Rap/RnB with positive or at least not negative message

Be-you-tiful86

Be-you-tiful86

Well-Known Member
I think most newer Rap and RnB songs don't have a positive message...Or maybe I just mostly have the bad luck to come over such songs.

"I know u got a man and I got a girl but I wanna do some freaky things to you" followed by the description of what he wants to do with her(of course not mentioning rubbers) or songs about smoking weed,strippers,and getting drunk as hell are topics of so many rap or RnB songs.
Some of those artists have actually good singing or rap skills and the beats are great,too.Then I just listen closer and figure the content messes up the entire song for me.

Also musicians or anyone in the media does have a certain influence on young people.The fact that quite a few girls in Germany who love rap music have adapted hood language to the point that you can't tell they grew up outside of the hood and try to chase thugs(if you don't believe it check some profiles of women in Germany on Blackplanet.com.Lol) is proof enough for the influence of Rap and RnB on teenagers/young people.
I would love to listen to more rap and RnB songs with either a positive message or questioning.

How does everyone else feel about it and do you know any songs with a positive message or songs criticizing and questioning some things going on?

Here's a few positive/criticizing songs I personally have listened to and like:

Flypsyde - Happy Birtday
Nick Cannon & Anthony Hamilton - Can I live
Asher Roth - His dream
Jill Scott - Living my life like it's golden
Beyonce - If I were a boy
Ginuwine - Even when I'm mad
Maxwell - Pretty wings
Frankie J - Daddy's little girl
Craig David & Sting - Rise & fall
 
Peruvian Cocaine by Immortal Technique, and anything else from Tech.

Outta My Life by Paris, and anything else by Paris.

Keep the Peace by Kam, and most other shit by Kam.

Lotta shit by the Conscious Daughters.

Anything by T-Kash.

Hell, anything from the Guerilla Funk camp, including T-Kash, Paris, Kam, Conscious Daughters.

Anything fro Public Enemy.

Anything from Arrester Development.

Anything from Brand Nubian.

Lotta shit from Nas.

Chester by Dana Dane, covers child abuse.

WC and the Madd Circle's first cd, "Ain't a Damn Thing Changed".

And some other shit. You just gotta look, but positive shit is out there.
 
Brotha Ajax said:
Peruvian Cocaine by Immortal Technique, and anything else from Tech.

Outta My Life by Paris, and anything else by Paris.

Keep the Peace by Kam, and most other shit by Kam.

Lotta shit by the Conscious Daughters.

Anything by T-Kash.

Hell, anything from the Guerilla Funk camp, including T-Kash, Paris, Kam, Conscious Daughters.

Anything fro Public Enemy.

Anything from Arrester Development.

Anything from Brand Nubian.

Lotta shit from Nas.

Chester by Dana Dane, covers child abuse.

WC and the Madd Circle's first cd, "Ain't a Damn Thing Changed".

And some other shit. You just gotta look, but positive shit is out there.
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That's whatsup. I ll check them out. I only know Nas and Public Enemy out of those yet so far. Time I expand my musical horizon a little
 
It's gotten to the point where I don't even listen to today's music so I couldn't even tell you who is out right now because I don’t even keep up anymore. I began to see a decline in the quality in music around 2001-2002, and I haven’t listened to the radio since the summer of 2001. If you were to tell me about someone’s new video on BET, my response would be: “what the f__k? BET is still on the air?”

Now anybody can probably attest to the fact that today’s music is trash, plain & simple. The reason for that is because the music industry is run by a bunch of corporate bureaucrats who care more about advertising revenue than actual good music. It’s as if every single beat sounds exactly the same as the next one. Where’s the funk? Where’s the bass? All you hear is a heavy beat, a catchy phrase, and a snap-pop.

I’m quite sure there are many songs out today with a positive message, it’s just a shame that the radio stations won’t play them or promote them and you actually have to look for the songs yourself.

Music is on the verge of coming back in a big way very soon.
 
I dont listen to mainstream radio, but quite a bit of "the Joint" on XM, when they play old school..... and classic rock stations (a big fan of Led Zeppelin) and a lot of alternative rock that is about 10 years old... the rest is kinda boring and I hate the message on a lot of the new stuff.. it bothers me somehow...
I waiting for that shif you are talking about, its time...
 
Tony Soprano said:
It's gotten to the point where I don't even listen to today's music so I couldn't even tell you who is out right now because I don’t even keep up anymore. I began to see a decline in the quality in music around 2001-2002, and I haven’t listened to the radio since the summer of 2001. If you were to tell me about someone’s new video on BET, my response would be: “what the f__k? BET is still on the air?”

Now anybody can probably attest to the fact that today’s music is trash, plain & simple. The reason for that is because the music industry is run by a bunch of corporate bureaucrats who care more about advertising revenue than actual good music. It’s as if every single beat sounds exactly the same as the next one. Where’s the funk? Where’s the bass? All you hear is a heavy beat, a catchy phrase, and a snap-pop.

I’m quite sure there are many songs out today with a positive message, it’s just a shame that the radio stations won’t play them or promote them and you actually have to look for the songs yourself.

Music is on the verge of coming back in a big way very soon.
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Seconded like a muthafucka. I stopped listening to the radio back in 2003. Funny, because it's was a good song on MTV that made me stop watching MTV and listening to the radio.
 
I don't necessarily care if the message is positive. What I do care about is how the songs give us the same old shit time and time again.

For R 'n B (and I'm sticking to the few black male singers for this) there is no creativity in both music and lyrics. All the songs are about "doing something to your body" that does not leave much to the imagination. Its all "oh, baby","oh, girrlllll" and "oh, baby" again. No stories are told. Definitely not much love is being conveyed. The writing is simplistic and predictable. In the 80s for the song "Kiss" Prince wrote the lyrics "act your age not your shoesize". That's brilliant. For the 90s song "Thieves In the Temple" (the extended cut) he wrote "You led me on, thinking you were Moses". How sweet is that. These days the losers who pose as R n B singers would put together lyrics such as "grow up, girrrrlllll, and act your age" or "why were you fronting, baby, when you led me on". Garbage. Frankly I give out points to dudes who go just one song without the expression "oh, baby"! That's how bad it is.

But its not as if I'm expecting everyone to be at Prince's level when it comes to writing. I'm not waiting on a "Little Red Corvette" from Chris Brown or anything like that. But even just for more simplistic but catchy tunes that capture universal moment of our daily existences or quests for companionship, its sad that something like "Run It" is pretty lame compared to Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" and "Off the Wall".


There's a few french-speaking black singers out now who I would love to see do work in English. One of them is named Slai. Check out this song/video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C2Z7-ghPFE



Another problem of these current American soul songs is the music, the sound. Those same predictable beats from a damn machine. The T-Pain like computer-modified voice echoes. There isn't anything fresh there and eevryone keeps copying each other's style. Timbaland is one exception but he's giving most of that good stuff to white guys like J. Timberlake. Still why must real instruments be thrown out.? Why can't guitars be used any more? I saw a corny Ray Parker Jr video on YouTube recently and it amazes me that back in the 80s guitars were actually still accepted on urban radio. Back then THIS song could get played on urban radio:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MC4yHrKsRU



Good luck trying to get that airplay these days. I doubt Earth, Wind and Fire could get a record deal in today's industry. I mean 80s soul music isn't all that great compared to the stuff from the 60s and 70s but it sure beats out what we're getting in 2009. And I believe the 80s was the last decade in which soul music stations allowed more diversity and flexibility in terms of what was played. And it was all the better for it. Even though Terence Trent D'Arby, like Prince, straddled the lines between rock, soul and pop, he still came up with better ballads than these current cats as displayed in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xmi_qbUGCKo


Now imagine the current guys doing live performances. Ain't none of them touching this from Sam Cooke:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM6_ZDvB70o

and none would show a command of vocals and his audience like these performances from TTD:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVLXya1bfd8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn6lqKkpRSE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6EO7bUmUo0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS8-t6-z5g4


And what happened to the bands? Where did that concept go? Give me funky folks like Sly and the Family

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYrz5y1mW5U



I'll take James Ingrahm, freakin' Billy Ocean, Jeffrey Osbourne over what's going on now. Its pathetic.
 
JamalSpunky said:
The T-Pain like computer-modified voice echoes. There isn't anything fresh there and eevryone keeps copying each other's style.
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Yea auto tune... the couple of times I've come over those they were at least somewhat interesting because it seemed "new".Now that stuff is annoying big time.


JamalSpunky said:
I doubt Earth, Wind and Fire could get a record deal in today's industry.
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True that.I think many artists that have started their career long ago wouldn't even get a record deal at all today. I wonder what people in 20-30 years will think about 2009's music.Lol.

I'll definitely check out the videos.Especially the French stuff. I love stuff in different languages,too
 
I should say, to some of us, "Can I live" is not a positive song at all. It's a political song, and not one that reflects everyone's politics.

I'd say 98% of Kanye West's songs fit your description of positive.

Also nearly anything from Lupe Fiasco. Mos Def fits the bill too.

20 years ago Vanilla Ice was popular.
 
CBQ said:
I should say, to some of us, "Can I live" is not a positive song at all. It's a political song, and not one that reflects everyone's politics.

I'd say 98% of Kanye West's songs fit your description of positive.

Also nearly anything from Lupe Fiasco. Mos Def fits the bill too.

20 years ago Vanilla Ice was popular.
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Well it at least is more deep than money,sex and drugs :) Can I live I mean...
More substance
 
CBQ said:
I should say, to some of us, "Can I live" is not a positive song at all. It's a political song, and not one that reflects everyone's politics.

I'd say 98% of Kanye West's songs fit your description of positive.

Also nearly anything from Lupe Fiasco. Mos Def fits the bill too.

20 years ago Vanilla Ice was popular.
Click to expand...
Vanilla Ice wasn't positive. He was also wack.
 
CBQ said:
I should say, to some of us, "Can I live" is not a positive song at all. It's a political song, and not one that reflects everyone's politics.

I'd say 98% of Kanye West's songs fit your description of positive.

Also nearly anything from Lupe Fiasco. Mos Def fits the bill too.

20 years ago Vanilla Ice was popular.
Click to expand...

I get what you mean about "Can I Live?" but I don't see how someone could say it isn't positive, all it is about is how his mother chose not to abort him, he even says he's not judging anyone in the song. No matter someone's stance on abortion I don't see how it's a negative song.

Anyway, there is so much positive hip hop out there. Try listening to some conscious MCs - Talib, Mos, KRS 1, Common, you know the kind. I like music with a positive message but I like music that's fun too.

Hell, I love this song and it's a bit vulgar, it's not negative really though.

What do you mean by a positive message - like a "nice" song towards women? A political song? 'Cause if that's what you mean, a bunch of songs are like that.
 
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