Now, you're not talking about music anymore. You're talking about people's lives. You keep changing the goal posts and the topic, in general. Please explain how commercial rap MUSIC is more anti-intellectual than other forms of commercial MUSIC.
I would say the same, for the most part. My definition was meant to describe music that is anti-intellectual, intentionally or not.
This is all true. My point is that some music is developed primarily as a means of making money and appealing to the lowest common denominator. Such music (which spans genres) usually just sounds good, but doesn't inspire any critical thinking. Right now, much of commercial pop, rap, country, rock and alternative music fits that description. It's also worth noting that I don't think that such anti-intellectualism is an inherently bad thing. My music library is filled with it.On the other side, even very sophisticated music can be enjoyed on a non-intellectual level (you can like and love classic music and good jazz, yet not know much about it... that's what I do most of the time when I listen to that kind of music). Sure, a lot of clasical music and a good part of jazz offer more than just that, unlike generic commercial music, so you can study it deeply and yet find new interesting twists in it amateurs don't recognize. But you don't need to be an expert to love Mozart.
And then, when jazz music was new, there was a huge outcry by lovers and experts of classical music. I remember having read that one very famous professor and critic for classical music said "it's not music, it's vulgar noise, the sound of uncivilized sexual passions" and "negro music" or something to that extent. There was a similar outcry in the establishment when certain classical music was new, like when ... was it Mendelssohn? made the shift from classicism to romanticism, or when Wagner came up with his pompous operas. Now they're considered titans of classical music, and jazz a sophisticated style. Probably it always takes a generation that grew up with a new style to get old, before a new style is generally accepted.
The content and message of the music in addition to the values and lifestyles the music promotes are separate from the lives of the musicians. So make up your mind, are you talking about the music or are you talking about the personal lives of musicians?
That sounds a lot like the relationship the public has with rap, pop and country music among other genres. Some of it is all about just pleasing people and some of it is about less superficial aims. But today, jazz and classical music generally aren't made for mass markets so there's less of a distinction.
Actually, yes. In that case, their lives are still separate from their music. They are literally separate. Their lives may influence their music or their music may influence their lives, but their lives and their music are two separate things. Now, at the start of our conversation, you were talking about music. Then, you started talking about musician's lives. And now you're trying to argue they are the same. Since I like to stay focused in discussions and since you apparently don't, we probably don't have anything else to talk about.
I don't consider it intellectual either. And you're correct, "bitches get money" is a type of line that is more in rap music. "LOL, that boy is cute" is a type of line that is more in pop music. Both lines are equally as stupid which was my point. So what's yours again?
I didn't realize I said that pop was the only form of music besides rap. Weird.
That's why I said "The only difference is that Lil B uses more explicit language." Thank you for repeating what I said as if it was your own thought. As for the rest of your post, your analysis is just a surface one just like most analyses of rap music in comparison to other genres. Most people who denigrate rap, in particular, do so on the basis that rap is more explicit in its problematic content. The implication of such superficial analyses is that music is only a problem when it is overt with its problematic features. I don't agree with that so your comment that my position is an "utter failure" is meaningless to me. It's hard for me to take critics of rap seriously when they've only shown that they are capable of superficial analyses of music and when they don't adequately acknowledge problems in other genres. /shrug
