessness and depravity, and they're filled with profanity. If you can somehow ignore that content, and maybe you’re blessed if it’s because of a language barrier, then more power to you.

That said, I do remember enjoying a few songs the Fugees made a while back, although I don’t own any of their albums. When there is a melody, that’s what may attract me. I also have Gnarls Barkley’s “St. Elsewhere” after hearing “Crazy” on the radio. I enjoy quite a bit of it, and not all of the lyrics are bad, but again what appealed to me was the sound. It may not even qualify as hip-hop, I'm not sure what does.

[piz 0]

Lyrics tend to not be very important to me, unless they happen to be very good. What appeals to me is the inventiveness and attractiveness of the melody.

Lyrics matter to me primarily so I can sing along with songs I like - I hate getting the words wrong, whatever they say. Since I love to sing, melody is of course important, although what constitutes an acceptable melody varies with my mood or activity. For example, this morning I was thinking politics, so "Warning" by Green Day was the song of the moment, on repeat while I was in the shower. Yesterday morning I was furious about something, so I screamed along with Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog" for a while. If I'm in the mood to concentrate on my singing, I'll go for more challenging things like Sting's rendition of "Windmills of Your Mind." For housecleaning there's nothing quite like shoving my voice into the back of my throat and crankin' out blues with the likes of John Lee Hooker or Junior Wells.

Also, I need variety – an artist will appeal to me if their songs don’t all sound the same. I might love a song and listen to it all the time, and then I become dulled to it for a time and want to listen to something different. I have very eclectic tastes and enjoy some music with pretty terrible lyrics because I love to hear the new and different. Some of the “normal” artists I have on my mp3 player are Billy Joel, Queen, REM, and Peter Gabriel. There's an album my dad gave me years ago I've always liked, Kamakiriad by Donald Fagen (it's jazz...ish). With these I also have a Garbage album, called “Beautiful Garbage” (their most melodic and least popular album). So when I say I have eclectic tastes...yeah.

My tastes run all over the place, too. Most of my collection falls into the "classic rock" category, but there's plenty of blues, some pop and jazz, a good bit of alternative, a little country, some Motown, and others.

I often will put a single track on repeat and listen to nothing else for an hour or more, every day for several days. I finally reach a saturation point and I'll go back to randomly playing my entire collection, until something else catches my attention and becomes the next focus, days, weeks, or months later.

By the way, I even like to "sing" along with instrumental tracks, aping the melody or, very often since I play the instrument, the bass line. An excellent album for that is the Jeff Beck/Jan Hammer jazz fusion collaboration, "Wired."

Hip-hop tends to fall far short of my expectations. Generally the music is not creative, it all sounds the same, and more often than not there’s no melody. These elements seem to be missing in order to focus on the lyrics, which are then difficult to ignore. That’s really the problem, that the lyrics are the showcase and they're so awful. Generally they convey helplessness and depravity, and they're filled with profanity. If you can somehow ignore that content, and maybe you’re blessed if it’s because of a language barrier, then more power to you.

That said, I do remember enjoying a few songs the Fugees made a while back, although I don’t own any of their albums. When there is a melody, that’s what may attract me. I also have Gnarls Barkley’s “St. Elsewhere” after hearing “Crazy” on the radio. I enjoy quite a bit of it, and not all of the lyrics are bad, but again what appealed to me was the sound. It may not even qualify as hip-hop, I'm not sure what does.

The more "musical" the hip-hop, the more I like it ("Gangster's Paradise" is rather like that, for example, and the chorus is actually sung). That said, I don't often listen to hip-hop, and most of what I do hear I don't like. I prefer hip-hop that is comedic ("Baby Got Back"), sounds like a spoof ("Ice Ice Baby"), or is outright satire (Weird Al Yankovic's "White and Nerdy"), because the lyrics are usually much more interesting or clever in those cases. There are also some "regular" songs that have an intriguing addition of a hip-hop element, such as the (excellent, in my opinion) version of "Lady Marmalade" done by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim, Maya, and Missy Elliott for the film Moulin Rouge.