I want to hear some opinions on the two...i'm writing an essay on how mainstream rap is killing the Hiphop culture and giving it a bad reputation...so i'm want to hear it from the people who are actually involved with the culture...drop some knowledge...

Its not destroying it, its just different genre's or takes on hiphop. Mainstream can only be good for it, as its bringing our culture to a wider audience. Alkthough, people such as myself despise mainstream hiphop. I listen to more poetry now than anything actually.

Mainstream is all good for the culture. Like Baron said it's bringin in a wider audience. Look how many people Eminem has brought into the hip hop culture. More people acknowledge hip hop and rap now. And that can only be a good sign.

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HARRY R.I.P
1940 - 2002

In Respect

yes your right, untill you got to the part of "that can only be a good sign." Are you sure? How many white kids try and act like eminem, just because they think he's cool, and will switch culture at the drop of a dime. That's insulting to the culture dont you agree?

I believe in this statement:

"Mainstream Hip Hop is the goverments exploitment to degrade the race of blacks, by supplying them with expressive enjoyment via media exposure through the goverments usage of controversial structure. Thus stereotypes blacks as dangerous people. Thus degrading them to the worlds society."

Phukin tru as 4uck. P diddy, Snoop dogg etc and all the other commerical artists, I think are payed to say the stuff they say as a blackmail confrontation. Although I dont think what they are doing.

However underground hip hop, is just raw and really educational (in certain aspects). Its a positive thing, and is mature entertainment. Is it not?

i dont think eminem is ruining the culture; he gave it a wider audience. If white kids try and be like him, thats their problem - they wont get respected anyway for being dickriders. For example, i wouldnt mind being a rapper and im white, but im not gonna follow in eminems footsteps even though hes one of my favourite rappers - i would never talk about raping people for fun, fucking animals, or any of the stuff he normally would. If your a biter or copying someone, your not gonna get recognised anyway. But if a white person brings his own qaulities, i dont think his colour matters as long as he/she have something worth listening to.

i do agree though, it is insulting to claim to be part of hip hop culture just because you think eminem is cool. Any true rap fan knows he isnt the be-all and end-all of rap. You need to understand something about the culture to be part of it; and the best ways are to either live it, or listen to underground, the real stuff.

Yeah, i hate mainstream too. Its profitable for the culture, but if an artist (nelly, chingy, ja rule) only make club-friendly music then they suck. On the other hand, eminem, jay z, nas etc. have both raw, lyrically powerful, meaningful songs as well as a few songs recorded for mainstream success. just dont pay attention to those, like me, if you dont like them. Id rather listen to "till I collapse", "soldier" or "when the music stops" than "without me".....

yep - i agree...mainstream is good..and its good music..sometimes

Mainstream music is Hip-Pop, bordering R&B id say, i dont like that at all and hate the way thats going, BUT by getting into that, the pop genre's coming into hiphop and hopefully they'll get into underground like all us have over time.

Its a double edged sword.

Nice.............

I agree with Wogzta. Eminem is phenominal....nobody can deny that but his tracks like Without me, The Real Slim Shady and even Business are created just to get him a load of money but songs like The Way I Am and Cleanin out my closet have a more deeper meanin but they dont do as well in the charts. Not in the British charts anyway. The only track where Em has hit top spot with a song where he wasnt just bein arragant and cocky was Lose Yourself. People tend to buy the songs that get stuck in your head. Like My name is. The chorus for that really wrecks your head.

__________________

HARRY R.I.P
1940 - 2002

In Respect

what hurts the image of rap is the overportrayal of violence, materialism, sex, etc. mainstream rap is good for hip hop but the message that is being played in the mainstream is a negative gangster image and when that's all you see it begins to have a negative effect.

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On treez like ewoks screamin "Endor Rules"-Fo'tryll

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yeah most people assume all rappers are gangbanga's and kingpens................that bullshit couldnt be farther from the truth

No, most of eminems releases after the Slim shady LP actually have meaning in them and are ok songs.... but its always the lead single, the happy jumpy fucked up singles ( my name is, real slim shady, without me) that do the best... he usually follows up with better ones (stan, the way I am, cleanin out my closet, sing for the moment, lose yourself etc.) but these (with the exception of stan) dont do as well in the charts, and therefore most ppl are grown on the image that "without me" is what eminem is about - but thats not true. People these days just look for catchy lines and hooks, and they end up thinking thats what real rap is. this couldnt be more wrong.

em made songs like without me and real slim shady and my name is to show his humor side. so thats good that rap has a humor. but the serious songs are better like ems cleanin out your closet and lose yourself. tupacs songs are serious and they are amazing.

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- michael jordan

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Aight Yo.
Mainstream ain't killin hip hop....i admit i don't like artists like chingy ja rule and nelly being called some of tha greatest but without mainstream a lot of people wouldn't even acknowledge hip hop ......so it aint killing tha culture......but artists like i named shouldn't be given as much credit as they are.......

and i think you can be mainstream but still be underground......artists like eminem,nas,Dmx...all rap about real shit and stay true too them selfs ...and to me thats what
"UnderGround" hip hop music is...[tha only difference is that their shit is on T.V..........] they still come with tha real......

i dont know who said it before me but they were right whne thye said people dont recognize real skill they only look for catchy hookz and all that shit..dont get me wrong gotta have music to dance to....BUT... i think artists like chingy etc.. are not excactly destroying tha culture ...but makin rap music more about "Bangin beatz" and "Catchy Hookz"
rather than "Lyrical Skill" and "storytelling".......
and that is tha true downside to Mainstream Rap............

~1~

^ wow you're an intelligent newbie..... nicely said

we need mainstream - but good mainstream, if you know what i mean